The MDTea Podcast

This week we meet the next people in Jean’s MDT- the speech and language therapists.

How much do you know about this teams work and breadth of work they can help with? Do you know how they might help ensure patients cognition-communication (cog-com) disorders be involved in their own care? Do you know how to make a drink with thickener or why straws might not be better for all people with swallowing problems? Do you want some top tips for enhancing your communication skills? Have a listen to learn all these points and more

Welcome back to the MDTea Podcast! Today on Episode 5 we’re looking into the exciting world of physician associates, and learning about the many ways they help the hospital team when it comes to looking after older patients. Physician associates first appeared in the UK in 2003, and have been growing in number since then. Nowadays, most hospitals have them working on the wards where they review patients, initiate treatments, formulate management plans, have discussions with patients and their families, perform practical procedures, take on leadership roles and lots more!

We caught up with James, Hamed, Mira and Lindsay to hear all about their own experiences in the role, and to find out why they think it’s such a brilliant job. One thing that’s mentioned in the episode is James’ own podcast, The Physician Associate Podcast. You can find him @PAPodcastUK on Twitter. If you’re keen to find out more about the PA profession, it’s well worth a listen!

As usual, we’ll be dipping into Jean’s story and finding out where she’s got to in her hospital journey. We’ll also be chatting through what’s leapt out at us on social media over the past few weeks and setting a new, cryptic #MDTeaser! There’s an exclusive mug for the first person to answer it correctly, so make sure you get in early! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter (@mdtea_podcast) or Instagram (@mdteapodcast), and our website is www.mdteapodcast.co.uk. See you all soon!

In this episode, we’re delving into the daily lives of doctors. And we’re about to discover how many different types of doctor can come into contact with an older patient in hospital. The ones we’re going to meet in this episode include an A&E doctor, an orthopaedic surgeon and a group of elderly care medics. All with the same goal in mind...managing the acutely unwell patient, maximising their comfort, planning for the future, and getting them safely back into the community again where possible. But this can be tricky when frail patients present with a whole host of conditions. How do doctors manage these complex patients? Is there a way to treat someone as a whole person rather than getting different specialists involved for every individual body system? And what exactly is it that makes a good elderly care doctor?
As the average age of our population increases, all doctors coming into the profession need to realise that a passion for elderly care is essential. After all, older patients will almost certainly make up the majority of their work, regardless of their specialty. And the guests on this episode want you to realise that this is something to be embraced, not frightened of.
As ever, we’ll have our MDTeaser and the latest highlights from the world of social media. Thanks for all your messages over the past few weeks, it's so encouraging to hear that lots of you have found this series helpful! Keep getting in touch on Twitter @mdtea_podcast, on Instagram @mdteapodcast or via email at [email protected]. Our website has every episode we’ve ever done, and can be found at www.mdteapodcast.co.uk. And we’ll see you again for the next episode of Jean’s journey through the hospital in 2 weeks!