Jack Mowatt
Year: Fourth (at time of interview: July 2020)
Hometown: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Education: Chemistry BSc, University of Sheffield
What work experience had you gained before coming here?
I found it so hard to find hospital experience. I managed to get 2 days at my GP practice along with months of volunteering with Age UK, working with people with dementia and helping an elderly lady to regain her independence. I also shadowed a chiropractor for a week.
Why did you choose Warwick?
I chose Warwick as I was intrigued by it being the largest graduate entry medicine school. I liked the fact that we would not be mixed with undergraduate medical students. Warwick also has a very good reputation as a university.
How are you finding the MB ChB so far? How have your clinical placements been?
The MBChB degree is challenging, however they help you to develop yourself as an independent learner in hospital placements and enable you to focus on what you need to improve your clinical skills. I enjoyed the opportunities given to me at the medical school and I really loved the culture of peer support which carried on through every year (even from F1s!).
Clinical placements were varied and gave me a good grounding in all aspects of medicine, surgery and specialities (such as psychiatry). It’s important to know what you’d like to get out of each placement because, even though the opportunities are presented to you, it requires motivation from you as the student to find the information you need to learn!
What do you most enjoy about the course?
I enjoyed my GP placements the most as it was the first time you were able to conduct your own consultations independently! That’s when you really start to feel like a doctor!
Have you been involved in any extracurricular activities during your time here?
I was president of Warwick MedSoc during my time at Warwick, which helped me to improve student’s experience in their time at medical school, along with allowing me to form closer relationships with staff and other students!
I was also able to attend conferences such as the Warwick Education Conference and the INSPIRE national graduate entry medicine conference! These really help to improve your CV and help you to link with others with similar interests to yourself.
Do you have any idea at this stage about which specialty you’d like to pursue?
Don’t be upset if you don’t know much about what speciality you’d like to pursue, as most people, even myself as a newly qualified foundation doctor, don’t know what they’d like to do at this point! I’m interested in GP, Rheumatology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology!
Do you have any advice for people applying to the MB ChB at Warwick?
This is such a rewarding degree to complete, regardless of your background! Warwick is a medical school for people from any degree, any age and any experience, so don’t be put off if you have a degree that you may not think is very “science-y”, as a lot of the time, you guys have the most varied experiences that make you great doctors!
Finally, what three words would you use to describe your experience studying at Medical School so far?
Rewarding, Challenging and Exciting!