Maurice Dungey
Year: Second (At time of interview: January 2017)
Hometown: Rustington, West Sussex
Education: BSc in Sports Science with Management at Loughborough University followed by an MSc in Exercise Physiology and PhD research into the effects of an exercise programme in haemodialysis patients on cardiovascular and immune parameters.
Why did you choose Warwick?
Warwick appealed to me because the whole cohort are graduates and therefore there are people with similar priorities in life to me. For me, the location was also important as my girlfriend is in the Midlands and Coventry has pretty good transport links to the rest of the country.
How are you finding the MB ChB so far?
So far, the course has been tough but good. The first year is very intense and mainly lecture and CBL (Case-Based Learning) based, but we also got into the hospital straight away and started learning and practising clinical skills. Medicine is such a broad topic that even when an area hasn’t interested me, we have quickly moved onto the next topic.
I also like the way the course is organised, integrating the different themes throughout (e.g. anatomy, pharmacology, cell & tissue biomedicine). I found that having a bit of crossover really helped my learning, so when I had touched on an area three times from different perspectives it eventually stuck.
I have mostly been based at UHCW (University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire), which is a great hospital. There is so much going on and provided you are proactive there are always learning opportunities and patients to talk to. We only started in the hospitals full time a couple of weeks ago, so now I have got over the initial feeling of being slightly overwhelmed and intimidated (!) I am adapting to a new style of working and learning.
What do you particularly like about your course?
I like the level of independence we have with our learning, particularly now in the clinical environment. We have to take responsibility for our own learning and therefore we have a lot of control over how we learn and what experiences we get. This is a huge positive for me. In addition, my experience with the consultants at the hospital has been very positive so far - those I have met have gone out of their way to teach.
Have you been involved in any extracurricular activities during your time here?
During the first year I very much focused on the course and this didn’t leave a huge amount of time for extracurricular activities. I exercise most days and have been involved in the medics' squash club as well.
Do you have an idea about which specialty you'd like to pursue after the MB ChB?
I have approached the MB ChB with an open mind as to which specialty I will pursue. I think the experience I get over the next year or so will give me a better idea of which specialties I enjoy most. However, I do know that I want to follow an academic pathway and continue to do research throughout my career.
What advice would you give to people considering applying?
My advice would be to get experience before you apply to make sure that medicine is the career for you. The course is hard work and takes a huge commitment, so be prepared for that. I would also recommend putting hard work in early because the things you learn at the start lay the foundations for the rest of the course. With that all said, it's also really enjoyable and rewarding!