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Showing posts from August, 2018

Life hacks in the UK

This post is about stuff I wish I had knew earlier when I started working in the UK. WORK The power of copy paste When you request an investigation/ send an online referral for a patient, you basically type this up: "This 60 year old gentleman presented with sudden onset headache at 0600 today when he woke up. It was frontal, throbbing and 10/10 in intensity. This did not resolve despite paracetamol and presented to the acute medical unit on advice of the out of hours GP. Kindly do a CT head urgently please to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage" You have essentially just typed up the clinical narrative for the discharge summary. Now if you copy paste this and copy paste it in the clinical narrative, you would save yourself a lot of time when the CT head (which would be done within an hour) comes back to be normal, a lumbar puncture is done ( ideally after 12 hours of onset of symptoms) which is also normal and he has been seen by a consultant and deemed fit for discharge the s...

My guideline on applying for TIER 2 dependent visas from within the UK - August, 2018

This guideline is for those dependents who are residing in the UK and their TIER 2 dependent visas are about to expire.  This is for the standard visa - ie it takes 8 weeks for the visa to come.  Please note that the guidelines and websites may change so Google search this information yourself as well.  They applied for their visas on the 28th of August, 2018 and they got their BRPs on the 16th of October, 2018.  They received their supporting documents including other original documents on the 17th of October, 2018.  A basic summary: You fill the online application  You scan and print out the necessary documents  You attach your original passport ( current one and previous one the visa was issued on that one) and BRP.  You attach the babys original passport and birth certificate. You pay for the health surcharge and visa fees.  You go to your post office and get the biometrics done.  You then post the docu...

How to save in the UK

When you are working like a robot the whole week, you feel like partying over the weekend ( or whenever you have zero days off). You can save a considerable amount or be on the verge of bankruptcy depending on your lifestyle. Do note that you can enjoy and save at the same time. Here are a few tips I have learnt over the past few years. WHILE WORKING Tax relief. Claim for tax which you may have overpaid. And yes, it is quite common to find out that you have overpaid and the HRMC sends you a cheque once you have asked for a claim. Here are a few things you can claim for: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/tax/tax-guidance/tax-relief This is the link: https://www.gov.uk/claim-tax-refund And no, it is not illegal to claim tax which you may have overpaid. However it is best you DO NOT hire a lawyer/agent who can make fraudulent claims on your behalf. So do it yourself! It is very simple. You fill an online form ( or post a letter to the HMRC mentioning what you want to claim for) an...

Managing elderly patients

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This blog post is about taking care of our elderly population in the NHS -whom comprise a majority of our patients in every specialty.  Here are some useful resources: https://sean9n.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/twenty-one-tips-for-junior-doctors-working-with-older-people/ http://aeme.org.uk/mini-gems/ http://thehearingaidpodcasts.org.uk ON ADMISSION: If you are the doctor on the acute take admitting new patients, here are some useful tips: 1. Get a collateral. Usually families are with their elderly relatives on admission initially and if it is not too late, try to talk to them before they go home. Ask about how the confusion/drowsiness started. Ask if they are constipated, if they had a cough, burning while passing urine  Ask about medications, if they had recurrent falls, hit their head, etc. If there is no one with the patient, call the next of kin ( if it is not too late at night) and get a full history.  2. Get a detailed social history: Where do they live? Th...

How to access your work email at home

One of the most frustrating aspect of work can be coming to work after a long holiday on a busy day and opening your email to get a shower of emails. You can avoid this mental breakdown if you could possibly open you work email at home AFTER coming back from a trip( and NOT when you are on holiday/enjoying with your family) and answer the urgent ones. NHSmail is one solution to this- It is free and all doctors can get access to it. Here are some benefits: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/nhsmail/the-benefits-of-nhsmail How to get access to NHSmail: 1. Given that this is a secure form of work mail, you have go through the proper channel - ie your hospitals IT department. 2. Once they have set it up for you, you can then request them to link it to your work email address. 3. Your email will automatically be forwarded to your NHSmail which you can open on your computer/tablet/phone. Please do remember that even though this is safe and secure, do not leave your NHSmail open when you are no...

Guideline for people who have started work in York

York is a beautiful town ! It has been named Britain's happiest place to live: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-43448590 And after spending a few weeks here, I have no doubt about this. I have lived in Sheffield, London, Slough and Harrogate - York beats them all ! 1. Get registered with a GP. https://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4 Call the surgery and ask how to register. Usually you have to go to the surgery and fill out a form. In most cases, you have to personally go and submit your forms along with identity documents 9 ie passport, BRP, etc.)  2. You will have to pay council tax. Set up a direct debit account here: https://www.gov.uk/pay-council-tax The amount of council tax depends on the bands : https://www.york.gov.uk/info/20004/council_tax/2112/previous_council_tax_charges You can calculate the band of your property here: https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands 3. If you have a TV, you have to pay TV tax. The site...

My third job in the NHS - Core Medical Trainee Year 2 : York Hospital

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I will be sharing my experience on my Core Medical Training Year 2 in York Hospital in this blog post which started on the 1st of August, 2018.  My rotations are: 4 months in renal medicine 4 months in gastroenterology 4 months in neurology TIMELINE: 1. I was sent a copy of my offer letter and contract and was asked to submit a scanned copy of my passport, BRP, payslip etc on the 14th of May.  2. I received my work schedule and rota on the 4th of June.  3. I was emailed the induction program on the 20th of June.  4. I was emailed my annual and study leave policies on the 9th of July.  5. I applied for all my annual leaves for the whole year in mid July.  6. I had induction day on the 1st of August - I was emailed what documents to bring a few days before. 7. I had specialty induction on the 2nd of August from noon to 2 PM. 8. My first full working day was the 3rd of August.  I did not have to go for an ID check as York Hospital w...