A two-way conversation: why we see our medical students as equal partners

This is a sponsored article, created by the School of Medicine at St Mary's

Preparing our international students to work in the NHS and look after patients in care settings is something we at St Mary’s School of Medicine believe is core to our responsibility to student experience. 

St Mary’s School of Medicine is initially taking applications only from international students. Our students will therefore have experienced a range of healthcare systems, some similar to the NHS and others quite different.

Working in diverse communities

It is our role to enable our students to thrive working, not only in the NHS, but also with our local diverse communities. 

We will spend the first term of the first year teaching our students about the structure and function of the NHS and the implications of the health reforms proposed in the government’s NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England. We will introduce our students to differing roles in the healthcare team, including GP, nurse practitioner and pharmacist.

We will also discuss the wide range of cultures and faiths in our local community, encouraging cultural sensitivity and humility. By the time they go on placement later in their first year, in GP surgeries and community settings, our students will have a better understanding of our local area and its health priorities. We want students to understand the strengths and assets that local people hold – and to see the role of doctor as identifying and building on those.

Working with students as equal partners

Of course, this is not simply a one-way conversation. Our students come from a myriad different places and cultures, and there’s a real richness to that. During discussion sessions, we won’t just tell our students all about the UK and its models of healthcare – we will also listen to and learn from their own experiences of health and healthcare. 

We want to celebrate these different and diverse experiences. We see this process as a dialogue, and our students have as much to contribute to it as we do.

This notion of working with our students as equal partners – with the aim that they go on to treat their patients as equal partners – fits into the broader vision of St Mary’s. Student voice and experience is at the heart of what we do. Medical students at St Mary’s will leave us with a deep commitment to making a difference to those who need care the most.

Scholarships for social conscience

Aligned to this mission of social purpose, we are offering 10 scholarships to students who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to supporting community-based care initiatives and running public-health campaigns.

Students will be selected for scholarships based on their performance in mini multiple interviews: a series of interview stations where they are asked about different aspects of being a medical student and doctor, and their commitment to community engagement and social purpose.

We know that the students we accept will be academically excellent. We also know that they will have strong values and a powerful sense of social purpose, because that’s why they’ve chosen to study with us at St Mary’s. 

What we are looking for in our scholarship students are young people who want to change lives and make a difference – students who have gone above and beyond. Perhaps during their work experience, they’ve set up a community project or have worked with a women’s refuge, a charity or a food bank. 

It may not even be work experience – they may have carried out a community project at school. Or they may be proposing a project they could do as a student with us, for example addressing inequalities among vulnerable groups or underserved communities. 

We are excited about meeting the bright, brilliant and socially conscious students that will walk through our doors next September. The question is: will your student be one of them? 

For more information about the school please visit: St Mary's, School of Medicine