MedSoc London Trip 2019

After settling down at the hotel, our first destination in London – the Science Museum. The museum was huge and a lot of it was about aviation and space, however, the medical part of the museum was under renovation, so unfortunately, we were not able to learn much about history of medicine.

We then visited Imperial College. We had a quick tour and we went in for some seminar-type talks. We first had an activity answering different fun questions about the human body, then we had a talk related to admissions and studying at Imperial and living in London. After visiting Imperial College, we went on to the Wellcome Collection where we got to see a lot of models of humans and also a lot of equipment used for surgeries in ‘the old times’. It was quite interesting; for me that was the highlight of our first day. At night, after dinner, we went for a walk around the London Eye and Embankment area.

On the second day, we went to St. George’s University near the outskirts of London. We had a short talk about admissions and also life at St. George’s. We then had a tour taking us around different parts of the hospital and university, including the Human Dissection Room, which was amazing. We got to see and touch a real cadaver and different organs too. We also got to see a collection of different specimens and learn a lot about them in the Pathology Museum. Shortly after lunch, we had a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) session with our guides, including tips about tackling exam questions and also a group discussion. For the last part of our tour in St. George’s University, we had an activity workshop with different stations including clinical skills on how to check blood pressure, CPR, testing our reflex in our joints and many others. Afterwards, we had dinner at Marco Pierre White’s restaurant and I think we all had a great time.

We started our third and final day by going to King’s College London, where, once again, we had a lecture-style talk and then a tour around the university, including going to their own pathology museum which was huge, and lots of specimen were displayed. Afterwards, we went to the Old Operating Theatre and learnt about its history and stories about the types of procedures and methods that used to happen there in Victorian times. That was our final activity before some free time for shopping and  then a train journey back to Shrewsbury.

It was definitely a great experience to visit different parts of London and a handful of universities, and importantly, to also learn more about medicine. But, I do think the Science Museum would have been more beneficial if all areas were finished and open, and I would have liked to have spent more time at the pathology museum at King’s College.

Gayvn – 6.1

Medical Futures Conference 2019

On the 2nd of March 2019, Concord College held its second Medical Futures Conference. A number of lecturers were invited to present talks to potential medical students. In addition, there were sessions set up for meeting different professionals from a variety of medial backgrounds and careers, as well as over 20 medical university representatives and alumni. We also had several workshops including Medic Portal’s ‘Introduction to the UCAT and BMAT Admission Tests’ and interview preparation sessions led by university representatives. Committee members of Concord’s Medical Society and School Prefects spent the day welcoming doctors, lecturers, alumni and approximately 70 external students for this conference.

As a 6.2 who has recently applied to study medicine, I felt that this event was more applicable for those who were preparing to apply. However, it was still an extremely insightful opportunity as meeting the professionals allowed me to understand the field of medicine from a more experienced point of view. I am very grateful for all of the doctors and lecturers who committed their time for this event despite their busy schedules. It gave students a chance to ask questions about the field of medicine they were interested in, that only those in the business could answer – which is truly an opportunity that is hard to come by. Furthermore, the alumni were really helpful, as they understood the situation us students were in, particularly in terms of the transition from boarding school life to independent university life. They were able to give several tips in regards to accommodation and finances, as well as coping with the stress from studies and exams.

My favourite part of the day was the inspiring lecture given by a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, who talked about her interest in musculoskeletal oncology. She introduced a case from a previous operation she had whereby the multidisciplinary team had to discuss the necessity of a bespoke prosthetic. I found it amazing to see how the people involved in the case were not only doctors, but also engineers who designed the implant, physiotherapists, nurses and many other professionals who all worked together to help treat this patient. The lecturer emphasised the importance of teamwork in this field, and I felt that that was something we, as a school, achieved on the day of the conference.

Charmaine – 6.2