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The changing cohort of medical students Dr Fiona Pathiraja Dr MarieClaire Wilson November 2011
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The changing cohort of medical students
Dr Fiona Pathiraja Dr Marie-‐Claire Wilson
November 2011
Objec=ves • Address the ques=on “Where will your Medsoc be in 2020?” with specific relevance to the changing nature of medical school cohorts
• Changing make-‐up, behaviours and aMtudes of future medical students and how this will relate to future MedSocs
About us
• Conquest Medschools • Founded by Dr Marie-‐Claire Wilson and Dr Fiona Pathiraja in 2009
• Educa=onal consultancy with a strong widening access focus
• Workshops, summer schools, conferences to raise the issue of widening access to the medical profession
The medical student through the ages
• Medicine wasn’t always a respected profession
• There has been a rise in pres=ge aSached to being a medical student
• Several privileges aSached to the role
• Over the past 20 years, admission to medical school has become increasingly difficult
Medical student archetypes
• Medical student communi=es have previously been quite homogenous
• Only a specific type of person, from a specific type of school, with specific types of parents would have thought about applying to medicine
An archetypal doctor
What is widening access? • Widening access to the medical profession is about encouraging talented young people from non-‐tradi=onal backgrounds to think about applying to medical school
• Their parents may not have been to university and may work in low-‐paid jobs
• They might go to schools where no-‐one has ever applied to medicine before
The horizon of widening access also includes…
• Female medical students
• Disabled students • Graduate students
• LGBT students
Why is this important?
• Our pa=ent popula=ons are diverse in age, culture,
• A diverse range of doctors with different backgrounds is beSer suited to serve this pa=ent popula=on
Any other thoughts?
It’s not fair that bright people from non-‐tradi=onal backgrounds should be denied a chance to study
medicine
We need all the healthcare workers we can get – there shouldn’t be discrimina=on based on background/gender/sexuality, etc.
Why should we care about whether disadvantaged
people get into medical school or not?
On the poli=cal agenda…
• A pre-‐condi=on of the establishment of new medical schools was to have ac=ve widening par=cipa=on programmes
• In Oct 2003 John HuSon announced that £3m was available to fund pilot projects to aSract a wider range of people into the healthcare professions
• HEFCE allocated a further £6m to widen par=cipa=on . Many of the pilot projects were however delayed
BMA survey findings The BMA report in their Survey of Medical Student Finance 2008/09 that: • Only 15% of respondents were from skilled trades, semi-‐skilled and unskilled occupa=onal backgrounds
• Only 5% came from semi-‐skilled and unskilled occupa=onal backgrounds
• LiSle change from 1999
BMA survey findings Barriers: • Finance, funding support and debt
• Interview and communica=on techniques
• Lack of informa=on • Entry tests/UKCAT • Paths into the professions including flexible entry
• Work experience
The medical student cohort in 2020
Will be more reflec=ve of our
society
Won’t be much different to
now
Students will be consumers/ customers
Only the rich will be able to afford uni
What does this mean for MedSocs?
• What will your medical school be like in 2020?
• Who will be on your MedSoc?
• Should MedSocs be involved in widening access? – If so, how?
MedSocs levelling the playing field
• MedSocs could help students from non-‐tradi=onal backgrounds through: – Knowing the local schools – Work experience schemes – Mentoring across the applica=on process from UKCAT/BMAT to interviews
– Providing informa=on and advice and being accessible
Rough cost calcula=on of aSending medical school
• University fees at £9,000 over 5 years = £45,000
• Living costs at £6,120 over 6 years = £36,720
• Books/learning aids at £200 over 6 years = £1,200
• Additional costs e.g. Professional Studies Loan/overdraft = £10,000
TOTAL POTENTIAL COST at medical school = £92,920
Rough calcula=on of postgraduate costs to become a hospital doctor
• GMC license to practice £1,780 • Postgraduate exams £1,456 • Courses for exams £1,500 • Books and subscriptions £1,000 • Courses and conferences over 9
years £10,000 • Travel to place of work over 9
years £9,000
Basic total: £24,736
Es=mated personal cost of a UK medical educa=on
£117,656
Cost to the taxpayer of training a UK medical student
£250,000
MedSocs are now represen=ng medical student consumers
• If HE becomes increasingly expensive, it is possible that students will be more like consumers and demand more of their universi=es
• Consumers want more for their money and are not afraid to complain, cri=que and lobby to get the most for their investment
• Shaping the face of medicine should now be a much easier thing to do
What is the medsoc’s posi=on in 2020?
• Students are now investors and have a stronger stake in their future
• BeSer posi=oned to change the face of medicine
• The student body and the med socs who represent them are in a powerful posi=on to nego=ate change
• Think about widening access and the sort of med student community you want to be a part of
Make it happen
Contact details
• Email: [email protected]
• TwiSer: – Conquest Medschools @conquestmedsch – Fiona Pathiraja @dr_fiona – Marie-‐Claire Wilson @MCW_London
• Facebook: – Conquest Medschools fan page
