How to Make the best out of Ward Rounds
Ward rounds are an important asset to a medical student in becoming an effective clinician. It allows them to follow professionals in their practice and gain first hand experience on managing patients in the actual ward setting. The opportunity will give the medical students correlate what was learnt through text books and in theory along with actual ward management and critically analyze how different and complicated the actual management be from what was learnt.
Permission:
Most of the time, the students will have the option to follow a consultant or else a senior medical officer in doing the ward round. Prior to this, the student must make sure to obtain permission from the consultant as well as the relevant departmental heads in order to do a ward round under supervision.
Preparation:
Following gaining permission, it would be ideal for a student to browse through the patients, at least regarding the on admission diagnosis or the symptoms in order to prepare in advance for the ward rounds. This will improve the learning process as well as avoid any embarrassing instances in which the students fail to answer a simple query from the consultant or even by the patient.
Introduction:
When at the patient, always make sure you introduce yourself as well and obtain his or her permission to be present at the consultation and do examination on the patient if the need arise.
Keeping notes:
When doing the ward round, make sure you keep a note book with you and if the necessity arise sketch down few important points that might come out in the ward round.
Eqipment:
Carry the usual medical student's accessories such as the stethoscope, knee hammer, torch, tooth prick and cotton wool to do neurological assessment...etc. These would come in handy if the consultant asks you to examine the patient or elicit a sign which could be present in that patient.
Making queries:
When wanting to make a query, wait till the consultant makes his assessment regarding the patient and plan out the management as disturbing at this time might not be a good idea. Following this, indicate your intension to ask a question and if allowed you can pose a question which is relevant to that patient.
Recording a discussion:
In these discussions, a student might benefit from keeping the records of the discussion and thus a small recording device would be useful. But, before making use of such instrument, it's vital that you obtain permission form the consultant as well as the patient.
Making a summary:
At the end of the ward round, make a summary of what was discussed and list out the areas needing further reading or practice to perform better as a medical doctor.
