Nearly 200 aspiring medics join Shropshire college's conference
Nearly 200 young aspiring doctors from 30 different schools attended a Smedical futures conference in hybrid format.
Online students were joined by 90 aspiring Concord College medics from year 9 through to year 12 who attended the conference in person.
Evaluations from students attending the day rated the conference 8.5/10 overall, with a student from Hong Kong describing the day as ‘eye opening and insightful.’
The conference was supported by local doctors including GPs and consultants from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
Dr Kevin Eardley, founder of the William Farr Academy, which aims to widen access to medicine for young people in Shropshire, described the event as an ‘absolutely brilliant day’
Acton Burnell-based Concord is working in collaboration with the William Farr Academy to share its medicine support programme, and the majority of students were from state schools in the region.
Lectures were delivered by experts in the university admissions field, doctors, medical students and the award-winning healthcare charity, Kissing it Better.
Jill Fraser, CEO and founder of Kissing it Better, highlighted the importance of volunteering, and many students said they found the talk ‘truly inspiring.’
From the admissions process to writing an excellent personal statement, students learned about the different teaching styles universities have and ‘finding one that suits you’.
According to event organiser and Concord’s head of science, Barry Brown: “Students heard from a range of hospital doctors and GPs as they shared the highs and lows of their everyday lives and the challenges of working as a doctor in different specialities.
“Students from Concord said they especially enjoyed hearing about doctors’ own personal experiences, their road to medicine and where they are now.
“They felt the talks not only highlighted the intensity and challenges in medicine, but also the passion for individual speciality.”
For many, the highlight of the day was Dr Benji Waterhouse, the keynote speaker, an NHS junior doctor in psychiatry and award-winning stand-up comedian.
And students summed up the conference as ‘truly inspiring’, opening up the real-life possibility for them to study medicine at university.
