Year 2 medical students delivering important health lessons to local school children
Aims
For medical students to use their knowledge of cardiovascular disease to help Year 8 pupils make sensible decisions about diet and lifestyle whilst learning about the challenges of health promotion.
Overview
This is a compulsory module for Year 2 medical students that was introduced in 2018. It has several aims - orientating our students to the importance of health promotion and disease prevention; making health professionals more visible in this role; developing the students’ ability to share health information (a key competency); providing role models for local schoolchildren, some of whom may not have considered health as a possible career option and give opportunities for informal career advice; provide evidence-based, near-peer, lifestyle advice to encourage young people to adopt healthy lifestyle habits.
The students participate in learning activities supported by a GP tutor in the first three weeks of the module. These include orientation to the importance and scope of health promotion activities, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (particularly in the North-west), how to engage a class of schoolchildren (delivered by a local deputy head-teacher) and how to design a suitable lesson for Y8 pupils. Their proposal is discussed and ‘fine-tuned’ before they deliver their lesson to the class in the final week.
In 2020/21 we had 34 groups working with 14 schools across Cumbria and Lancashire (and one in Somerset!). Feedback has shown that both schools and students appreciate this experience.
Results and Outcomes
Tab Content: For Partners and Engagement
The majority of students really enjoyed the experience of delivering their knowledge to a group of 12-13-year olds and a first taste of ‘teaching’ whilst using the medical knowledge they have already gained for a worthwhile cause. They also enjoyed being ‘ambassadors’ for the medical school and sharing experiences of being a medical student.
“Thank you very much for the community health project, I thoroughly enjoyed it!”
“Our lesson was great. The class was engaged throughout and many of the kids kept on asking questions!”
The local schools are all extremely keen to have something different for their pupils. The teachers’ feedback showed their appreciation of the quality of the experience for they pupils and of the students’ efforts to produce great resources. The schools are all keen for the students to discuss their medical school applications and life with the pupils too.
“Hayley this is brilliant! They have done all you asked and produced a really professional engaging teaching tool that, crucially, is easily accessible to teachers, spot on. Don't think I would have managed anything like that at their age! Really made me smile, well done them.” (Deputy Headteacher)
Tab Content: For Academics
As a GP I am particularly pleased that our students are reaching a large number of young people in the North-west with positive messages for their cardiovascular health. Hopefully the near-peer effect will facilitate them absorbing and retaining the information into adult life. Potentially reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease for our local population, whilst introducing them to the clinicians of the future is a very worthwhile project. We are hoping to have some qualitative research data soon.
Any interaction with an outside organisation needs to be planned well in advance as communication between organisations and fitting into that external organisation’s timetable can be quite challenging. I begin communication with the schools 2-3 weeks after they return from the summer break (September) to deliver the lessons in mid-February. Asking for assistance with initial contacts from UKSRO was also really beneficial as they already have established contacts with large numbers of organisations that may not respond to unsolicited email requests.
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