Case studies

Shalina Popat

Enthuthiastic student Shalina Popat, came to the Trust for two weeks as part of her work experience module at Sheffield High School.

Here Shalina takes us through her placement, which she found to be a valuable insight into the world of medicine - a career she hopes to pursue.

"Ever since I was six years old, my heart was set on becoming a doctor and now I have this amazing opportunity to live my dream."

 Shalina adds: "On my first day I was honestly very nervous, however, I also felt a burst of excitement. I was warmly welcomed by staff in the department on my first day, which was in the fracture clinic shadowing Dr Stan Jones.

"I felt extremely privileged. One by one, I watched as all the patients came into the room and I carefully examined the x-ray of each patient, figuring out what the problem was and listening to the doctor’s advice. The days were long and tiring, which enabled me to get an insight to the reality of a doctor’s life. 
   
"The second day soon came and I found out that I was going to be in theatre. I had never seen anybody in theatre before, so I was scared at how I was going to react. After I was kitted out in my surgical clothes, I made sure that my hands were thoroughly clean and placed my mask over my mouth before being shown into theatre.

"I carefully examined how each member of the surgical team prepared by scrubbing their hands and watched how the other nurses had to tie the surgeon’s gowns. I continued to observe how precise the whole procedure was – from counting the surgical instruments or making an incision.

"The whole experience made me realise that becoming a doctor not only means saving people’s lives, but having the responsibility of keeping them safe and stable throughout operations. From then onwards I knew that this was what I wanted to do."