'The Changing Cohort of Medical Students' Dr Fiona Pathiraja Dr Marie‐Claire Wilson

1. The
changing
cohort
of
medical
students
Dr
Fiona
Pathiraja
Dr
Marie-­‐Claire
Wilson
November
2011

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. An
archetypal
doctor

7. 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

8. The
horizon
of
widening
access
also
includes…
• Female
medical
students
• Disabled
students
• Graduate
students
• LGBT
students

9. 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

10. Any
other
thoughts?
It’s
not
fair
that
bright
people
from
non-­‐tradi=onal
We
need
all
the
healthcare
backgrounds
should
be
workers
we
can
get
–
there
denied
a
chance
to
study
shouldn’t
be
discrimina=on
medicine
based
on
background/
gender/sexuality,
etc.
Why
should
we
care
about
whether
disadvantaged
people
get
into
medical
school
or
not?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. The
medical
student
cohort
in
2020
Won’t
be
much
different
to
Will
be
more
now
reflec=ve
of
our
society
Only
the
rich
Students
will
be
will
be
able
consumers/
to
afford
uni
customers

15. 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?

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. Es=mated
personal
cost
of
a
UK
medical
educa=on
£117,656

20. Cost
to
the
taxpayer
of
training
a
UK
medical
student
£250,000

21. 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

22. 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

23. Make
it
happen

24. Contact
details
• Email:
info@conquestmedschools.com
• TwiSer:
– Conquest
Medschools
@conquestmedsch
– Fiona
Pathiraja
@dr_fiona
– Marie-­‐Claire
Wilson
@MCW_London
• Facebook:
– Conquest
Medschools
fan
page