The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital . IHL Programme.

1. The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.IHL Programme. By: Clare Bradley

2. Introduction I chose The Mater Hospital for my work experience because I wanted to see if I would like working in a hospital and if any of the jobs there suited me. The hospital runs an IHL programme for TY students every year. Before I went to the hospital I was thinking about a career in social work. I didn’t really know what to expect. We started work at 9a.m and finished at 4p.m.

3. History The Mater Hospital was founded in 1861 under Catherine McAuley and the Sisters of Mercy. It is a university teaching hospital providing many specialist services for people throughout the country. It is the national centre for heart and lung transplantation and spinal injuries etc..

4. Day 1 In the morning we met with the Health Promoterand two medicine internees. Ruth the HP spoke to us about ‘prevention instead of cure’. She told us what it is like to work in a hospital and her role in the hospital. The training doctors spoke to us about their experience in hospitals so far. They told us about the amount of work and the level of commitment required. They work long hours and have to study when their off. They said it is a busy and stressful career. On the first day we met in the Whitty Building. There were 8 other people in the IHL programme with me. We were given our timetable, black folders, identity badges and blue coats.

5. Day 1 .. continued In the afternoon we went to 3 different nursing wards. We went to the orthopaedic ward where we got to look and use some of the equipment used for treating spinal injuries. We went to the heart and lung ward where we spoke to one of the nurses. She showed us a power point presentation on different causalities in her ward e.g. Perforated lung. To end the day we went to the colostomy ward where a nurse spoke to us about colostomies and methods for treating and looking after them.

6. That afternoon we were taken to Phlebotomy were we saw a patient gets their bloods taken. We brought this blood sample to the Pathology Labs. In the Labs we were showed the different components of blood and how they were stored ready for blood transfusion. In Histopathology we saw real body parts which had been removed and were ready for testing. In Haematology we looked at blood samples through a microscope. In this lab they diagnose leukaemia and anaemia. Finally, we went to the Mortuary. We saw the church, the post-mortem room and the fridge room. Day 2 In the morning we went to the computer section of the hospital. Here we learned about Information Management. We got to use a sample database to practise admitting and discharging patients and ordering blood results. We also seen live scans and scopes on the computer too. Audiology was next. We got our hearing tested and we saw other equipment used by audiologists e.g. balance ropes. In Physiotherapy David spoke to us about the main areas and different equipment used for example the swimming pool, steps and weights.

7. Day 3 I really enjoyed the Organ Transplantation section. Zita spoke to us about organising the transplantation and the different people involved. In the Orthoptic unit we tested our eyesight and we spoke to Elaine about all the different eye problems and what she likes about her job. In Radiology we got to speak to a radiologist and look at x-rays which were taken in the hospital. We were shown x-rays of gunshots, stabbings and a drug mules stomach. We saw a patient having a cat scan. That afternoon we went to the A&E Department. Here, we spoke to an A&E consultant and got a tour of the area. We were shown a room where they keep people with mental illnesses and different treating rooms. The A&E nurse spoke to us about how busy and stressful his work was. A Social Worker from A&E spoke to us about different experiences he had while working in hospitals.

8. Day 4 Thursday morning we spoke to the psychologist. I really enjoyed it. He spoke about treating different illnesses such as OCD. In Occupational Therapy we got to look around the room which was fitted out like a house. We were shown some of the tests used for patients recovering from strokes. In Speech and Language we were shown videos of different swallows and how the work of a speech and language therapist is vital to get a stroke patient back speaking and swallowing properly. In the afternoon Martin O Donohoe spoke to us about general surgery. He described the HPAT and what exactly is needed for a career in surgery. We were shown different tubes used to replace aneurisms. In Psychiatry John spoke to us about his career and different ways to get there. He spoke about interesting cases he had come across and what he did to help.

9. Day 5 On Friday morning we got into scrubs and went to minor theatre. I seen a lump being removed from a lady’s cheek. It only took two minutes and the patient was awake for it. After that we went to the C.V Labs where we saw an angiogram in progress. The patient was awake while a camera was sent to their heart via an artery in their arm or leg. I didn’t really like watching this! In the afternoon the group learned how to preform CPR. We were shown how to preform CPR on an adult and child, how to use a defibrillator and the Heimlich manoeuvre. We were each given our own mask to bring home. To finish off a great week we went to the Perfusion Dept. Rob spoke about what an important role he has during an operation. He works the machine that take over from a persons heart when a heart transplant is taking place.

10. I really enjoyed my weeks work experience in the Mater Hospital. I thought it was really interesting and I learnt a lot about everyday life in a hospital. After the week I still feel strongly about a career in social work or maybe psychology. I didn’t like the colostomy or orthoptic sections.