The Medical Society: Mr Christopher Spencer-'A Day in the Life of a Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist
Wednesday, 10th October 2012
It was a great pleasure to welcome Mr Christopher Spencer OE, a consultant minimal access surgeon at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, and the first obstetrician and gynaecologist to address the society. He spoke on ‘A Day in the Life of a Consultant Obstetrician/Gynaecologist’, and gave an engaging presentation during which many in the audience had the opportunity to have hands-on experience with a range of sophisticated equipment. Mr Spencer talked about some of the advantages of modern laparoscopic (key-hole) surgical techniques and the latest EndoWrist Instruments ( these provide a greater range of motion than the human hand) , such as their greater precision in suture tying, but also noted the glaring cost of at least $1 million to purchase a da Vinci machine.
Mr Spencer also kindly provided some general tips on success in a medical career to a keen audience, the majority of whom are aspiring to be doctors. He discussed the importance of having a work/life balance and developing interests outside of medicine, as well as the importance of learning to say no. After the talk had concluded many students stayed behind to handle the baby-delivering forceps and complete some simple exercises using a practice laparoscopic machine that doctors train on.
The turnout was exceptionally large with around 150 students from a record 10 different schools attending the meeting. Judging by the questions asked, everyone learnt a lot and this very engaging and exciting talk will go down as one of the highlights of the Half.
Agrawal (BC)
