Cumbria Health on Call (CHoC) will be hosting a clinical careers programme for year 12 students aimed at giving young people considering a career in medicine the chance to gain valuable experience in the field prior to completing their university applications.
The programme follows the success of the first ‘CHoC Future GP Day’ held in March 2018, however this year the programme will cover both GP and Nurse careers. Organiser, Dr Stacey Fisher, a CHoC GP, spoke to many young people who highlighted the difficulties they faced in finding relevant work experience to support their application to medical school. Dr Fisher felt that it was vital that students are offered the opportunity to get hands on experience prior to embarking on a career in medicine.
The programme consists of a one day course covering various topics and speakers, including:
- Applying to medical school and interview technique
- Representatives from UCLan, The University of Manchester, The University of Newcastle, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Cumbria
- 3rd year Medical and Nursing students
- Hands on workshops featuring relevant clinical scenarios
The attendees are then invited to complete a ‘shadow shift’ with a CHoC GP or Nurse, where they will accompany a clinician during a clinical shift.
The programme will be held in two locations aimed to give the opportunity to students across Cumbria:
- Monday 15th July at Queen Katherine School, Kendal
- Thursday 18th July at Hilltop Heights, London Road, Carlisle
Dr Neil Margerison, CHoC Medical Director, said: “The Future GP and Future Nurse programme offers a fantastic opportunity for year 12 students who are considering a career in the medical field. Following the great success of last year’s programme, we felt it was important to widen the programme to include nursing careers.
“We have some fantastic speakers coming to offer their knowledge and advice, coupled with great workshops to provide the students with various insights into medical careers. The opportunity to then shadow one of our CHoC team gives real life experience of the ‘day to day’ of being a GP or Nurse.
We look forward to welcome the GPs and Nurses of the future!”
