Insight to Healthcare

This programme is aimed at Year 12 students in Greater London who are interested in applying to study one of the following healthcare courses in the future:

• Medicine
• Paramedic Science
• Physiotherapy.

By being involved in the programme, you will attend four core events. During these sessions you will gain valuable insight into your chosen subject pathway, including developing the skills needed for a future in healthcare and understanding the key components required to submit a strong application. You will also have the coveted opportunity to meet a healthcare professional, gaining a greater knowledge of the career and having your questions answered.

The Insight to Healthcare programme will consist of four core sessions. We will also look to provide work experience in the form of shadowing a healthcare practitioner where possible, however, we cannot guarantee this.

The structure of the programme will be as follows:

• Introduction to the Programme – The introduction session will take place on Wednesday 24 April from 5pm to 7pm. During this event you will be introduced to St George’s, getting to meet some of our current students and finding out more about the programme. This session will take place on campus at St George's, University of London.
• Communication in Healthcare - In this session you will develop your understanding of this crucial skill in healthcare. Through observing patient interactions, and putting your communication skills into practice in this scenario, you will develop your clinical communication abilities. This session will take place onsite at St George's, University of London on Saturday 11 May from 9:30am to 12:30pm.
• Meet the Professional – During this virtual session you will meet a healthcare professional in your chosen field. In small groups, you will find out more about their role, the skills required for the pathway and how these are applied to provide excellent patient care. You will be required to attend one session from the following dates in June: 11(Medicine only), 12, 18, 19 and 20. This session will take place online.
• Work Experience - Where possible we want to provide participants with 1 to 2 days of in-person work experience across the week commencing 12 and/or 19 August . For students on the medicine or physiotherapy strands, we will endeavour to place you in GP practices, St George's Hospital or at a physiotherapy clinic connected to St George's, University of London. If you're a student on the paramedic science strand, you will have a one-day onsite skills session whereby you'll visit the teaching facilities onsite and work through a variety of activities in our state of the art paramedic simulation suite. You will attend a skills day on either 7 or 8 August onsite at the university.
• Reflection Session – We will finish the session with a celebration of your achievements, where you will have the opportunity to reflect on the programme. In addition, we will explore interviews, including how you can prepare and how to use reflective practice to speak about your experiences and suitability. We we will also have a Q&A session with our student ambassadors who have supported you throughout the programme alongside a tour of the campus. This session will take place in-person at St Georges, University of London, on Saturday 7 September between 9:30am and 12:30pm.

Throughout the programme, you’ll be working directly with current healthcare students, gaining insight into areas of the application process and finding out more about student life and what its like to study at university.

If you are a student on the Medicine strand, you will be required to work through the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Observe GP work experience platform before your 'Meet the Professional' session. This will help you come to the session equipped to fully participate and consider any questions you might wish to ask the GP.

For participants on the Paramedic Science or Physiotherapy strands, we may also ask you to review additional resources to help you prepare for the programme and your 'Meet the Professional' session.

You will also need to ensure that you can commit to attend all the sessions in the programme. In addition, you will be expected to come prepared for each session and participate fully.

• Introduction to the Programme – Wednesday 24 April, 5pm to 7pm, in-person at St George's, University of London.
• Communication in Healthcare - Saturday 11 May, 9:30am to 12:30pm, in-person at St George's, University of London.
• Meet the Professional – One session on either 11(Medicine only), 12, 18, 19 or 20 June, 5pm to 7pm, online.
• Work Experience - If available, week commencing 12 and 19 August. Or, a one day skills session for Paramedic Science students on either the 8 or 9 August.
• Reflection Session – Saturday 7  June, 9:30am to 12:30pm, in person at St George's, University of London.

To be eligible to apply, students need to meet the minimum eligibility criteria:

• Currently in Year 12
• Currently attending a non-selective college/sixth form in Greater London
• Interested in studying one of either medicine, paramedic science or physiotherapy at university
• Be academically on track to study your chosen subject in future (Please check our course entry requirements before applying)
• Be committed to attending all sessions required for the programme. Please note, this will include visiting us onsite for several of the sessions at our campus in Tooting which you will need to bear in mind when applying.
• Have a device internet access and a microphone & webcam to join the ‘Meet the GP’ session
• Submit a short 500 word maximum personal statement explaining why you'd like to be involved in the programme. This is contained in the application form.

Please note, we have a limited number of places on the programme. As such, where we have more applicants than participants on the programme, we will select participants based on how closely their application meets our contextual admissions policy. This criteria includes:

• Care Experienced Students (Care Leavers)
• Students with Care Responsibilities (Carers)
• Refugees and Asylum Seekers
• Estranged Students
• Go to a school with an average A level grade of C- or below - You can check if your school is eligible either on our website, or using the following link hosted there.
• Go to a school with low progression to Higher Education - You can check if your school is eligible either on our website, or using the following link hosted there.
• Live in an area where very few people go on to Higher Education – You can check your postcode here.
• Live in an area with higher levels of deprivation – You can check your postcode here.
• In receipt of free school meals – This includes if you have been, or are currently in receipt of free school meals.

Further details of all the above criteria, including why they are used, can be found on the contextual admissions section of our website.

Students will be prioritised based on how closely they meet the eligibility criteria for the programme and shortlisted accordingly should we have a high number of applications. We will also review and confirm all information supplied where needed. If you’re unsure about whether you meet any of the criteria for the programme, you can contact the team on wp@sgul.ac.uk.

Please complete the following application form: https://bit.ly/IN2HC2024

The deadline to apply for the programme is: Friday 22nd March

We welcome all applicants who meet the minimum eligibility criteria to apply.

We will review all applications we receive and contact teacher references as needed to verify information on your application form. You will be contacted in late March to be made aware of the outcome of your application.

If you have any questions, you can contact Alice Long (Widening Participation Manager) via wp@sgul.a.uk.