You\xe2\x80\x99ll diagnose and treat acute illnesses, chronic diseases, disability and frailty. Your patients will often have several medical conditions and be taking a number of different medicines.
Common conditions you\xe2\x80\x99ll treat include:
Fractures
Delirium
Dementia
Incontinence
Poor mobility
Frailty
As part of a multidisciplinary team, you\xe2\x80\x99ll work closely with medical colleagues including GPs and other hospital doctors as well as experts in the community such as social workers. Your ability to collaborate and work well with others will be vital.
Given the varied nature of your role, you\xe2\x80\x99ll work in a multitude of settings including:
Outpatient departments
A&E
Medical assessment units
Acute care wards (e.g. coronary care, high dependence, intensive care and acute stroke care)
Rehabilitation wards
Intermediate and long-term care wards
Day-care centers
Care homes
Hospices
The role demands a strong sense of compassion and the ability to adopt a holistic, patient-centric approach. You\xe2\x80\x99ll provide rehabilitation after illness and need a comprehensive knowledge of physical treatments, adaptations and aids.
Older people may react differently to drugs so you\xe2\x80\x99ll need an excellent understanding of adverse drug reactions, drug interventions and how these might be affected by a patient\xe2\x80\x99s condition.