Event speakers:

Fiona Cairns, Widening Participation Manager at St George's, University of London

Gary James Ramsay - Medical Student at the University of Aberdeen

Hosted by
Jon Cheek, Founder and Director, UniTasterDays.com

Useful links (mentioned during Fiona's presentation:

https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/applications/entry-requirements
https://www.sgul.ac.uk/study/undergraduate-study/how-to-apply/make-your-application-stand-out
https://www.rcgp.org.uk/training-exams/discover-general-practice/observe-gp.aspx
https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE

Event Summary

This webinar is hosted by Jon Cheek, the Founder and Director of UniTasterDays. Guidance is provided for students to help them make good choices when considering university. The guest speakers for this event are Fiona Cairns, the Widening Participation Manager at St George’s, University of London and Gary James Ramsay, a Medical Student at the University of Aberdeen.

An introduction to studying medicine at university
Medicine at university is a very competitive course and the process of applying is different to other UCAS courses. Fiona speaks about why the academic entry requirements are stricter in comparison to other subjects as well as the admission tests.

There are two types of tests, the University clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) and the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). The session covers how to find out more information regarding these tests, how to book for them, how costing works and the best ways to prepare for them.

Fiona explains how universities use these tests to assess you for the course and how this has changed due to COVID-19. Universities’ require you to have prior work experience and this does not necessarily have to be in a hospital, explains Fiona. There are other areas you could gain work experience in which demonstrate your ability to care for others and Fiona suggests where you could look to find this experience. She also mentions how universities’ have changed the way they approach work experience after COVID-19 and how you are able to gain an insight into the medical sector without experience.

Fiona touches on what a personal statement is, how it is used by universities and what stage of the application process it is used. She shares her top tips on writing a good personal statement where you effectively demonstrate your passion and motivation for medicine. Finally, she speaks about the different types of interviews you may experience and how the interview system has changed after COVID-19.

A student perspective to studying medicine
Gary shares his student experience of studying medicine at university. He speaks about how he got into the University of Aberdeen and the application process. The modules you study will vary from university to university and Gary explains the types of modules he studied in each year. For example, foundations of medical science and diseases in the first year and reproductive psychiatry in the third year.

He speaks about when you are able to undertake a placement in the hospital and the different methods of learning. Clinical skills are what you develop before going to a hospital and Gary shares his experience of this as well as a day in the life of a medical student. Hospitals are not the only place you can complete your placement and Gary speaks about other placement opportunities available to medical students. Finally, he talks about remote and rural placement options before ending on the extra benefits of studying medicine.

Session summary from Rubaya Zaman, a final year English Literature student at the University of Birmingham.