Inspiring Stories: Recovery and Wellbeing Through the Arts

On Thursday 11th May, 2 to 3.30 pm, at the Paintworks, there will be a chance to hear about the work of The Drive Project.

This arts / theatre company set up their first Recovery Project in 2011, bringing wounded service personnel into the world of theatre. The Two Worlds of Charlie F was the result, a play based on the stories of serving wounded soldiers and performed by them. Participants found the process to be life changing; those involved spoke of how it had helped them reconnect with similar others, increased their sense of self-worth, and in some cases improved family relationships.

This seminar brings together three wounded veterans and The Drive Project’s founder, Alice Driver. She and the veterans will discuss their personal experiences of the impact the projects have had on those involved.

This is an interactive, dynamic session with audience discussions and a Q and A.

More information at the link, including on-line booking: http://tinyurl.com/k6oqbyn

Medical school now 10th best in the UK

The Complete University guide (just published) for this year ranked the University overall as being 17th in the country. The data are all on https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings. The medical programme is ranked 10th, up 7 places since the last publication, and indeed, Prof Cahill can remember about 10 years ago when we were 31st out of 32. This is an endorsement of the work we are doing and continuing to do to improve the experience of our students and the quality of the course.
Well done to all those teachers and administrative staff who run and support the programme.

Another Undergraduate Medical School publication

Anna Taylor, Year 5 on elective, has published a paper based on her work in the year 2 Disability, Diversity and Disadvantage Unit which shows the benefit of formal teaching for undergraduates on interacting with patients from the LGBT community. The teaching programme she and Hannah Condry used (3D lead, GP and co-author) has been replicated in other schools and in the postgraduate setting effectively.

Click here to read the article: Implementation of teaching on LGBT health care

Great news about Foundation Year Jobs

For the first time since the SJT process came in, there are no Bristol students still waiting to be placed at this stage of the year on the Foundation School Programme.

Our students this year have scored on average higher than the national average of scores, which is partly why they have all done so well.

Over 25% of this year’s graduates will have posts in the Severn Foundation School, which should make them feel more comfortable and will provide better support for them in those first few months of FY1.

While 20% of our students applied for an academic foundation programme job half were offered a place – ie 10% of the year group will have a place.

There is always a cloud behind the silver lining  – and this might help you to understand why we are so tough on deadlines and meeting them. For those academic places, nationally, 8% of those offered a place failed to meet the deadline for acceptance and so lost their place.

The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund has relaunched their programme of support for UK medical students

The RMBF aims to support and protect the future of the medical profession, offering financial help in the form of grants for students facing critical and unexpected hardship while studying. Previously this support was offered in the form of loans, but by switching to grants the RMBF hopes to reach more students in need who may be wary of taking on additional debt.

A new downloadable publication, The Vital Signs for Medical Students, highlights key pressure trigger points for medical students and provides advice on managing stress during the rigours of medical education. A new-look leaflet, for distribution in medical schools, will also set out the support on offer and encourage students to seek help in difficult times.

The relaunched RMBF website also hosts an updated guide to medical student finances, which provides information on sources of funding, advice on applying for bursaries and grants, and top tips for saving money as a student. It also features a dedicated online money adviser and interactive budget planning tools.

All details of our new programme can be accessed here

NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre: £21 million research partnership launches

A £21 million National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) in Bristol will launch this week [3 April]. The research centre, awarded to University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) and the University of Bristol by the NIHR, will conduct cutting-edge research to develop new, ground-breaking treatments, diagnostics, prevention and care for patients in a wide range of diseases. See the university website for more info…http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2017/march/biomedical-centre.html

Target Ovarian Cancer undergraduate essay prize

This essay prize is open to all undergraduate medical students across the UK. We are looking for original pieces of work focusing on one of three topics around the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Over 7,000 women a year are diagnosed with ovarian cancer across the UK and it is
the deadliest of the gynaecological cancers.

First prize: £500 Second prize: £200

Deadline for submissions: 30 June 2017

To find out more about the prize and how to enter, please visit targetovariancancer.org.uk/essayprize or view the poster: TOC prize poster and attached letter Letter to medical schools final