Intended for healthcare professionals

Student Careers

Immediate care skills for your elective

BMJ 2016; 353 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.i2049 (Published 24 June 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;353:i2049
  1. Neil R Chapman, academic lead, phase 3B electives1,
  2. Christopher Press, air ambulance physician, East Midlands Ambulance Service, and senior clinical fellow (anaesthetics)2
  1. 1department of oncology and metabolism, University of Sheffield, UK
  2. 2Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Two simple frameworks to help you wherever you are

So, you’re ready to go on elective. The bags are packed, your arm has just about recovered from your vaccinations, and you have your passport in hand. But how much thought have you put into what you would do if confronted with an incident or asked to offer medical assistance while on elective?

You will want to find ways you can make a difference, and in some situations your hosts may look to you for assistance. It can be difficult to strike the right balance between responding in the best way while working within your competences. This can make medical students feel uncomfortable. The BMA ethics tool kit states that when on elective you are under an obligation to maintain the standards set by the General Medical Council. The tool kit states:

“You must avoid getting involved in providing routine care that is outside your level of competence. Where a patient is at immediate risk of death or serious harm and no other qualified health professional is available, you can assist, provided you have a reasonable belief that you can improve outcomes.”[1]

The tool kit offers four questions students should ask themselves before helping a patient:

  • Why am I not allowed to do this procedure at home?

  • Am I capable of performing it without suitable supervision?

  • Am I putting my patient or myself at risk?

  • Would it be possible or practical to ask for supervision without imposing excessive burdens on other key health personnel?1

On the basis of this guidance, what can medical students do if confronted with an incident or emergency while on elective? In this article we offer two frameworks that you can apply to the initial management of a patient so you can make a difference …

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