Day in the (pandemic) life of a clinical fellow

The original version of this post was written during the second year of the pandemic, so its content does not mirror the usual detail of a day in the life of today’s fellows. We have refreshed the links and amended the last paragraph…

I’m Esme, an honorary clinical fellow with Integritas Healthcare. I’m a junior doctor based in the UK, currently taking time out of formal medical training.

I have been a clinical fellow with Integritas since January 2021, having been a participant on the new Health & Justice course run by Integritas in partnership with Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) since Autumn 2020. Through this track I was inspired and encouraged to pursue my interest of working with vulnerable patient groups by joining the team!

Being a clinical fellow is really flexible to fit around my other commitments. I work in a part-time manner, doing two and a half days a week. Here is a breakdown of what a typical day might look like for me:

7:15am: I wake up and get myself ready for the day.

8am: I log on to zoom for telemedicine clinic, it is 3pm in the Philippines and our Integridad team are ready to show us the patients for the day. They have sent us a pre-filled clinic record with the patient’s details, observations and the presenting complaint before we begin. I accompany one of the more senior clinicians and complete the online electronic medical record as we go along. We see a variety of complaints from foot ulcers and diabetes management, to communicable diseases and ENT problems!

9am: Clinic finishes promptly at 4pm Philippines time, when the detainees must go back to their cells. Our European and Philippines team now meet online for devotions - a time of bible study and prayer. This is a wonderful time of fellowship and helps me get ready for the day ahead.

9:15am: I make a cup of tea before I check my emails and come up with a list of tasks for the day.

9:30am: I log on to our website editing suite and start a new opinion piece for our current blog series on torture and ill-treatment. A large part of my work is advocating for vulnerable patient groups, which I do through writing blog posts and raising awareness on social media. Through this I have been able to stretch my writing skills and develop my knowledge of the difficulties faced by those in secure environments.

12:30pm: My lunch break is pretty flexible, and I usually use it as a chance to stretch my legs and get come fresh air after sitting at my desk all morning!

1:30pm: I log on to zoom for a meeting with a colleague I am creating training videos with. We prepare in advance an interview script to record, and once we are done I edit it to ensure it looks professional. I upload this to dropbox for later use.

4:00pm: And that’s me done for the day!  

Every day can be very different - sometimes I attend board meetings, sometimes I get involved in other projects, and sometimes I work outside my normal hours to write a statement for a breaking news story. It can be challenging but I have certainly learned a lot and would recommend this position to anyone!

If you are thinking about taking a gap year from life as a junior doctor or nurse, and you have a heart for detaineees, why not apply to become a fellow?!

The original version of this article was published elsewhere on this site on 19th May 2021

Bursaries

Bursaries

Here are some excellent potential sources of funding for your elective or other period of training with us. Most, but not all, of them are for UK-based medical students. Please let us know if you spot any out of date information. Also, please tell us about other suitable opportunities especially those for nursing and other healthcare disciplines, those based outside of the UK, and graduates…

Christian Medical Fellowship

CMF does not itself give out bursaries, but it does collate information about other agencies that do.

GIFT

Bursaries are available to certain UK healthcare students living and studying in the UK who wish to use their elective of at least six weeks to become immersed in another culture.

Institute of Medical Ethics

Bursaries of up to £800 are available to medical students wanting to use their elective period or student-selected component (SSC) period for a project connected to medical ethics.

Integritas Healthcare

We operate an internal bursary scheme for elective and other placement students who are members of UK CMF or any other ICMDA organization..

Jewish Medical Association UK

Bursaries are available for members of the Jewish Medical Association (UK) who need assistance with their elective costs.

Lady Allen of Hurtwood Memorial Trust

Bursaries of around £1,000 are available to play and childcare practitioners wanting to use their elective period, or other period of study, for a specific project that will increase their knowledge and experience of the care of young children and their families.

Medical Missionary News

Bursaries of various amounts are available to healthcare students wanting to do their elective with missional agencies such as ours.

Royal College of Physicians

Bursaries of £500 are available to medical student members of the RCP who are both academically excellent and in financial need, to assist with their elective costs.

Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh

Bursaries of various amounts are available to medical students who need assistance with their elective costs.

Scar Free Foundation

Bursaries of up to £1,200 are available for healthcare students wanting to use their elective period to undertake research in the area of wound healing and scarring conditions.

Simmonds Bursary

Bursaries of £250 are available to medical students wanting to undertake clinical research as part of their elective period.

South Asian Health Foundation

Bursaries of £250 are available to medical students wanting to improve the health and well-being of South Asians as part of their elective period.

UK Kidney Association

Bursaries of £250 are available to medical students wanting to include a significant amount of clinical or research nephrology in their elective period.

Worshipful Society of Apothecaries

Bursaries of £750 are available to UK medical students wanting to do an elective period in the area of conflict and disaster medicine.