On Friday 19th May, Med Soc was delighted to welcome Buthayna Hamed and Dr James Coey from St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada, for a clinical medicine workshop. We were delighted to welcome students and staff from Dean Close and Bournside schools for the event as part of the Cheltenham Education Partnership.
Amelia (SFC1/Year 12) attended the talk and wrote:
“The session began with a presentation from the staff of St. George’s about their extensive medical education, alongside photos of their campus in the Caribbean - which includes a private beach! We also participated in a Q&A, discussing the reasons to study medicine, what makes a good doctor and the importance of remaining open-minded while considering medical specialties at this stage.
"Although often challenging to put our reasons to want to pursue a career in medicine into words, this discussion was eye-opening and provided useful ideas and inspiration for us all. Following the presentation and discussion, we moved onto the practical element of the afternoon.
"We were instructed on how to take one another’s blood pressure using blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes, while considering important factors of patient interaction such as obtaining proper informed consent. We learned the fundamental physiology of blood pressure, before putting our understanding into practice while measuring each other's.
"In the end we were all successful in obtaining accurate readings and had much to learn - such as that you need to wear the stethoscope the correct way around to be able to hear anything! Overall, this workshop was such a fantastic opportunity, and we will all continue to take advantage of everything we have learned, particularly regarding our medical school interviews in the future.”
On behalf of the PGC and CLC pupils, I would like to extend my thanks to both Buthayna and Dr Coey for giving up their time and coming to inspire the next generation of medics.
Dr Skinner, Teacher of Biology, US Adviser & Medical Career Adviser
