Day 13...

Hello all,

A while since I checked in...apologies for the blog hiaitus. Things have been a little chaotic in the Matthews household this week - our little Alice was admitted to hospital for 4 nights (not with coronavirus - before you ask) where she was looked after by Mrs M. The current situation meant that there could be no visitors (including me). This lead to a daunting 4 nights of 'daddy-day-care' looking after George (also with no visitors). It certainly taught me a few harsh lessons:

1. Don't take family time for granted
2. Be grateful for the work of the doctors/nurses/support staff in the NHS and other key services
3. Parenting - especially by yourself - is very, very, very hard work

Here is a well-protected George and Alice en-route to the Evelina Hospital

Mrs Matthews had some 'fearless feedback' for me when the four of us were reunited - it included not mixing colours with whites in the washing machine...and avoid balancing George on your belly while watching repeats of Euro 96 on Sky Sports.

Pineapple Time...

Thank you to those of you who accepted my 'Day 6...' challenge of finding beauty in unlikely places. 

VR Pineapples are heading to: Erica D-G, Emma H and Natasha D-P for some very clever interpretations of the brief. Natasha's disturbing garden artwork is attached, Erica's vibrant portrait and as for Emma, phenomenal effort. Emma took a literal pineapple on a one-hour walk to her athletics track (which she no-doubt misses terribly) just to take a sunset pic! A virtual pineapple, also, to any one who has just sent a kind message about the blog - including parents. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy communicating with you all and the messages are genuinely making the school absence infinitely more bearable for me. 

Beautiful work Erica!

Natasha - this looks like me after 4 nights of single-parenthood...

Superb commitment Emma!

Latest

You will have noticed, this week, that members of staff have been contacting you at home - and touching base with your parents to make sure you are ok and finding the workload manageable. As ever, if you are struggling for whatever reason or just need an outlet for a conversation both the change4me email and staff emails are ideal first steps. You may have also noticed that Mrs Elmer, who recently returned from maternity leave, has also reached out to you on the subject of UCAS. Read her blog post on the subject through the email I sent you today.

What I have been reading listening to

Many of you listen to music - and I'm very aware that you have varied and eclectic taste. I'm also acutely aware that, as a 16-17 year old, there are few things more annoying than an old person like me recommending music. But, being a dad gives you free license to be annoying like this - so I'm going to do it anyway. You're often described (unfairly) as 'snowflakes' and as members of the 'now now now' generation. This is, perhaps, why music like drum n' bass and dubstep so appeals to young people: the drop comes quickly, you listen to singles rather than albums, you stick to what you know, and everything is online. Here is some recommended listening from an old man (me). Try listening to a whole album for a change. This is how music is 'supposed' to be enjoyed...as a body of work...

Alarum, by Johnny Flynn, is an alternative folk album. It has, among other things, great lyrics, clever musicality and a 'feel good,' 'festivally' feel. Mrs Matthews actually walked down the aisle at our wedding to a Johnny Flynn song...so I'm biased towards him.

Low Brow Fun - the latest from Chateaux Matthews

This week, instead of artistic photos of 'beauty in unlikely places,' I want something silly and creative. As if recommending folk music wasn't tragic enough...here is Mrs M and I attempting the 'footshake.' I'm ashamed...and I can only apologise...but when the news is so heavy and heartbreaking, I thought you might need and want to laugh at my expense. By popular demand, I might even promise to learn another...'Every day's a school day' after all. I'd love to see some (appropriate) silliness from you - please send me an example of good, old fashioned, Covid-avoiding fun and I'll give you a shout-out.

Mrs Matthews is also quite proud of her new 'memory wall.' We all take thousands of photos print so few...so she bought some cheap frames, even cheaper mirrors, printed some family photos and is very happy with the result!

Looking to the Future

Here is the result of my interview with my good friend Charlotte, a palliative registrar with 11 years' experience. I asked her about: A-levels, applying to study medicine, top-tips, a career in medicine, enrichment, coronavirus, living abroad...and more. She is (obviously) very, very busy at the moment - so it was kind of her to agree to this. She also wanted me to pass on to you that if you have any questions for her - she'd be very happy to try to answer them for you. Email me if you'd like to ask anything/ thank Charlotte and I will be certain to pass it on.

 It would be strange if I interviewed a doctor and I didn't ask about the global pandemic that sees you all working from home. All I'll do, though, is say that Charlotte was keen to repeat the government advice. It's so important that you stay home (apart from your safe-distance daily exercise). It makes a dangerous job harder when people don't do this. So do it.

Doctor Charlotte

I qualified as a junior doctor 11 years ago, after graduating in 2009 from the University of Birmingham. I cannot stress enough how much I love my job. It is a career that brings life-long learning and is immensely rewarding. Lots of people who study medicine have dreamed of being a doctor since a very young age. This wasn't true for me. At school, I'd always been pretty good at science, and very inquisitive, but I loved languages as much as any other subject. It was my dad who convinced me that I could always study a language 'on the side' but could never study medicine in that way. That said, I took French at A-level (as well as Biology and Chemistry) and I also speak Spanish. As a doctor, I have been keen to keep practising speaking a different language, so I also joined an app called the 'conversation exchange' - before social distancing I would regularly meet with a Spanish speaker who wanted to learn English - and we would practise each other's languages over drinks. Medicine should appeal to you if you genuinely love learning. 

If you are considering applying, you should research the different university's approaches to the teaching of medicine very carefully. While all graduates end up with the same qualifications, the routes taken can vary quite widely. I chose Birmingham because the course there meant we had the opportunity to deal with patients and shadow more-qualified doctors very early in the course (in the first year). Some universities will teach medicine almost exclusively in lecture theatres and classrooms until 2nd year. You need to think carefully about what style would suit you before applying - it will make a big difference to your university experience. 

It is a different university experience to many of my friends studying other subjects. Even after graduating, a career in medicine is a career for life. Like I have said, a very rewarding one. If you study medicine, you should be prepared to be patient (no pun intended). Even if your life as a junior doctor seems impossibly high-pressure and all-consuming, you are in a career for life where your specialism can dictate your later work-life balance. All graduates who immediately work in hospitals, as I did, become 'junior doctors.' As a junior doctor, there are then a number of stages on the way to becoming a consultant - if that is something that you want to pursue. These include 'foundation training,' 'core training.' and 'higher specialism.' I am currently in my final year of 'higher specialism training' as a palliative care doctor. Palliative care is a phrase which often scares people. It is the care for people with life-threatening conditions. I was attracted to working in this sector because we can make a real difference to patients and their families at a time when they feel most anxious and unwell. In palliative medicine, we also have to oversee patients' physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs - making my work challenging and varied. 

It wasn't until four years ago that I began to explore a specialism in palliative care - I have taken quite a circuitous route here. After graduating, I worked in a Birmingham hospital for two years before moving to Perth, in Western Australia. One of the great things about a medical degree is that it affords you the opportunity to live and work all over the world. I then returned to the UK to work in a West London hospital. I have since moved north to Northumberland, where I really enjoy the lifestyle - particularly the beautiful landscape. I also completed a Darzi Fellowship qualification in clinical leadership in order to develop as a leader, as well as a doctor.
You should consider applying to study medicine if:

• You are good at science

• You are committed to learning - and will be as an adult

•  You are prepared to be competitive*

• You want to be extremely proud of what you do

• You want to make a big difference to people's lives   

*Lots of people who apply to study medicine, who you will meet at university interviews, seem to have lots of strings to their bow. Many were 'head boy or head girl' at their school. With this in mind, you should think about work experience carefully and consider creative ways to get 'an edge' over other applicants. You might want to interview a doctor - to show how committed and interested you are in the profession. If you can get work experience - this will massively help. At interview, you should certainly show that you have researched the course. If you are able to say 'I am particularly looking forward to the opportunity to shadow a community GP in second year - observing how they prioritise cases and adapt their communication to deal with different patients' needs will be...blah blah blah.' then the university should be impressed by your preparation and research.

If you have any questions - I'd be very happy to answer them. Feel free to send Mr Matthews an email and I'll do my best to answer them. 

Good luck,

Charlotte

Thanks to Charlotte on your behalf - there cannot have been a busier time for frontline doctors in decades - so it was particularly kind to give up some of her time to be interviewed (kinder still to agree to answer any questions!).

I will try to keep to two blogs a week (even over Easter) - but life as an anxious parent has made it a touch more challenging. Remember to thank your tutors/ members of staff who make contact with you this week - they will be experiencing very similar feelings as you at this odd and challenging time. They are contacting you because, ultimately, they love you - and they want you and your family to be well and to still feel connected to the school.

Best to you and yours,

Mr M

Saint John Bosco