On Saturday 26 June, Miah and Priyal (Year 12) attended a fascinating InvestIN  ‘Young Doctor programme'. The girls tell us about their experience attending the event and the inspiration they got from it. 

Priyal 

I paid for a live event called ‘The Young Doctor Programme’ through InvestIN at Queen Mary University of London, which was introduced to me by the Head of Futures, Ms Day. On the Saturday, the programme involved essential skills such as medical school applications, the world of a doctor and medical school interviews. There were two practicals included of which one was the virtual emergency room and the other was suturing. At the end of Saturday, there was a panel Q&A where they had three doctors and one medical student answering questions asked by us students. On the Sunday, we covered medical specialities and ethics where we spoke to a Junior Doctor, a GP, a psychiatrist and a surgeon. At the end of Sunday, they had organised a debate on different scenarios of medical ethics. For example, ‘Should doctors be restricted from social media?’ and half the audience was for and half was against.

I found the programme very interesting and useful as I got an insight of various careers and specialities in medicine. The doctors shared their daily timetable with us so we could get a rough understanding of a ‘typical’ day at work for a doctor. It felt like a true experience as the course involved interactive stimulations where I found it easier to remain engaged and dedicated. It was helpful as I was able to expand my knowledge on the various, specific skills required to become a doctor.

I learned about the four principles of medical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice and how medical professionals must keep these four in mind at all times during their daily work life. I studied the vital signs that doctors must examine when a patient is registered at A&E. For example, monitoring their blood pressure, oxygen saturation, temperature, heart rate and breathing rate.

The best part of the Saturday was the Virtual Emergency Room, as this was a comprehensive and interactive practical which included lots of audience volunteering and discussions. The aim was to diagnose the ill patient and start their treatment whilst the clock was ticking away. It was almost like reality mainly due to the time pressure. The banana suturing was another highlight as we used proper surgical tools and thread and it was a valuable hands-on experience.

On the Sunday, the best activity was the group debate on medical ethics where I had the opportunity to hear different voices from a wide variety of students which was helpful and informative.

I would highly recommend this programme to all students interested in pursuing a career in medicine and to those who are yet contemplating to take on a medicine career as this course is very likely to clear any doubts and answer all your questions. I explored multiple tips of how to build a personal statement and how to prepare for an interview and BMAT/UCAT. Another benefit was improving your networking skills, making new friends and the chance to personally talk to multiple doctors from various fields as these connections are likely to come in handy for the future and can bring about many new opportunities and open more doors.

Miah 

The programme was very informative and opened my eyes to the different possibilities within the industry. It made me realise that surgery wasn’t the only option. I loved the practical part of it, where on the first day we learned how to suture a banana. My first try was a little messy, but my second was much better and increased my interest in the career. I would really recommend this programme to students wanting to study medicine because it gives you a good insight into what it’s like and if the career suits. It also helps you with the application process, so you are prepared for the future.