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themes that they ask for QMUL
Motivation and realistic approach to medicine as a career.
Show initiative, resilience and maturity,
Work well as part of a team
Be well organised and demonstrate problem solving abilities
Likely contribution to university life
Communicate effectively in a wide range of situations
Motivation- Why do you want to come to Barts and the London in malta
One of the main reasons why I applied to QMUL is the fact that the course is PBL. This means that as a student I will be able to work in smaller groups and solve open-ended problems which is engaging and allows for critical thinking. which will enable me to develop communication skills that will be key within medicine as medics are required to work in a interdispinary team to provide holistic care.
I also like that in QMUL in the fifth year there is a great emphasis on clinical practices. This means that as medical students you will get to be able to partake in many specialities which allows me to interact with the diverse Malta community and be more confident in the future as a possible FY1.
Even though QMUL is part of many medical projects and is heavily research based, I like how there was a good balance on researching about medical ethics which will make someone a well rounded student. as well as the fact that they encourage independent research as students are able to choose student selective components to make a portfolio.
motivation- Why do you wanty to study medicine
Medicine is a profession that I have been considering for a while and extracurricular and further readings made me consolidate that this is a path I want to take.
I had always had an interest in the sciences in particular, Biology and Maths. the human body biology has a unique blend of chemical biological and psychological parts to it. this interest led me to research on sickle cell disorder and explore in particular the trials for gene therapy. As medicine is evidence based medicine I would be given the opportunity to learn more which would feed my curiousity.
Maths allows me to be creative and think critically especially when I compete in maths olympiads. similar to how in medicine it is needed to be critical when giving holistic care.
I really enjoy providing help to people. which is one of the reasons why I partook in many volunteering roles. such as being a chef at a food bank. this opportunity allowed me to make a big impact on vulnerable people within my community which medicine is a career that will allow me to do that.
medicine will also give me a wide range of opportunities as well which is ideal for me as I partake in many extracurriculars. For example, medics have the chance to partake in teaching and research.
Ethics
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work experience- what have you done to gain insight to medicine.
The first thing that I did to make sure that medicine is the career for me was to sign up to attend a medical school open day in my local city. on this day I was able to ask questions to medics and students alike as well as partake in a mini-lectures on childhood cancer and workshops like human anatomy or teamwork-based ones like learning how to do stitches.
This allowed me to gain insight into life as a medic and student, even though the career is fast past with a lot of responsibilities I feel as if it will push me as a person. furthermore, there is a wide range of opportunities and roles also.
I have also worked with children at the year 7 sports clubs and helped to organise sports activities for them as well as safeguarding them. This experienced taught me the values empathy as it allowed me to be patient and communicate with them effectively. This experience was rewarding as I was able to build trust with the children
NHS
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Teamwork
A good team player is someone that is able to understand and perform their role within a team effectively. this is key in medicine to provide good patient care and it prevents mistakes also.
As the part of the yearbook committee I made sure that our team had meetings on a wednesday lunch time so we understood our roles and responibilities within the group and the how much work each member has completed as well.
another way that I showed that i was a good team player is that at the committee I made it a prioity to be empathetic as well. A girl decided she was unable to complete all of her work, I made it clear that I was supportive of her decision and had a constructive approach by encouraging the group to split the extra work.
There are many times where teamwork is necessary in medicine. For example when I was shadowing the GP i saw how it takes many individuals to care for a patient who had terminal bowel cancer. For example, since this person was elderly, they had a care taker and a Macmillan nurse who helped them, or the cancer specialist nurses and doctors who focused on treatments to relieve his pain.
Leadership
I was given leadership responsibilities as the head of the yearbook club and my main responsibilities were to make sure all members did their part in time so we can complete the book in time. since all member were in different classes we were unable to see each other regularly and discuss what part we are doing. In order to allow for clear communication I set up a teams group chat so if there were any problems the person can quickly tell the group. Since it was also exam season I remembered that it was a stressful time so I highlighted to myself that I should be empathetic. I did this by asking the members on how they feel and made it clear that if there were any struggles they could talk to me. this eventually made the members feel as if they could trust me.
empathy
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in another person shoes in medicine this is crucial when communicating to other people such as members in your interdisciplinary and patients.
An example when I saw doctors displaying empathy was when I shadowed a GP. At the clinic they used phone call appointments with their patients due to changes by COVID-19 to encourage more social distancing. one thing that doctors did before they continued the appointment was they ask the patient if it was okay for me to be in the as they discussed. this showed me that the doctors were able to understand that patients had different boundaries which enable patients and doctors to build a good relationship.
Doctors are required to be empathetic when working in an interdisciplinary team. As everyone comes from different backgrounds and upbringing it is important to understand individuals within a team. This then helps to prevent disputes and problems within a group which helps them to provide the best holistic care for the patient.
traits of a doctor
I was given leadership responsibilities as the head of the yearbook club and my main responsibilities were to make sure all members did their part in time so we can complete the book in time. since all member were in different classes we were unable to see each other regularly and discuss what part we are doing. In order to allow for clear communication I set up a teams group chat so if there were any problems the person can quickly tell the group. Since it was also exam season I remembered that it was a stressful time so I highlighted to myself that I should be empathetic. I did this by asking the members on how they feel and made it clear that if there were any struggles they could talk to me. this eventually made the members feel as if they could trust me.
communication
I think that people at my workplace and school would say that I have a generally good communication skills. one thing that I would say that I get along well with people is because I have good listening skills. For example at work when customers meals I listen to their needs and being empathetic and understanding and requirements so they will feel welcomed and appreciated which made them regular customer.
I also developed a good skill of being able to communicate as a leader when helping at the year 8 reading club. this is because I was open to listen to ideas from the students on what books they would to read, as well as being able to speak to them and make sure that they understand their work.
As a doctor communication is key and I think I laid a good foundation on this skill.
recently I have developed my verbal communication skills when I was the leader for the year eight reading club. One thing that I learnt that students appreciated when communication goes both ways. So I always listened to their thoughts and opinions about the book that we were studying. this then allowed me to build a good relationship with the students. Furthermore i developed the skill to discuss complicate topics to students and making sure that they understand what I mean. a way that I did this is by providing notes and diagrams .
another way that I improved my communication is through non verbal communication. at work customers come from all sorts of backgrounds and may struggle with verbal words. hence i value that my tone, learning how to do signs as well helps me to provide customers with the correct meals that they ask for and provide good customer service.
work experience
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An article was provided before the interview about a healthcare topic and questions about the article were posed.
What diseases / conditions do you think are prominent in this area?
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