All 2 entries tagged Second Year

My first Med Life blog post

Hello, my name is Natalie and I’m a second year student at Warwick Medical School. This is my first blog post for Med Life so I’ll start with a bit of an introduction…

Before coming to Warwick I studied pharmacology at Newcastle University. I really enjoyed my time there as an undergraduate. Lots of Warwick students come from the ‘Biomed’ family at Newcastle and indeed I found myself living with two other fellow graduates in my first year. Life as a student at Warwick is completely different to life in the Toon - I’ve swapped a lively city centre for a quiet campus on the outskirts of Coventry. I’ve given up the days of three trebles for £5 and more night clubs than people for quiet drinks in one of a handful of bars, followed by the occasional night at Altoria (perhaps the worst club in existence, but free admission to medical students none the less).

I’ve also finally learnt the meaning of the word ‘student’… there’s the word “study” in there somewhere. Although I did work hard during my final year at Newcastle, it doesn’t even begin to compare to the work I put in during my first year of medicine. Although it may seem like I might be having a bit of a moan about Warwick, in all honestly I wouldn’t change a thing. I love that I had such a fun undergraduate experience at Newcastle, because now I’m finally ready to work harder and play (a little) less as I move towards, dare I say it, an actual career.

Following my graduation in July 2013, I moved swiftly down to the Midlands and started at Warwick that September. My first year passed by incredibly quickly as we ploughed through what seemed like a never-ending torrent of new information. Looking back from the green fields of second year I would say that first year was definitely an experience, but perhaps not one I’d ever like to repeat. I learnt an incredible amount in nine months and I pushed myself almost to breaking point… there were more than a few evenings when I decided that “I would never know enough to be a doctor and that instead of learning my brain had given up and wilted to nothing-ness”. However, I worked hard, I sat my exams and I (somehow) managed to pass first year. Fantastic. One year done.

After the ordeal of first year I enjoyed a three-month summer, during which I decided to take a “do anything but medicine” approach… this resulted in me working in a falafel van at music festivals for two months before travelling the Baltic States.

Having enjoyed a medicine free summer I returned to Warwick, eager to start my second year. I moved into a new house in Leamington Spa with four of the loveliest girls on my course and all of a sudden second year began.

So far year two has been ‘a dream’, the pace has slowed down, the workload is more manageable, there has been much more time for social events including (importantly in our house) tea and cake and a good old chat and I’ve even had enough time to write a blog! Although a lot of information that went into my head last year has since disappeared I’m starting to feel a little more confident in my ability to pass the course… Knowing enough to be a doctor on the other hand - I’m still not convinced, but I’m willing to give it a try.

Megan Earle : 26 Nov 2014 09:55 |  Tags: Mbchb Natalie Second Year Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

An introduction to Amrit

Hello, My name is Amrit. I am in my second year at Warwick Medical School and it has absolutely flown by! This is my first post so I will tell you a little bit about my background, why I chose Warwick and my experience so far. I graduated in Sports Science in 2009 and following that I worked as a Healthcare Assistant on a care of the elderly ward for a year and as a Clinician’s Assistant in a children’s hospital for another year. Both of these jobs gave me great exposure to healthcare and medicine, and I would definitely recommend some sort of work on a hospital ward, voluntary or paid, if you are considering medicine.

I chose Warwick because I liked the idea of studying in a large cohort of graduates all from a variety of academic backgrounds and experiences. It certainly comes into its own when studying in groups, which is a big part of the learning style at Warwick. Being part of such a large group is great, and there is definitely a sense of camaraderie amongst the cohort when going through tough exam periods.

Since starting in September 2012 to now we have gone through all of the major body systems. I am in the final term of our Phase I block (pre-clinical), where we are currently studying the urinary and respiratory systems, neurobiology, pharmacology and the human life span. The learning curve throughout the course is pretty steep and the work load is high, but the fascinating topics and clinical focus of the course is really engaging; from the first week of the course it has felt like we are preparing to be doctors.

We have patient exposure pretty early on the course. In the first term we visited patients in their home and learnt how their condition affects their day to day living. From the second term we have half a day in hospital where we have the opportunity to take histories and carry out clinical examinations on patients. The whole experience is pretty nerve racking at first but you soon get used to it, and you learn a great deal, even from the briefest encounter with a patient.

Although some days it may feel like it, studying medicine is not all work. In my spare time I enjoy staying active, playing squash and running. I am also a member of some societies; at the moment I am part of the committees for the Teddy Bear Hospital, Peer Support and SLIME (Students Leading in Medical Education). My highlight so far has been working as part of Peer Support, a society run by second year medics who teach the first years. Education is something I’m really passionate and being part of this committee has been a great experience. There are loads of clubs and societies to get involved in, and if there isn’t one already set up for your sport or interest it is really easy to set one up yourself.

At the moment we are preparing for our end of Phase I exam, the final hurdle to getting into the Clinical Phase, so hopefully the next time I post I can tell you about my experience of Phase II.

Sarah Hill : 09 Dec 2013 10:57 |  Tags: Amrit Mbchb Second Year Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem