Are you a year 10 and above who wants to join the medical sector but does not know where to start? If you don’t have a close relative in the sector, it can be daunting. Good news: there are plenty of opportunities on Medic Mentors, for example medical conferences in all sectors of medicine from dentistry to veterinary. In these conferences, doctors experienced in medical university applications help to create a first draft personal statement for example. The mentors also present the most important areas of the personal statement and highlight the areas that students usually forget to fill in before applying to university. You will find out how to be better prepared for years 12-13, for example it is expected that the student has undertaken volunteering and award programmes.

Since the lockdown in March 2020 these conferences have been held online, so there is no longer any stress about heading to London or Stirling. Each conference lasts 7.5 hours and they require a parent to sit in the whole time, so have a supply of snacks and drinks handy.

Typically, during a conference there might be multiple medical students who talk about the various aspects of support they received from Medic Mentors and how it shaped their successful university applications. The conference I attended had both a Surgeon and a General Practitioner (GP) speak about their careers through the highs and the lows. It was helpful to have a GP there to ask questions to, since around 50% of all medical students in the UK become GP’s. It was a gateway into finding out why they chose that specific area of medicine for example, the GP mentioned that her schedule meant regular working hours and that she was not waking up early- it worked around her.

After attending a conference on 23rd October, Gemma Baillie (year 12 Parmiter’s student) says it was such a positive experience that she completely recommends joining one as it “gave [her] a lot of insight into getting into medicine” and allowed her to gain “a massive head start in the application process.” She says: “I’ve learned very specifically what is expected and what is required, I think without the conference I wouldn’t have focused on the right areas when applying.”

One of the best things about Medic Mentors is that they continue to support their students until they have been successful in their application so you can benefit from their years of experience.

Something to take note of is that a parent must sit with the student throughout the conference, with the aim of helping parents to understand and support their child in their application into medicine. This is particularly important for those with no prior experience with the sector, making careers in medicine more accessible to all. Robin Baillie (Parent of Gemma Baillie) says: “I thought the presenters were very engaging and I’d recommend them because the sessions were very informative and gave a really good overview of the application process and how best to prepare for it. I feel I’m now better informed of what to expect.”  Robin echoed the recommendation to be prepared with drinks and snacks!

Medic Mentor conferences occur all year round on Saturdays, so there’s no need to panic about having missed the conferences.

 

Medic mentors conference: National Healthcare Weekend | Medic Mentors National Healthcare Weekend | Medic Mentors