MedicInsight

Hello. My name is Andrew McLean, and I am the president of the Medic Insight programme in Glasgow. Medic Insight is a programme run by students who understand the difficulties involved in applying to medical school, as we’ve all been through it ourselves. Since our beginning, in 2015, we have formed strong relationships with the NHSGGC, University of Glasgow Medical School, and the local authorities in the west of Scotland. This has allowed us to create a unique series of programmes covering three areas– aspiration, preparation, and application to medical school. Our first event is the S4 day programme, which usually runs in the Easter holidays. This is to give S4 pupils an idea of what career in medicine is like.

We run workshops such as first aid, CPR, and ethics. Have talks from clinicians, university staff, and students, and do a variety of small group sessions. The purpose of this event is to give pupils an insight into what a career in medicine will be like. Our flagship event falls under the preparation and application themes. This is the S5 week programme. This is a hugely popular programme and is thus quite competitive for spaces. Applications open around February, with offers coming out around the end of March. However, this changes year to year. During the week, we run workshops on the personal statements the UKCAT, ethics, and interviews.

We also run a PBL, or problem based learning session, clinical skills stations, and lectures again from the clinicians, university staff, and medical students. The best thing that Medic Insight is known for is getting you placements in hospital, being able to be with doctors on the ward in theatres and clinic. This is the most important part of what we offer, as you realise that gaining work experience can be the most challenging part of application to medical school. Also, the most rewarding. Our final event is the interview evening. This is aimed at students who have applied to medical school and aims to prepare them for the interview.

The evening involves us demonstrating a good and a bad interview, then deconstructing them to elucidate the key components of a successful one. We then go through the main areas that may come up at interviews, such as ethics and recent topics in the news and medical literature. We also run an even session for parents to answer any questions they may have. We are all very enthusiastic at Medic Insight, and will happily answer any questions you have about our courses, or applying to medicine in general. The best way to contact us is on Facebook, where we can be found by following the link below. Thanks for watching.