fbpx
Published on 18th January 2017 by lauram

It’s already the end of my first term of being a Warwick medical student – and I’ve learned a lot – from different drugs we might administer to patients to performing cardiovascular examinations.

Case-Based Learning at Warwick

Of course, the workload is enough to dampen even the brightest of spirits and there were times when I was far behind on my reading. But what I’ve always enjoyed is the course structure: we learn about a topic (for example, the heart) at the start of the week, then in CBL (Case-Base Learning) we work through a patient case regarding chest pain. Fridays are then spent at the hospital, working with hearts and anatomy. However, CBL does mean that if you fall behind on the work, the week can quickly go over your head, as it’s all connected.

The end of block assessments however give you a chance to cover and understand what you have missed and identify your strengths and weaknesses. So far, we’ve studied the anatomy and physiology of the neck, thorax and abdomen, whilst also covering topics like patient-doctor relationships, duty of candour and confidentiality in our Social and Population and Ethics modules.

What I’ve enjoyed most, despite it being challenging at times, has been clinical skills, where we have learnt various clinical examinations and have had the chance to test our skills with an end of term practice OSCE.

Read 5 Things to Expect on Your First Week of Medical School>>

Societies, sports and friends at Warwick

Despite having lectures 9am to 5pm, I’ve found myself still making time almost every evening for societies and sports. Even on Fridays, when we are at the hospital from 8am and don’t get home till 6pm, I’ll still find myself doing something. In my previous degree, such a tiresome day would have inevitably called for an early night and the soothing voice of David Attenborough.  

My absolute favourite thing has been the sheer number of people I’ve been able to meet. With almost 200 people in my cohort, all postgraduates, 10 weeks on I’m still meeting someone new every day. On top of this is the great integration with the upper years, especially through the medic family scheme – this is where you’re assigned two second year students to be your medic ‘parents’ to guide you through the year and help you out when you need.

Read 3 Things to Expect in Your First Year of Medical School>>

Living in Warwick

Outside of lectures, I was uncertain what it would be like to live in the infamous Warwick bubble. Would cabin fever set in, especially living on campus? Thankfully, the campus itself is enormous and I have yet to explore it in its entirety. Coupled with events by the Medical Society in Coventry and Leamington, and with GP days and weekly Hospital Days, the course itself has allowed me to explore the surrounding areas. Beyond this, I found that the family ethic here at Warwick has allowed me to visit friends living off campus on a regular basis. What’s more, you can get to London on the train in under an hour and to Birmingham in twenty minutes!

Read The Most Surprising Things I Found About Studying Medicine>>

Loading

Loading More Content