The Brighton & Sussex Medical School virtual work experience covered six different areas of medicine:
- The NHS and General Practise
- Elderly Medicine
- Mental Health
- Surgery and Inpatient Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Palliative Medicine and Communication Skills
The course explored each speciality and skill in detail, for example, within palliative care I learnt about the moral and ethical challenges that medical professionals face and techniques that are used to break bad news to a patient.
The information was communicated via presentations, quizzes, videos, interactive activities and sources for further reading. One of my favourite activities was an interactive first aid exercise within the emergency medicine section of the course. I had to decide what I would do in specific situations through multiple choice questions under timed conditions. I even performed CPR using the keys on my keyboard!
In order to finish the course and receive a certificate of recognition, every individual had to produce a reflection. The course emphasised the importance and value of reflection which will be necessary both in a personal statement and throughout a doctor’s career. The format of the reflection was very flexible and could be anything from a short video clip to an illustrated cartoon. After submission, one of the members of the outreach team contacted me with their thoughts.
The course was an amazing opportunity that has helped me to gain a better insight into the world of medicine. It covered such a large range of specialities and provided me with valuable information that has helped me to realise how much I would love to pursue a career within medicine.
