Aspiring medics in Year 10 and 12 at Brooke Weston took part in a new, live streamed event called ‘Medicine in Action.’ The specially designed programme allowed students to hear from medics from a wide range of specialities and at various stages in their careers. They discovered what life as a doctor entails, uncovered the incredible scientific and technological breakthroughs enabling transformation of healthcare and discussed the ethical and societal issues that the next generation of medics will encounter.
Consultant Pathologist, Dr Suzy Lishman, explained what an autopsy involves and demonstrated some of the instruments used as well as discussing common causes of death. Brooke Weston Science teacher, Mr Hawksley, said, ‘It was fascinating to see the tools that she used in her autopsies, as well as being able to pose questions for her to respond to. A particularly interesting fact that many have spoken about since is that the brain has a jelly-like consistency, and if you held it up in one hand would run down your arm!’
Another fascinating session was held by Neurosurgeon, Dr Alex Alamri, who discussed all the latest technological advancements that allow brain surgeons to look inside the brain before, during and after complex and often, life-changing surgery. Mr Hawksley said, ‘This was really interesting as he looked at the cutting edge technology of using robotics and VR for neurosurgery, and it’s potential to drastically reduce complications from this very technical and potentially life altering surgery.’
Advice to help aspiring students get into medical school was given by Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr Siva, who is one of over 10,000 doctors who volunteer to help mentor students all over the UK, as part of the Medic Mentor enterprise, with interview practice, personal statements, and support throughout the UCAS process.
Mr Hawksley said, ‘The students loved the interactivity of the talks and the ability to hear people who are at the cutting edge of their own fields talk about their jobs, as well as how to get to that point in their careers, and the mistakes and pitfalls that they found along the way.’