Guide to Medical School Applications: Work Experience and the Brighton & Sussex Medical School Journey

While it has been difficult to find opportunities for work experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, work or volunteering experience is still crucial when applying to Medicine. It proves to the medical school that you have investigated what it is like to pursue medicine and learned about the skills needed to be a doctor. This is why it is really important to seek out opportunities before you apply, whether they are virtual or in person.

Maximizing Your Work Experience

Before choosing a placement or programme, there are a few key elements you should consider about your work experience in order to make the most out of your time. You must write about your work experience in your Personal Statement. Universities are particularly interested in what you have learnt from your placements, so reflection is important. You may also make reference to your work experience in your interviews.

Is it better to have lots of short term placements or a few long term placements? Both are fine but universities are more focussed on what you’ve learned from your experience(s) rather than how much you have done. It is a great idea to do some clinical work experience as well as some non-clinical work experience. If you are volunteering for a charity or organisation, continuing to do so for a longer period can demonstrate commitment and dedication. It is also important to remember that virtual work experience does not replace in person placements but it does demonstrate that you have spent time trying to acquire new skills and knowledge.

Available Work Experience Opportunities

• Live NHS Healthcare Careers Virtual Work Experience: This is a series of online events that follow the journey of a patient through the NHS. You can observe the interactions between healthcare professionals and patients as well as gaining knowledge of multidisciplinary teams.
• Observe GP (RCGP): This is an interactive video platform created by RCGP. The videos explain the roles of various members of the primary care team and the platform takes between two to two and a half hours to complete.
• Free BSMS Virtual Work Experience: This course has been designed by Brighton and Sussex Medical School as an introduction to the NHS as well as the roles and challenges of different medical specialists.
• In-Person Placements: One idea to gain in-person work experience is to call your local GP surgery. Another idea is to apply for hospital work experience. There is normally a waiting list so it is a good idea to put your application in now.

Summary of Virtual Work Experience Programmes

Programme	Provider	Duration	Certificate
Observe GP	RCGP	2 - 2.5 hours	No
Virtual Work Experience	BSMS	7 - 9 hours	Yes
NHS Healthcare Careers	NHS	Event series	Not specified

Introduction to Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS)

Brighton & Sussex Medical School’s degree is awarded jointly between the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton. BSMS pride themselves on offering a modern and innovative course with the modern facilities, including a state of the art anatomy suite, and supportive learning. The integrated curriculum emphasises early clinical exposure, with your first patient contact happening in your very first year. BSMS select candidates for interview based on BMAT score. This means that if you score well in the exam, and have a good chance of exceeding the cut-off, it’s a good choice to almost guarantee an interview invitation.

The BSMS Student Experience

What makes BSMS unique to other medical schools is the atmosphere. Whilst many students feel stressed by a competitive atmosphere elsewhere, the consensus at BSMS is that whilst we should aim to be good clinicians and pass exams, it is equally important to enjoy ourselves and expect to fail at some point. This is to reassure students that this is normal and we should use it as a learning moment and let it make us better clinicians.

The Undergraduate Course Structure

Years 1 and 2: Pre-Clinical Learning

Years 1 and 2 offer a systems-based approach to pre-clinical learning. In Year 1, modules focus on everything to do with the Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Gastrointestinal systems. The 3rd module – Introduction to Health and Disease – acts as a bridge between A-level and university education. Year 2 is composed of systems-based modules surrounding the Neurological, Endocrinological and Musculoskeletal systems. Year 2 uniquely boasts ‘immersion weeks’ – week-long placements in a variety of clinical settings – to transition students into the following years of clinical learning.

Year 3: Clinical Wards

From year three onwards, students are based on the wards for the majority of the week. There are 3 main placements, lasting 11 weeks each, based in Surgery, Medicine or Geriatrics/Psychiatry. A unique assessment type in year 3 are the case-based discussions where students are asked to present patient cases to clinicians with a full history, examination findings, and management plan.

Year 4: Specialities and Research

Year 4 offers a range of specialties across which students rotate, including:

• ENT and Ophthalmology
• Neurology and Rheumatology
• Dermatology and Oncology
• Pediatrics and Palliative Care
• Microbiology and Sexual Health

Students also have the opportunity to partake in an individual research project throughout the year to build key skills in academia and perhaps gain a publication.

Year 5: Final Preparation

Year 5, in many ways, mimics Year 3 as students rotate through placements in Surgery and Medicine to prepare for the final stages of their medical education.