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Ipswich Links
Contact : Dr Gerry Rayman (Clinical co-ordinator and Medicine Tutor) Mr Abu-Own (Surgery Tutor). Ipswich is one of the main DGHs for students (from both Cambridge and UCL) so there are always plenty of us around, which makes up for being flung to the darkest corner of Suffolk. Extensions to the main site are under construction, but the overall layout is quite simple, based on a long main corridor (decorated with lots of artwork) with various wards and clinics sprouting off the sides. Getting in to A&E involves going out of and back in to the building if you are a student, but otherwise it is fairly easy to locate and get in to any of the wards, each of which is named after one of the villages or districts around Ipswich. Travel to Location By Car: Getting there: Car: Approx 1hr 15mins, Follow the A14 to Ipswich, Felixstowe & Lowestoft, over Orwell Bridge, then take the first left (sign-posted to Ipswich airport & Nacton). Take a left at the bottom of the slip road, then take the second exit at the roundabout, over another roundabout, then under a railway bridge. Turn left at the junction with Homebase & Sainsbury's opposite, then continue for half a mile to St Augustine roundabout, taking the second exit here. Follow the road to Bixley Road roundabout and go across it, to find the main entrance to the hospital 1/3 mile down, on the left hand side. It's easy to find (!) and takes about an hour. Parking is easy- there's usually plenty of space, especially outside the Pearson Road accommodation. To avoid the parking people, just stick a "Student Doctor" note in your car window. By Train: Train: takes 1hr 20mins but the station is a distance from the Hospital. The train takes 1.5 hrs, and aren't regular, but do-able - there's a bus that links the hospital and the train station every 15 minutes (#5). You can take your bike on the train - there are designated bike storage areas on it. There are cabs outside the station and the number 66 bus that takes 20mins. Given the distance it’s probably best to get there the night before. You need to email to arrange this and collect the key from the maternity unit. By Bus: Buses to the bus station 5, 11 (every 15 mins) and 6 (every 20 mins). Accommodation There are two accommodation blocks:- Pearson Road Most Stage 1 students are accommodated here. A 5 minute walk away from the Hospital, there are flats for 4 people sharing a bathroom (with shower), toilet and kitchen. Rooms are basic but acceptable. Each has a sink and comes with a supply of towels which can be exchanged, along with bedlinen, at the launderette. If you like to study in your room you may need a desk lamp, since lighting is not adequate for reading. You might also want to take an extra blanket in the winter as it can get a little chilly. Kitchens come fully stocked with crockery and cutlery and have an oven, grill, 4 hobs and an electric kettle. There are no microwaves or toasters. They’re in the process of setting up wireless, but it’s available in the mess and there’s plenty of computers in the library. Doctors' Mess The accommodation adjoining the Doctors' Mess is nice enough - shower/bathroom/kitchen between 4, and incredibly convenient, in that you can walk directly to the Mess or hospital. Most Stage 2 students are allocated these rooms, perhaps because they were doing Ob&Gyn/Paeds and therefore were expected to be on-call some nights. Rooms are clean, warm and comfy, but you'll need to bring any saucepans or cooking equipment you may want to use. As a bonus, there's wireless internet access in the whole Mess (including accommodation) so if you've got a laptop/PDA, bring it.. Hospital Facilities Doctors' Mess The Doctors' Mess is awesome! It is well-equipped with big, comfy sofas, a mess-run bar open some nights (£1 a drink!), wall-mounted widescreen TV with Sky, full-size snooker and tabletennis tables and well-stocked kitchen that you’re welcome to use/raid.. There is also an adjoining mini-kitchen with free toast, cereal, coffee and tea (thanks to a rota with house officers doing the shopping each week). Every Thursday the doctors go to a bar/club and every last Wednesday of the month is the mess party which is themed and definitely worth going to! It’s not worth venturing out on any other nights as the town is pretty dead otherwise. If you have any other questions, email jl422/ndmc2 Food There is a cafeteria on the North Side with reasonably-priced food. The hospital canteen isn’t too bad, but if you want to cook there’s a Sainsburys about 5 mins away.é in the PGMC. Library
Registering at the PGMC library is free and gives you borrowing
privileges and 24 hour access via PIN. There are several well-lit desks for
study and 7 computers within the library, but also a computer room with several
more. Medical students' timetable information and clinic schedules are available
on the hospital intranet, and there is access to Wolfson Computing Room logins
from some of the terminals.
Clinical Skills Centre The Clinical Skills room is not yet open to 24 hour access, but you can book times during which models will be laid out for you and you can get skills tutors' advice. Local Amenities Shopping There is a Co-Op about 5 minutes walk from Pearson Road (just turn right out of the accommodation) and there's a big Sainsburys a short drive away. Going Out The centre of Ipswich gets pretty busy at night, with favourite hangouts being Pals (a bar with a dancefloor) and Fire & Ice (Fire is the Cindy's equivalent). There's also a Nando's and a cinema in the town. . Locally to Pearson Road there are a couple of pubs, the best is The Golf Hotel (turn left out of the accommodation and keep walking!) Teaching Consultants are quite diligent at delivering the Stage 1 Case Scenario Seminars, and often give additional interesting teaching within that framework. There are Grand Rounds every Wednesday and Surgery students get a weekly Friday breakfast meeting - both come with free food. Most teaching from surgeons goes on in their clinics, so try to go to as many clinics as possible during your attachment. PRHO/FY1 teaching is worth a look-in, as is the weekly X-Ray teaching (check at the PGMC to find out when/where it is). For the hungry, there are always loads of MDTs with free food going on. |