| What is it really like to work at Colchester General Hospital | ||
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The Hospital is currently based on two sites - Colchester General Hospital on the edge of Colchester, and Essex County Hospital based in the heart of Colchester. Further information can be downloaded here. As reported by a current Doctor.... Working at Colchester General Hospital "These are the experiences of a doctor who as chosen at will to work for upwards of now 2 years at Colchester. I have been in both medical and surgical departments at the general and oncology departments at Essex County Hospital in Colchester. I can safely say I know this place pretty well by now. I was asked to jot a bit down about what it is like to work here so I guess I better cut to the chase. Colchester is a town with a lot of history and is situated in the south east of England. It is a pleasant town to live in with an out of town feel but at the same time being in earshot of London by train. The town center is clean and the shopping is great. There are many good restaurants in the area and plenty of activities besides. The hospital itself is split into 3 main buildings, ‘the jolly green giant’ as it is affectionately known due to its tasteful design and color and 2 newer buildings. Wards exist in all 3 of these buildings and depending on your specialty you will find yourself frequenting one or all of these. The hospital itself is current situated with a moderate amount of green surroundings but there is encroaching building work as the town clearly expands. This does not however take away from the feeling of space that the site holds. The grounds are maintained well which is impressive because I don’t seem to notice people working on them, although it is clear that they do, maybe that’s just me! Parking is plentiful at the moment at the General Hospital so you should not have difficulty finding a spot in the morning, however parking at Essex County Hospital can be difficult if you do not arrive early in the morning. If there is one thing I can say about working here above all else is that it is one of the friendliest hospitals I have ever worked at. Both medical and non-medical staffs are good to work with. There is a canteen in the main building which, as most hospital canteens do, feed you. It is open from 8am to 8pm so out of hours food can be obtained in the doctor’s mess, we are working on improving the food provided. The mess. What can I say about the mess? Hmm. Its small but there are plans to improve the size of it. There are no windows but the future plans are intended to sort that out… in the mean time we have an air conditioning system and extractor fans fitted to provide fresh air. Things did changed for the worse in the last year as an extension to the hospital building turned the mess from an end of building room with windows to a middle of the building room with no windows and single corridor access. To their credit the trust recognized that this was not the best renovation to the doctors mess and have provided the funds to improve the situation. In its defense the doctor’s mess has a wide screen television with Sky access, leather sofa’s, cooking, tea and toast facilities and a computer with ISDN Internet access. Your mess fees are £10 per month. I am sure you are reading other sections and I may be covering areas that you already know about but I guess hearing the honest words of someone who works here helps to strengthen your faith in those reports. Or, if it may be the case, make you want to go back and read them again because this sounds like a completely different hospital. I am just going to keep typing until my hands get bored so here is a few comments about each of the departments I can think about right now. Accommodation – I have ‘heard’ that many of the accommodation areas are good, I live in a private home, but I would advise you checking things out before you get here so you can put a request in for where you would prefer to be located. Locality – There is a large Asda nearby for food shopping and the hospital is in walking distance of the train station. Lifestyle – There are many local facilities that I am sure would adequately fulfill your needs, and if all else fails you can pretty much find a place somewhere in London that would provide for your taste in activities, but I would check the bank account before you set off. Weather – If you didn’t already know, England is cold wet and windy in the winter and decides on the day what it wants to do in the summer. Cost of living – South England is more expensive to live in then North England but it is not close to the cost of living in London. Hours – It depends on the job you are doing, but the pay scheme here is generally fair due to the New Deal. I have no complaints at the moment, the appropriate persons took any I have had in the past seriously. Study leave – This is arranged through the appropriate staffing managers and has to be applied for, there is also limited funding to help you pay for courses. Teaching – In my opinion Colchester has covered this area well with lots of opportunities for teaching and free food. There is excellent access to computer-aided learning (plug Catherine!!), plus a well-defined program of teaching sessions and presentations. In all I have enjoyed working here over the past 2 years and am due to do at least a year more. I like the town, the staff are friendly and the working environment although busy at times has never left me feeling unsupported. If you do end up coming here I hope you have a pleasant experience, emergency exits can are located here, here and here, and if you are sat next to an emergency exit you may be required to aid attendants in helping patients with the safe exiting of the hospital. In the event of water ‘landing’ your seat can be used as a floatation device. We hope you have a pleasant time at Colchester General Hospital" Paediatrics: " The departments mode of operandi is TEAMWORK. Everyone is approachable, and willing to help with questions. There are two main units to work in; SCBU and delivery suite, and the Children's ward/day unit. On SCBU we try to get you to attend deliveries and to familiarize you with the examination of newborns. On SCBU most of the decisions are taken by the Consultants and Registrars. On the children's ward you attend ward rounds and carry out investigations from what is decided on Grand Rounds. Day unit is a place where are long term patients, new patients from GP's and patients for simple procedures from clinics drop in. We aim to train you in dealing with these type of cases within a few weeks. Learning; Everyone will be assigned an audit, take part in guidelines formation and there is teaching 3 times a week - interdepartmental. Ideas for nights out are always welcome! Further information to download directorate structure, entire organization structure, organization structure
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