Health

It is very unlikely that you will survive the five years at medical school without ever needing to see a doctor – the lifestyle led by students is hardly conducive to excellent health! It is crucial therefore that you are registered with a GP who can then offer help and advice on a whole range of problems. Don’t suffer in silence, or think that by getting help you are being pathetic; it is a well known fact that doctors are one of the most likely groups of people to get ill, due to their hesitancy in recognizing the problem and getting the appropriate treatment. Most of you probably registered with the Student Health Service in the first year, where the team is familiar with student problems.

Student Health Service
Hampton House Health Centre, St Michael’s Hill, Cotham, Bristol BS6 6AU
Tel: 0117 330 2720 – Try to ring at around 9am for appointments (lines get very busy)
Web: http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/StudentHealthService/centre.html

Sexual Health

This is a very big issue when first arriving at University; sex now carries a health warning and while it may be an exciting prospect to be young and at your prime in a big city, there are certain things that you should think about.

Contraception

Doctors are very happy to advise on the best type of contraception to suit you if you are in a sexual relationship. Of course none are 100% safe but it is easy enough to make it 99%. If money is a problem, remember the availability of free condoms at Family Planning Clinics and Student Health Service
Pregnancy: see section on Women’s Health.

Sexually transmitted diseases

The most important thing to remember is that these are best confronted. Early treatment means that symptoms may be caught at a manageable level. If you notice anything unusual, feel any discomfort, pain or irritation, contact the doctor immediately. Remember, cross-infection is a risk and it is your responsibility to inform all partners involved. The best way of avoiding STDs is to use a condom and have only one partner at a time.

Making an appointment at the GUM clinic

This seems like a daunting prospect but you can be assured an excellent service at the UHB Genito Urinary Medicine clinic. It’s in the Central Health Clinic just beyond Broadmead on the way to temple meads (map: click here) There are walk-in sessions every morning (see website for times). Go and ask for an appointment at the desk, (or you could phone), making sure to say that you are a medical student. The friendly staff may be able to see you at once or give you an out of hours appointment (to avoid any embarrassing encounters with 4th Years on placement!) Queues and waiting lists are normally massive for this service (unless things are urgent), so use this perk. The staff here are superb – there’s nothing you can’t tell them and confidentiality’s guaranteed. Not even your GP will know you’ve been and it’s not put on your medical notes. So don’t put things off.

Bristol Sexual Health, Central Health Clinic, Bristol,
Appointments: Tel. 0117 342 6900.
For advice phone: 0117 342 6944
For more info visit http://www.uhbristol.nhs.uk/your-hospitals/bristol-royal-infirmary/what-we-do/sexual-health.html