32 Doctors from Musgrove Park Hospital visited Richard Huish College to once against host a special evening designed for young people who have made applications to study Medicine at University.
The event organised by Dr Emma Wesley, Dr Christina Owen and Dr Sarah Gormley, was attended by 14 students of the Huish Medical Careers Academy, alongside 15 visiting students from surrounding Independent Schools and a local college. It involved a carousel of activities aimed at preparing them for the rigorous admissions processes involved with entry to Medical School.
Dr Gamunu Ratnayake, Consultant Anaesthetist at Musgrove Park Hospital and former employee of King’s College London’s Admission Department, gave a presentation of key advice before students broke out into groups to ask a variety of Musgrove staff more detailed questions.
The students also got to practice their skills in a formal interview that replicated many universities’ admissions processes. Following their interview, the students received feedback about how they performed and what they could do to improve for their real interviews.
Those applying to Medicine are often now required to complete Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). In quick succession, they will be given a different scenario or task, minutes of preparation time and then asked to perform before moving directly on to the next challenge. This can be intense, however the students demonstrated fantastic poise under pressure in the reconstructed environment. The surprise tasks on the evening ranged from resolving an issue of a highly emotional, upset person to guiding someone in tying laces.
Aziz Diab, who studies Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and an EPQ at Huish, shared “I found the event really useful; it gave me a lot to reflect on for my interviews”.
Fellow Huish student, Molly Alcroft, who studies Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and an EPQ, added “I found the medical mock interview event an invaluable experience in preparing for medical interviews. Talking to a range of medical specialists across mini-interview stations and panel interviews allowed me to gain an insight into what interviewers are looking for in applicants”.
Amongst the Musgrove Park Hospital staff visiting were five former Huish students, Addison Gorman, Amber Leach, Connie Rooney, Ines Sequeira and Clodagh Thorpe.
Richard Jones, Progression and Learning Centre Manager at Huish said “What a pleasure to welcome such enthusiastic Medics to our college, who have given their time to support the next generation of Doctors. The students certainly went away feeling very well-prepared for their forthcoming interviews. We couldn’t be more thankful for the support from Musgrove staff for making the event happen and it was so inspiring to see some of our returning students”.
The Huish Medical Careers Academy, which supports those making applications to competitive Vocational degree programmes of Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science, is a specialist branch of the wider Academic EnRICH provision Huish provides to all students. In addition to specialist events like this, Medical EnRICH includes guidance on UCAT and BMAT admissions tests, debates on Medical Ethics, seminars from visiting speakers, recommendations on wider reading, confidence building in using medical terminology and advice on e-mentoring, progression opportunities and work experience schemes, plus much more.
Discover more about Huish EnRICH at their Open Event on 19th April 2022, to register visit https://www.huish.ac.uk/event/open-event/, or apply now for September 2023 at https://www.huish.ac.uk/apply-here/.
Categories: Richard Huish College School News
