...The Interview From Hell
As AberdeenMedStudent commented on my blog, I thought now was a good time to share my mentally scarring experience of Aberdeen.
For some reason I applied to Aberdeen even though I come from Kent. In face there were a lot of reasons...
1. Easyjet to Aberdeen is cheaper than a train from where I live to the midlands or up north
2. I know people from there who love it
3. Entry was only ABB the year I applied
4. The boys have cute accents
5. Why not?!
Anyway, so I applied and got an interview. My Dad and I decided to make a little trip out of it, fly up the morning before, stay in a hotel and have wander around.
On the day we left we drove the hour and a half to the airport, pretty early in the morning. At the airport we had breakfast and chilled out until we got on the flight.
My Dad and I fly a fair bit so aren't nervous about it and comfortably settled into our seats on the plane.
About 5 minutes after take off my Dad started to say he felt "funny", "sleepy" and "not well". In the space of 10 minutes he went from being quite coherant to slurring, resting his head onto my shoulder and moaning in discomfort. I didn't really know what to do. My Dad is NEVER ill.
Next thing before I knew it he was leaning back in his seat, grunting, shaking and struggling to breath. I completely paniced. I shouted for help and the air stewards came running. Thankfully there was one who spoke my Dad's mother-tongue which made things a little easier for him. By now he's stopped shaking and was moaning and vomitting. He couldn't even hold himself upright in the seat.
The air crew made an announcement for doctors on the plane. There were none. There was only someone who had just started to train as a paramedic and although they offered to help, felt out of their depth.
By this point I was trying so hard to stay strong, and not cry. I knew that showing I was worried would make things worse. I ended up shouting at half the other customers on the flight because people were standing up and leaning over their seats to get a look. Vultures.
We got landed as quickly as possible at Aberdeen as it was the nearest airport at the time (lucky for everyone) and met by an ambulance crew.
This is where it all went even more wrong.
By this point my Dad was visably better, but still shaken and weak. The ambulance crew completely ignored me. Hating hospitals my Dad insisted to them that he just fainted and I was actually told to be quiet by them when I tried to describe what I saw.
When we got to the hospital I had to give my Dad's details to the reception at A&E. Once I'd done that they said someone would get me when I could see my Dad. An hour later and I'm sitting crying in the reception area as noone will tell me where he is or what's happening. I ended up so distraught a randomer bought me a cup of tea and made a fuss at reception for me. After a good 10 minutes of bargaining with reception, the receptionist took me into A&E where my Dad was sitting up in a cubicle looking almost as right as rain. Noone could tell me why I hadn't been taken to see him before that, or at least told where he was. Yet again noone was interested in hearing my story... shocking now that I know an eyewitness account of any funny turn is important.
After that we got in a taxi and checked in at our hotel. I tucked my Dad up in bed for a couple of hours and once he was feeling a little better we took a stroll up the street and had a pizza. I spent all night in the bed beside my Dad's bed listening to him breathing, unable to sleep because I was so worried something would happen. He's all I've got. He's not only my Dad but he's my best friend. Since my Mum died he's done everything to try and give me the best life I can and I couldn't imagine what I'd do without him.
The next morning was interview day. It started with a tour. The student who did the tour was lovely. In fact my Dad still goes on about how nice she was now. The uni was lovely and everything was looking better. In fact I didn't even feel too bad about the fact I'd had no sleep.
I went into my interview and things started okay. I didn't panic. I felt alright. Then I yawned. I couldn't help it. After that horrible interview man made some sarcastic comment along the lines of "Are you bored or tired? Maybe you should have got an early night and not gone out partying before an interview." .... I flipped. I completely lost my temper and snapped, "Actually, I couldn't sleep last night because on the way here my Dad had a fit, I had to spend hours in your hospital being ignored and then funnily enough I couldn't sleep." Eek. Not good. The interviewers went quiet, but carried on with the interview looking at me like I was a little unstable.
I left the interview and told my Dad it had gone well.
Surprisingly I didn't get an offer.
Nice place though.
Anyone else have any interview nightmare stories?!
Lily xXx
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Heard Around The Hospital: Father's Day
8 years ago
3 comments:
Not as bad as your but heading down to a certin middlends medical school with my uncle (A&E consultant) and dad (police officer) came across a major accident litterally 5minutes from the medical schoo, we were still waiting for an ambulance to get there when my interview was meant to begin!
Needless to say I missed it, some how they managed to fit me in later in the day but having blood on your shirt didnt make the best impression somehow still got an offer!
Hope your dad was ok after all that
Eek, that really is a nightmare interview. I've not had anything that bad but my Leeds interview didn't exactly go too well.
I had already received an offer from my first choice (St Andrews) by this point but I thought that I may as well go along to the Leeds interview anyway as it got me a day off school. So I set off in the morning nice and smart in my suit. The Manchester to Leeds train was supposed to take an hour. Unfortunately I caught the wrong Manchester-Leeds train - the one which stopped at every little station in the Pennines and then took a detour to Bradford. By the time I arrived in Leeds, I had 20 minutes to get to the medical school. I ended up sprinting across the city and having to hurdle the central reservation of a motorway junction. I arrived just in time, out of breath and with my suit covered in dirt. I was ushered straight into the room for my interview. The panel were really nice to me but I just wasn't prepared and ended up making a complete mess of it. Luckily my failure to get an offer didn't matter too much, only my pride was wounded. But it wasn't a nice experience nonetheless.
Aww Lily! That sucks :(
Aberdeen A&E is unfortunately still like that - I sat for 3 hours waiting to see my friend after he passed out and I'd gone in the ambulance with him, and the first time I saw him was when they discharged him as no-one had told him I was there despite me going to reception 3 times!
And there are certainly no boys with cute accents that I know at med school :p
Would happily swap if you'd still like to come here :)
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