About Wythenshawe Hospital
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About Wythenshawe Hospital First of all, a very warm welcome to you from myself and all our Undergraduate staff at UHSM. Some of our staff have told me that the arrival of our new cohort of Year 3 medical students is the best time of the year for them. https://www.medlea.manchester.ac.uk/files/BaseHospitals/UHSM https://www.uhsm.nhs.uk/hospitals/wythenshawe-hospital/getting-here/ Starting your clinical years is a major transition but also a good one. It is your entry into the environment where the majority of you will spend the rest of your working careers. We are aware that it will take you some time to settle into this and this is why we run our Introduction to Clinical Learning course to help you acclimatise and teach you some skills which will be useful to you when you start your first clinical attachment on the wards. The scope of clinical medicine is absolutely vast. Over the next three years you will be exposed to every major specialty. This may be the only close exposure you will have to many of these specialties in your entire careers as the early career choices now expected from junior doctors will narrow your pathway after your 2 year post- qualification Foundation Programme. So, make the best of your undergraduate time. Personally, I found every specialty that I was exposed to in my clinical years fascinating. I was never bored. You will be exposed to another type of learning opportunity in clinical medicine as well – the patient. I believe that spending time with patients is the best and most rewarding resource of all clinical learning. Never forget that learning and practicing medicine is a privilege. The privilege is that you are able to share some very personal aspects of peoples’ lives and, indeed, have access to their own physical bodies. You should spend as much time as you can on the wards and in the various departments in the hospital taking histories from patients, examining them (with their permission), learning and practicing procedural skills and observing and event participating in the care of the patients. Be proactive and make the best use of your time, particularly in any gaps between scheduled teaching sessions. 28 This is the real thing and I hope you thoroughly enjoy your next three years. However, please also bear in mind that hospitals and GP practices are fast-paced environments and patient care is a clinician’s first priority. We have many excellent and committed teachers in South sector but sometimes, extreme busyness or emergencies can disrupt teaching and you will need to be flexible and understanding of this at times. However, both the undergraduate team and I are committed to giving you the best learning experience we can. So: 1. Enjoy your clinical medicine. Your clinical years should be some of the best and most enjoyable of your life. 2. Work hard but make sure you enjoy life outside medicine too. It makes you a more rounded person. 3. There is always something to do and learn in clinical medicine. Be flexible and make the best of your time. We all wish you luck, success and happy times! Professor Ann-marie Kelly, Hospital Dean UHSM. Cycling 29 Cycling to Wythenshawe Getting into Wythenshawe hospital using your car can become expensive, time consuming and stressful. The price of fuel, hospital parking permits and insuring your car in Manchester (where everyone’s car gets stolen/ vandalised from time to time) will all take a sizeable chunk out of your student loan. Queuing to get onto the M60 and then again to get into Wythenshawe Hospital is the last thing you need when you promised your Consultant you would join them for the 9am ward round. Don’t worry though, there is an alternative! Why not try cycling into Hospital instead? • Cycling into Wythenshawe is faster than driving during the rush hour • Cycling will mean you save money • Cycling will mean you can bin that gym membership • Cycling will stop the ice caps from melting (think of the polar bears) • Cycling gives you an excuse to wear lycra The route into Wythenshawe is about 5 miles if you live in Fallowfield and even less if you live in Withington. This may take you ¾ of an hour at first but can be done in as little ¼ of an hour if the traffic lights are in your favour and you’re feeling particularly energetic. There are cycle lanes on almost all of the roads involved. A helmet is still recommended; even though you are cycling to a hospital it is best to arrived with skull intact. Lights are also necessary in winter; the police can fine you if you don’t have them and also you’ll be more visible to people in cars who will no doubt be half asleep on the way to/from work. Wythenshawe is an extremely cycle-friendly hospital as there are large swipe-card accessed bike sheds, student showers, male/female changing rooms and plenty of lockers. In fact the shower is probably far better than the one in your student hovel and you don’t have to pay for the hot water! The Route The route doesn’t really change if you live in Withington or if you live in Fallowfield. Cycle down Wilmslow Road until it forks at the south-end of Withington high-street (a barber called “mensroom” is situated at the fork). In fact the fork is more of a trident. At this point take the straight on prong of the trident which is called Palatine Road. Continue down Palatine Road for about three miles. On your way you will pass the Christie Hospital (on the left), then you will pass through part of West Didsbury which is marked by a parade of shops running perpendicular to palatine road. Continue through West Didsbury and Palatine Road widens and the surroundings become more leafy, you will then come to Northenden. Before entering Northenden you will pass Northenden Golf club on your left and you will pass over the Mersey River and under the M60 (where everyone driving is stuck in traffic). 30 Cycle through Northenden passing Tescos on your right and then Northenden Group Medical Practice on your left and you will come to a set of lights. Go straight through the lights (passing under Princess Parkway) and you will come to a second set of lights. Keep left here leaving palatine road as it continues on to the right and turn onto Wythenshawe Road. Wythenshawe Road is marked by a bus stop on the left and the road is flanked by trees on either side compared with palatine road which has houses on either side. Continue down Wythenshawe Road until Wythenshawe Park appears on your left, At the Wythenshawe Park sign leave the road and enter the park. Cycle across the park using the wide path (do not turn off just continue straight) for about 200 metres. The path comes to a junction in a wooded area, turn right here and a few metres afterward turn left and the path leaves the park and you will find yourself on Altrincham Road. Cross this road using the pedestrian crossing (which is directly in front of you when you leave the park). Cycle up hall lane which is perpendicular to Altrincham Road (which you just crossed). This part of the route is uphill for about 100m and then you will travel over the railway (with betting shops and a bakery on your left). Travelling downhill on Hall Lane after the railway bridge you will come to a roundabout. 31 Take the 2nd exit (effectively turning right) on this roundabout and you will be on Floatshall Road. Travel down Floatshall Road for about 150m. This is a residential road and you will pass a primary school and church just before reaching another junction. Turn left at this junction and you will be on Southmoor Road. Continue along this road, through some lights, for about 150m and you will see a sign saying Wythenshawe Hospital. Southmoor Road takes you into the hospital as it veers right. Take the first left after you enter the hospital, with a field on your right and the helicopter pad and small car park on your right. Continue uphill on this road and you will pass through some gates (which you can cycle round). At the top of this small road there is an alley on your right. A sign with a bike on it saying “Staff” marks the alleyway. Ride down the alley and take the second right after you leave it. The glass education building will be in front of you. Turn to your left and you will see the bike shed. You will need a swipe card to enter the bike shed so on your first day lock your bike on the railings just outside. Walk into the ERC and go down the stairs and go into the basement and the showers and changing rooms are through some double doors, which require a swipe card. On your first day ask the receptionist and she will let you into the changing rooms. - Written by Nick Hopley, Year 5 South Student, 2012 13 with additions from Jemima Heap, 2015 16. https://www.medlea.manchester.ac.uk/files/BaseHospitals/SRFT 32 .