What work experience had you gained before coming here?

I served in the Royal Navy as a Helicopter Warfare Officer and instructor. During my time in the RN, I was able to complete courses in Basic Life Support and additional medical training prior to deploying to Afghanistan and whilst a member of the Submarine Parachute Assistance Group.

My healthcare related work experience included five weeks of shadowing, which comprised a week within GP, A&E, Children’s Emergency Department, Cardiology and Trauma and Orthopaedics. I also volunteered as a befriender in my local hospital and as a Support at Home volunteer with the British Red Cross.

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Why did you choose Warwick?

There were a number of reasons. It is a 4-year course, which meant less time out of work. You also receive more financial support from the NHS as a graduate on a 4-year course compared to studying on a 5-year course. The course is designed as a 4-year course, as opposed to many other Graduate Entry Medicine courses, which compress the first two years into one for the graduates before they join year 3 of the undergraduate course. Getting the opportunity to study alongside other graduates and learn from people with previous experience in healthcare is a huge advantage. And on a practical level, Warwick is happy to accept applications from graduates with degrees in any subject, and it allowed me to move closer to home.

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How are you finding the MB ChB so far?

The course has been enjoyable. The first year was a lot of theory, but the majority of lectures emphasised the clinical application of what was being taught, which helped to keep the sessions interesting. We started gaining clinical experience early in the first year, which also helped to keep things really interesting. The course became much more enjoyable when we moved into the clinical phases. There is a lot to learn, but the spiral curriculum means that we regularly re-visit topics, which helps me to remember everything that I’ve forgotten.

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How have you found your clinical placements?

Really enjoyable. There has been some disruption with COVID, but we have been given a broad experience of a range of different areas of medicine. The clinical skills teaching is great and we then get the chance to build our confidence of performing these tasks during our clinical placements. The quality of teaching is variable, but the occasions you get with a clinician who has an interest in teaching are invaluable. I think one of the challenges is trying to find the correct balance between being on placement and taking the time to get your head into the books to go over the theory behind what you are seeing in practice. It’s an incredibly privileged position to be in and I am always pleasantly surprised at how willing patients are for us to be involved and to help support our learning.

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What do you most enjoy about the course?

The clinical placements. They have helped to confirm for me that I have made the right choice by moving into a career in medicine.

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Have you been involved in any extracurricular activities during your time here?

During my first year, I attended non-science seminars that were run by students in the year above. Whilst the course is open for applicants holding any degree, there is an expectation that students have some basic grounding in biology and chemistry and these seminars were useful in helping to clarify some of the basics that non-scientists were less familiar with. I became part of the teaching team for the non-science seminars in my second year, which was really useful in developing my own teaching style whilst helping the new first years. I also volunteer with the West Midlands Ambulance Service as a Community First Responder. Outside of medicine, I enjoy getting down the gym and have been able to take on some work as a Reservist.

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Do you have any idea at this stage about which specialty you’d like to pursue?

I don’t have any fixed ideas. I have tried to keep a fairly open mind throughout my course and appreciate the pros and cons of the various specialties. Acute medicine appealed to me at the start of my course, and Emergency Medicine is still toward the top of my list. I hadn’t really considered surgery when I started, but I’ve really enjoyed my surgical placements so that is something I’m keen to explore.

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Do you have any advice for people applying to the MB ChB at Warwick?

Give it a go. There is no typical background of student at Warwick and you don’t have to have achieved straight A grades. Gaining good quality work experience is important, as it will help you decide whether a career in medicine is what you want and whether you feel you are suited to a career in healthcare. If you decide to apply, then it’s important to prepare for the UCAT – being familiar with the format of the test and the style of questions can help you to improve your score, which will improve your chances of being invited for an interview. I’d recommend keeping a diary during your work experience. I read through mine the evening before my interviews to refresh my memory of some of my experiences, which I then used to support my answers.

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Finally, which three words would you use to describe your experience of studying at medical school?

Lots to learn!