ISKSAA MIDLANDS UK TRAVELLING FELLOWSHIP

I Dr. Darsh Goyal and my colleague Dr Sambit Kumar Panda had a very good experience regarding our ISKSAA Midland fellowship. With all humbleness I express my thanks to Dr. Pushpinder Bajaj & Dr. Lalit Maini for giving us the opportunity of this fellowship. This position has allowed us to gain valuable experience working in an academic reference environment by assisting highly qualified surgeons. This started from the interview itself where we all were offered a very friendly environment byDr Ved Goswami. He asked our expectations regarding the fellowship and also at the same time made everything clear regarding his work schedule & the type of help we could get from this fellowship. We did clarify our doubts and enquiried everything regarding the fellowship, kind of accommodation, weather and work culture at his workplace. Really that was a great interaction as everybody felt good following that interview. Of course I and Dr Darsh were announced to have that at the end of ISKSAA -2014.

After that we got the congratulation mail by Dr. Lalit Maini and Dr Pushpinder Bajaj. From this we got to know each other and also started interaction together with Dr Goswami by e-mail regarding our further plans. We got our confirmation letter and fellowship schedule for the month of September 2015. In the meantime we were constantly in touch with Dr Lalit Maini and Dr Bajaj regarding our progress with Dr Goswami.

After all formal paperwork’s and VISA clearance both of us were ready to fly on 4th of September from New Delhi to Birmingham. By this time we were good friends over telephonic conversations but in reality we met each other at IGI airport for the first time with a warm hug to each other.

We reached at Birmingham airport in the night of 5th September. The next day was a shining Sunday and we did arrange our SIM cards, had a visit to the local super-market and a country side walk together. We telephoned DrGoswami to inform our arrival at Birmingham &he enquired about our comfort at our arrival and also guided regarding our accommodation & schedule for next day. We were to work with him in The Heartland hospital & The Solihull hospital both of which come under NHS trust. Our accommodation was planned before at Heartland hospital but since most of our schedule was at Solihull hospital we were advised and offered accommodation in the Solihull hospital itself. We got shifted there on 7th September .It was very good with all facilities like fully furnished kitchen, a separate lobby and spacious individual bedrooms. Most important was it was in the hospital premises itself and adjacent to the library so also to the Orthopaedics OPD and OT. There was a shuttle service running to and fro from Solihull hospital to Heartland hospital every hour.

We first met Dr Goswami in his Fracture clinic in the Heartland hospital in the afternoon on 7th of September. He greeted us with a warm welcome and introduced both of us to his Department. He involved one of his staff named Mr Rehman to help us regarding our paperwork to get hospital identity badge, detailed schedule etc. Mr Rehman is a nice person who did his best to guide us and made our first day very easy. By this time we had our identity badges, Work schedule and after all a very good accommodation. In the evening we had a walk to the side by big shopping mall TOUCHWOOD and the SAINSBURY’S store, purchased some essential food and vegetables.

Dr Goswami was having on an average of ten cases in his OT list to finish them with ease and accuracy. There we met Dr Su Shilling, the Anaesthetist , hats off to her how she was managing all the cases one by one smoothly and continuously.The transit time between every case was hardly 15 minutes. The OT staff was very punctual and dynamic in coordinating each and every case. Very often Dr Goswami’s OT list had 3-4 TKRs, 1-2 THRs, 3-4 Knee and shoulder arthroscopy and 1-2 Carpel Tunnel Syndrome or Morton’s neuroma. Dr Goswami was very careful and alert in teaching and demonstrating each and every step and clues to the operative steps and repeatedly asking for questions and queries for our better understanding. He was such a perfect surgeon that in every operation he recreated the similar steps and in each case we were taught all the steps again and again with increased perception of fundamentals all the time. We were very brave enough to fire tonnes of questions and doubts every time and Dr Goswami never ever hesitated to explain those before us. Really we did admire his patience, dynamism and surgical skill that made the difficult things very easy. We also learnt his attitude and soberness towards OT staff which made everything run smoothly in the OT itself. Meanwhile we were served Indian food in lunch and dinner with a special reference as Guests to Dr Goswami throughout the period. Dr Shilling was very much friendly as well as caring to both of in the OT.

Dr Goswami was operating in the Solihull hospital on Monday afternoon, the whole day on Wednesday and often on Friday also. Therefore we did attend the OT there most of the time. He had his OPD in Solihull as well as Heartland hospital in rest of the time and we together got a chance to observe his attitude and dealing towards the patients from a close distance. Dr Goswami was very kind enough to introduce us to some of the other consultants, pioneer in their fields. Wewere with Dr Soumitra Bhattacharya many a times around 8 TKR and around 15 THR and learnt from him the tips and tricks regarding THR and TKR. We learnt the art of Total Shoulder Arthroplasty and alsoobserved a couple of Reverse shoulders with Dr Salama, the shoulder surgeon. Truly speaking each and every consultant took all care to teach their skill and tricks in a simple way that we did admire a lot. However this all was possible because of Dr Shishir Nagware who guided us a lot each day to best utilise our most valuable time in the OTs. Even we were taught the art of studying MRI of each knee and shoulder before scrubbing into each case in the OTs by Dr Goswami and Dr Shishir.

We got a chance to be registered free of cost in the conference “Upper Limb Regional Study Day” under BOA on 25th September 2015 due to recommendation of Dr Goswami. There we got a chance to interact with a famous shoulder surgeon.

Dr Goswami was having a one week on call consultant duty in trauma at Heartland hospital in the meantime. Thus we got a chance to observe various trauma cases like Bipolar HA, PFN, Interlocking Femur and Tibia so also Plating of Humerus and Forearm Fractures and many trauma cases. Dr Shishir also helped us to have a ward round, to attend trauma review meetings and to observe some of the post operative rounds along with him.

We got an opportunity to attend the journal club in the Solihull hospital, of course followed by a grand dinner. Each and every day we made it a habit to visit the 24 hour open- library at least for one hour to recollect the daylong teaching and operation skills which helped us a lot in raising many a more doubts and questions for next day to be clarified by Dr Goswami.

After all we had a very busy weekdays schedule followed by the only free and sunny weekend Sunday that we reserved for refreshment and visit to places nearby Birmingham and Solihull. We visited London, Stratford –Upon-Avon, famous for Shakespeare’s birthplace, local sightseeing in Birmingham so also the city centre and marketplaces in Birmingham and Solihull in Sundays. Many a times we were offered a warm hospitality and dinner by different consultants in different famous Indian restaurants.

Before coming back Dr Goswami arranged a formal farewell for ustwo fellows along with some of his Indian Colleagues and registrars in his own house. We have had a great time there enjoying food and drinks. Really it was memorable.

Lastly at the end of our fellowship we were very sad to comeback as we enjoyed each and every moment there in a friendly and homely environment.

The last day was also very hectic with a list of ten cases. As usual we reached OTearly, assisted one THR, Two TKR and One knee and one shoulder Arthroscopy. Dr Goswami took great care again that day in teaching every step and really it was a revision for both of us. Then Dr Goswami and Dr Shilling arranged a group photo session in the OT to make our last day memorable. Lastly we said Good- Bye to everyone, took permission and blessings from our true mentor and a couple of advice and take home message and returned back to hostel. Dr Shishir was waiting for both of us and we spent a good time before leaving the hostel. Lastly we were accompanied by Dr Bhattacharya to the airport and we said Good-bye to him before leaving for India.