clinical elective in the UK

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Daniel.Marcinkowski@googlemail.com - 26 Apr 2006 20:58 GMT

Hello All,

I am a german medicine student and I have to do a clinical elective at
a doctors surgery. I would like to do this in the UK in the area of
Ipswitch, because some friends of mine are living there. In order to
get such an elective, I will have to call each doctor (because I have
no email adresses). My problem is: i do not know some important
vocabulary. Maybe you can help me with that..

First I need to know if the word elective is the right expression - I
have to fulfill a time of about 1 month, in which I work at a doctors
surgery. In this time, my main task is to learn about the daily work of
such a doctor.

I need to tell them that it is important to do this elective at a
general practitioner's surgery, but not in a hospital. How can I
express that?

Thank you so much for helping me.

Signature

best wishes from germany,
yours sincerely, daniel

Reply to this Message

Pete - 26 Apr 2006 21:28 GMT

> Hello All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> I need to tell them that it is important to do this elective at a
> general practitioner's surgery,

What is a general practioners surgery. I didn't know GP's did surgery. I
guess I don't know what you are talking about. It is confusing at best.

but not in a hospital. How can I

> express that?
>
> Thank you so much for helping me.

Reply to this Message

bae@cs.toronto.edu - 26 Apr 2006 23:43 GMT

>> I need to tell them that it is important to do this elective at a
>> general practitioner's surgery,
>
>What is a general practioners surgery. I didn't know GP's did surgery. I
>guess I don't know what you are talking about. It is confusing at best.

What's called a "doctor's office" in the US is called a "doctor's surgery"
in British English. Since he's going to be talking to people in England,
he's using the correct term.

I hope somebody more familiar with British English can help him verify
that his terms are correct there. They look okay to me, but I speak
mostly Canadian English, eh?

Reply to this Message

Pete - 27 Apr 2006 05:14 GMT

>>> I need to tell them that it is important to do this elective at a
>>> general practitioner's surgery,
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> that his terms are correct there. They look okay to me, but I speak
> mostly Canadian English, eh?

Boy, and I thought American English was screwed up - and we got it from
England, or the UK, or whatever you want to call it :-):-) .

Reply to this Message

Tim Fitzmaurice - 27 Apr 2006 07:58 GMT

>> Hello All,
>> I need to tell them that it is important to do this elective at a
>> general practitioner's surgery,
>
> What is a general practioners surgery. I didn't know GP's did surgery. I
> guess I don't know what you are talking about. It is confusing at best.

A GPs surgery in UK parlance is the location of his practise and
generally synonymous with the building housing the doctors. Also quite a
few do some surgical procedures, if only of a VERY limited scale (cyst
removal etc which my GP's place calls 'Minor Surgery Appointments')

As for the original request, you may find some email addresses on the
www.yell.co.uk search engine, its the local yellow pages and if a
particular practise has an email address it may well be there.

As to terminology, elective may be appropriate, but depending on how
advanced your training is it may be that 'Seeing Practise' is another
term that might be applicable. It depends on if the aim of the position is
more observational or more practical.

Tim
--
When playing rugby, its not the winning that counts, but the taking apart
ICQ: 5178568

Reply to this Message

Phil Anthropist - 27 Apr 2006 06:01 GMT

> Hello All,
>
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> Thank you so much for helping me.

Daniel, your German English is excellent. Doctors in Ipswitch should
understand exactly what you have written. The only changes I can suggest to
make it clearer are in the last sentence of my reply. I am an English nurse.
Good luck with your elective clinical placement of about four week's
duration in order to observe the daily work of a UK general practitioner.

Reply to this Message