A year ago yesterday exactly, I had a rotten cold. The kind where your head weighs much more than it should and you ache furiously. I was at work in my office job, which I liked only because of the lovely people I worked with, when I received an email. My Manager noticed that I had been unwell and came over to ask if I was okay. Unfortunately a combination of the lurgy and that email made me burst into tears. After a long talk in a small room away from the open office I felt spurred on to sort things out, but firstly to go home and feel better in myself.
The email itself stated that I had not been selected to interview for a Trainee Anatomical Pathology Technologist position at the local hospital. While deep down I knew that it was a long shot, I stupidly had a lot of hope riding on the role.
Yesterday, I received the news that I had been given a Trainee APT role where I work now at that local hospital! With that news came the first time of holding a PM40 blade and using it. I had only ever held them before to change them for the APTs or Pathologists. For those who don’t know, a PM40 is a blade used for post-mortem work. It’s bigger than a scalpel and with a chunkier handle. Some APTs use a PM40 for everything, some use a scalpel and some use a combination of the two. For the first time I felt like the scalpel was easier to use and more tactile but that was just the first go!
These items are made by a company called Swann-Morton and can be found here if you’re interested-
The other APTs are highly skilled and make the evisceration look so easy. Having a little go at some of the bits myself yesterday, I managed to slice through the aorta and not do so great all in all. However for a first go I’m okay with that, we all have to start somewhere. Plus, I have cheekily had a couple of goes at stitching previously so now my stitching is still slower than the other APTs, but it looks nice and holds well. If I can get quicker I’ll be chuffed to bits!
So that’s my good news of the week. I finally made it after a year of working so hard to get here. The lack of interview spurred me on to contact the mortuary manager, who agreed to meet face to face, who then offered a work
placement, which then led to applying furiously for NHS jobs, which led to my position at Guy’s in the office which all put me in good stead for the Mortuary Assistant job and now I’m here.
I’d like to say thank you to those who have believed in me, put up with my moaning or crying or mood swings and to those who have supported me. You all know who you are and what part you played and I’m so very grateful. Bring on the coming years and all the training, I’m so excited to learn it all!
MG x
Mortuary Gem 
Miss you at work so much but so so glad you’re getting to do what you love!
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