Project Description

Inspiring Medical Futures at St Andrew’s RC High School

St Andrew’s RC High School gave aspiring healthcare professionals an information session and hospital visit to provide insight into the different careers within healthcare. The partnership with NHS Fife was created to help 4 S4 pupils and 5 S5 pupils make more informed choices on their future career in medicine. The pupils arrived at the hospital and had a key note talk by one of the consultants. The pupils then broke off into their groups where they worked through six different workshops, including:

1.Communication skill station: Pupils were tasked with communicating with an electronic mannequin through a real- life scenario that a doctor would face daily to put their interpersonal skills and judgement to the test.

2.Clinical observation station: Pupils learned about different clinical observations and were given a scenario in which they had to make a diagnosis based on the information they were given coupled with their own observations.

3.PPE and injection station: The pupils were kitted out in surgical scrubs and practiced their injection skills on an orange.

4.Sensory deprivation station The pupils were blind folded and tasked with lacing up a piece of wood to simulate the experience of individuals with visual impairments to help the pupils better understand how losing sight affects everyday tasks and requires adaptations.

The day then finished with the pupils writing a question on a post it note and the team running the event answered all the questions and engaged in a rich discussion with the young people.

Objectives

1.Raise Awareness: Introduce students to the diverse career opportunities available in the medical and healthcare fields.

2.Provide Career Path Guidance: Explain the educational and training pathways required for various medical professions, including necessary qualifications and certifications.

3.Highlight Skills and Attributes: Outline the skills, qualities, and personal attributes needed for success in medical careers.

5.Suturing station: The pupils were given artificial pieces of skin that was split, and they had to use the forceps and suture the skin back together using a specific technique. This was a true test of their concentration and fine motor skills. Some of our pupils were naturals!

Intended Outcomes

To Provide Insight: This event aimed to provide insight into the roles and responsibilities of doctors, the skills required, and the educational pathways involved.
Networking Opportunities: It also gave the young people the opportunity to network with medical students, GP’s, Junior Dr’s and Consultants to express their curiosity in the different aspects of the profession.

Student Feedback

“I felt it was a really fun excursion, and it gave me an excellent insight into medicine. There was a huge variety of activities that allowed me a clearer view of different aspects of the medical profession.”

“The Q+A at the end of the session coupled with the information on the timescales of entering the medical profession was extremely useful and clarified a lot of my questions”.

“I really enjoyed the experience, it was a great introduction to medicine and I learned loads!”

Conclusion

It is a partnership with NHS Fife to help young people make more informed choices on their future career in medicine. There is huge value in events like this as it helps address a number of priorities. It can help support future recruitment in the healthcare profession by engaging with pupils from a younger age giving them a sense of inspiration and feeling that this is a possible career path. Moreover, it helps highlight the sheer range of career opportunities within the profession and lifelong learning. It also helps the profession address common misconceptions young people may have who are considering applying to help drive future recruitment.