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Life as a cardiology specialist registrar at Evelina London

 

Dr Hannah Bellsham-Revell is a ST7 paediatric specialist registrar (SpR) in cardiology.

Hannah explains...

What this job can do for your career

This post can raise your training to the top level by:

  • training in one of the UK’s leading paediatric cardiology centres
  • following patients through their journey from child to adult
  • working as a member of a large, friendly team learning about the diagnosis and management of cardiac problems
  • acquiring skills from cardiac catheterisation to echocardiography.

Working as a cardiology SpR at Evelina London 

As part of ward duties you will experience:

  • daily ward rounds (four days a week)
  • preoperative and postoperative care for cardiac patients on the ward, intensive care (PICU) and neonatal intensive care (NICU)
  • managing acute emergencies and admissions to the ward
  • supervising and teaching senior house officers (SHOs).

As part if clinical duties you will experience:

  • general paediatric cardiology clinics
  • electrophysiology and pacing clinics.

On-call, you will experience:

  • intraoperative and postoperative echocardiography
  • cardiac reviews (including echocardiography) of inpatients from other specialties, including NICU and PICU
  • receive referrals from the south of England for acute management, general advice, referrals and ECG reviews
  • acute diagnosis and management of cardiac conditions such as the new blue baby,  the collapsed neonate and arrhythmias.

Other learning opportunities

You have the opportunity to attend a wide range of sub-specialty areas such as:

  • fetal cardiology clinics
  • cardiac catheterisation laboratory
  • observe in cardiac theatres
  • cardiac MRI and CT
  • transoesophageal echocardiography and sedated echocardiography lists
  • adult congenital heart disease
  • work closely with PICU in the management of cardiac patients including those on ECMO
  • weekly multi-disciplinary team meetings to discuss all patients for surgery.

Teaching

There is a full teaching programme at Evelina London, covering:

  • catheterisation
  • journal club
  • ECG
  • echocardiography.
  • consultant led and SpR led presentations/sessions.

SpRs are also involved in the teaching of nursing staff.

Research

The paediatric cardiology department is part of a large research department (King's College London), with ample opportunities for audit and research.

What Hannah says

 “There are many opportunities available both in clinical care and research.

"Organisation and time management are probably the most important skills to have coming into this post, and will help you maximise your experience.”