Welcome to the Cambridge Widening Access to Medicine Society monthly newsletter 😊. We hope you have had a good start to the summer holidays! In this month's newsletter, we will be exploring the most important pillar of medicine, busting the myth that getting medicine sets you for life, xenotransplantation and how to make the most of virtual work experience. Food for Thought: an example interview question What ethical principle of medicine would you consider to be the most important? This question is testing the students’ knowledge of the different ethical principles and the importance of each during decision-making. Important to describe what each ethical principle is and be able to justify your choice by using examples.
The main medical pillars are:
Autonomy- allowing patients who are competent enough to make their own decisions for their own healthcare for example obtaining patient consent before any tests can be run such as blood tests
Beneficence- doctors must act for the benefit of the patients
Non-maleficence- healthcare professionals should not cause harm to patients
Justice- everyone must be treated equally for example fair resource distribution amongst the population
Myth-buster Myth: ‘Once I’ve gotten into medical school, I’m set for life.’ This is one myth that often permeates aspiring medical students. However, medical school is not easy. A career in medicine is not easy. Yes, perhaps unlike some of your peers, job searching and applications are a little more streamlined, but that does not mean that applying to medical school will be your last application, or in fact the last difficulty you will have in your career. There are many other applications that you will need to complete later on in your career, such as for your Foundation Years, Core Training, Speciality Training and for Consultancy - and this excludes any research or special pathways you may want to dive into. Thus, it is incredibly important to understand that medicine is a long haul, and not just an ‘easy way into wealth and/or prestige. It is essential to know if medicine is truly right for you. Therefore, make sure you take time out for work experience and volunteering. Many aspiring medical students feel these activities are ‘tick-box exercises’ for their applications. However, they serve a much more important purpose: knowing if this is the career you would like to remain in for the next couple of decades. You should look critically at the fulfilling nature of the job, but also the difficulties that junior and senior doctors face on a daily basis. This can give you an informed perspective on the career that you may choose to embark on in the coming years. And if you end up choosing medicine, this critical reflection on your work experience makes for a fantastic section on your personal statement and gives you ample practice on reflective thinking in later portions of your career. Behind the Headlines Yuki, one of our graduate officers, has written a fantastic summary of an article he read about xenotransplantation here. Link of the Month Dylan our resource officer explains the importance of work experience and how to get the most out of virtual work experience. https://www.rcgp.org.uk/observegp Royal College of GPs Virtual Work Experience platform Having clinical work experience has often been cited in the past as a “must” for medicine applications. However, in the changing climate of COVID-19, the university admissions process to medical school has evolved to represent current world affairs. With many hospitals still dealing with the intense backlog of work created by the pandemic, work experience placements in person can be difficult to obtain for many aspirational medical students. However, this link is to a great alternative provided by the Royal College of General Practitioners! This platform is a free, interactive resource that can be used to gain a real insight into the realities of medicine- and is definitely a go-to resource when considering applying to medical school. Remember, this is not a tick-box activity- medical schools want to see the perspective you have gained from this experience, what you have learnt about a career in medicine and how you demonstrate self-reflection and an understanding of the qualities needed to become a medical practitioner!
Simply watching these videos will not be enough- I would personally recommend keeping a diary and documenting your experiences, as well as reflecting on what you have learnt - in addition to what you then followed up on and researched more about. Hopefully you gain some useful insight and inspiration into what it is like to be a doctor! That's the end of the newsletter this month and if you have any questions, then as ever, please just email us at questions@camwams.co.uk! We hope you have had a great start to the holidays and the summer! Love, CamWAMS 2022 Committee
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