Mayfield Medics on the Frontline

We were delighted that OC Dr Charlotte Turrell (Class of 1992) took some time out of her very busy schedule to talk to us about her work.

Q: When did you first decide you wanted to be a Doctor?

A: At School I realised I was good at Science and loved the idea of working with people. I was attracted by the idea of a vocational degree.

Q: Where did you study after Mayfield?

A: In London at the UMDS (United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals) for five years, which was a real eye-opener coming from my rural Mayfield life! I had a room at St Thomas’ overlooking the river and facing Westminster which was amazing. I then had a final year working as a GP registrar.

Q: Where was your first job after University?

A: Greenwich Hospital where I spent six months in Medicine, and then the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells where I spent six months in Surgery. It was a tough ‘old school’ experience whereby I was on call all weekend with little or no sleep. It was hard but I learned a lot and the camaraderie was great. Practice Manager of the Year 2020. At the start of the pandemic there was a lot of anxiety and uncertainty but it has actually brought us together as a team.

Q: We understand you were on the BBC News as your GP Practice was the first in Sussex to start giving patients the Covid-19 vaccine?

A: On 15th December 2020 we were the first practice in Sussex to start the vaccination programme. We are a hub for five local practices (Uckfield, Buxted, Heathfield, Herstmonceux and Newick) and we can administer up to 500 vaccinations per day - an impressive team effort!

Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring Mayfield medics?

A: Be open-minded and take every opportunity you can along the way. You can make a real difference to people’s lives - go for it!

Dr Charlotte Turrell on right

Q: Where are you working now and how long have you been there?

A: I’m now working in Uckfield as a GP in the Meads Medical Centre. I’ve been there for 11 years.

Q: How has your experience of working as a GP through Covid been?

A: It’s been wonderful. I feel very privileged to work in such a forwardthinking surgery with amazing colleagues including Charlotte Luck, our Practice Manager, who was awarded

Amelia Hardy

(Class of 2020)

My name is Amelia, and I am a first year medical student studying at Lancaster University. My first year at Medical School has definitely been strange, however I know that I have been very lucky to have the amount of contact hours I have been receiving during lockdown. I really enjoyed my first term at university, despite being in and out of lockdowns, as there was a real sense on campus of everyone pulling together to help each other. (Although I have to say I definitely enjoyed coming home to my Mum’s cooking again, and not having to pay to do laundry!). Before we entered Tier 4 last term, I was training with the university swimming team, and my college netball club as well, which I really enjoyed as I was able to meet lots of new people. Being able to have an outlet when work gets a bit too much has really helped me, and I can't wait to be able to get back in the pool!

Coming back after Christmas initially was very hard as I was the only person in my building for about a week, especially as I still had the same workload. I found ways to cope with this though, such as meeting with other medics on campus and trying to get out of the flat during the day.

Before lockdown, we had six hours of in-person group discussion, and four hours of clinical skills and anatomy lessons every fortnight. However, my in-person teaching is now down to one hour a week of clinical skills, and the rest has been moved online. This has definitely been hard for all of us - trying to have a group discussion on Teams is very different to having a discussion in person.

My course is Problem Based Learning, which means we have two week-long modules that are based around a scenario that we read and analyse at the beginning of the two weeks. We then set ourselves learning objectives based around four topics: medical sciences, health and cultural sciences, population health, and professional practice, values and ethics. Our lectures and anatomy sessions are then based around these. For example, our last module was on embryology and reproduction. We also have communication skills sessions, where we learn how to approach patients, how to take a history, and other appropriate communication skills and techniques, that we can take forward to use in the future.

It has definitely been a challenge adapting to the university lifestyle during a global pandemic, but I am very lucky to have met so many amazing people here, and to feel supported by the Medical School.

Lottie Brushfield

(Class of 2020)

This year is certainly different from how I imagined it. Most of my time is spent at a desk in my room, but I know that is the same for students across the country at the moment. I’m lucky that I was able to come back to Bristol University to continue my studies in Medicine as I work much better here than at home! Online learning is definitely difficult, especially when Medicine is usually such as practical subject, but I’m lucky that I have other medics in my flat who I can study with. I’m glad that I still have the time to keep up with my hobbies, like ceramics, my bedroom is often covered in clay as I managed to bring a potter’s wheel back with me after Christmas! Covid-19 has thrown us some curveballs, like in October when around 15 people in my flat tested positive and we had to isolate for three weeks! I’m lucky to be in a flat of 42, so I see lots of different people every day.

The format of my course at Bristol is case-based learning. This means that each fortnight we get a new topic to look at - for example, the most recent one is the cardiovascular system - and all of my tutorials and lectures are based around that topic. We get given a case example, and my tutorial group then discuss and research areas such as treatment options, current medical research, anatomy, and physiology. Usually we would do this in person, but currently it’s on Teams - I imagine it’ll be quite strange when we can finally meet in person! I get to do virtual placements, which consist of observing online consultations with a GP and chatting to patients about their conditions. I also get to do something called ‘effective consulting’, where we learn consultation techniques that we will use throughout our careers - they even bring in actors to play patients so we can practice our bedside manner. You have to see the funny side of it I suppose - I never imagined using a teddy bear to learn how to use a stethoscope!

I haven’t had much in-person learning, apart from a few seminars and dissection sessions, but in March I get to do my first in-person placement - a 12-hour shift as a health care assistant at one of the hospitals in Bristol - I’m so excited that I will finally get to meet patients faceto-face! Whilst it is certainly a strange experience being a first-year medic at the moment, I love my course and I’m so glad that I chose medicine.