"Comparison is the thief of Joy" I've heard that quote repeatedly throughout my life but I would be lying if I said that I don't compare myself to others at times. Life happens in such a way that as soon as you see someone doing essentially more than you, you automatically feel that you are not doing enough. If there's anything I've learned from comparing myself to others, it's that comparison does more harm than good when allowed to. Now don't get me wrong, comparison could be that motivating factor that you needed to get yourself up and actively pursuing your goals but on the other hand when comparison progresses into unhealthy competition, that's when it becomes detrimental. I thought I'd share some home truths about comparison and ways to avoid comparing yourself to others below/ Focus on your lane and be confident I know where I am going and I know what I need to do to get there. If I allow comparison to distract me not only will it take me longer to reach my goal, it may also derail my journey and focus. Before you know it, your goal has changed to achieving the same things as someone else which may not classify as a mark of success in your own life. Understand that you are not the person you compare yourself to. Taking Inspiration or Copying? It is possible for you to learn from others and what they have done. Be Inspired! But taking inspiration should not mean copying. You cannot expect the same results from years of hard work that it has taken this person to reach great heights. It is possible for you to adopt the positive actions and behaviours you see and adapt it to yourself. It isn't one size fits all, there is scope for you to make it your own and unique to yourself. "Don't set sail using someone else's star" Become aware of, and avoid your triggers. I would describe social media to be a black hole of comparison. We spend hours scrolling through feeds showcasing the highlights of a persons life e.g. their numerous awards, holidays, relationships etc. without truly engaging one another. We don't know what another person is going through, we don't know their struggles or how they were able to achieve what they have. If you find that social media continuously triggers feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, and frustration, then choose to take a break or unfollow certain pages. Make sure you control social media and not the other way around. Embrace the success of others Embracing the success of others does not make you any less successful. Good things can happen to other people and it doesn't mean that your life is any less important. By being happy for others, you'll learn to accept yourself and cultivate a more positive environment. Don't let fear guide your choices Don't make fear based decisions out of feelings of inadequacy. These decisions tend to be the ones you regret in the future. You may feel like you have to do certain things to achieve the same results as someone else but the truth is that there is no pressure. Move at your own pace and take your time to make sure your decisions are truly in order for you to grow and succeed in a way that is unique to you. "Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle" Accept where you are and know where you're going Recognise where you are and what you have achieved so far but also know that this isn't your endpoint. Where you are today doesn’t say anything about where you’ll be in the future. What matters isn’t where you are. What matters is your mindset, attitude, and where you’re going. Simply aim to be the best you can be! Compare yourself to yourself This is a more honest metric of success and will also boost your self-esteem.

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort” - Paul J. Meyer. Mastering self management is a pivotal habit which can help to alleviate the pressure of one’s mental health. According to a UK-wide stress survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation, it found that almost three quarters of adults (74%) “have at some point over the past year (2018) felt so stressed they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope”. The causes of stress are multifactorial and may be a result of biological, psychological or social factors; this article will be setting a focus upon work-related stress and the different ways in which self-management strategies, based upon time management, are utilised to succumb this. How prevalent is work-related stress? According to the Labour Force Survey (HSE report), 44 percent of workers experience stress, depression or anxiety as a result of workload. Workload alludes to tight deadlines, too much responsibility or pressure. By occupation, professional public service industries (such as healthcare workers; teaching professionals and public service professionals) show higher levels of stress as compared to other industries. The prevalence rate for work related stress in 2017/18 was 1,800 per 100,000 workers. Relevance of a self-management strategy Self management is the driving force for setting up a successful day which facilitates continuous organization and execution. It is highly recommended that one should take the time to develop the self-management methodology which is best suited to their own lifestyle, in order to achieve better efficiency and fulfillment of targets. Methodology Number 1. Daily Goal. Notes and checklists of daily to-do duties. Some people adapt to a “one task per day principle” in order to spread out duties evenly. Methodology Number 2. Strict timing. Taking a step to orchestrate calendars and appointment times. A binary is made between the mandatory daily duties and the non-important activities. Allocating a suitable time block is then performed in order to fulfill the task. Methodology Number 3.Outcome-focused. Instead of scheduling to-do duties; predestined outcomes are planned and allocated throughout the week. These outcomes are then paired with a matched activity. This is a goal-oriented methodology. Methodology Number 4. Four Quadrants. The four quadrant rule is based upon the ability to make a distinction between important and urgent matters and their relevant importance. It is then highly advised to prioritise the activities in Quadrant 2 which aid towards long term development, setting a limitation upon Quadrant 1 to avoid burnout and avoiding Quadrant 3 and 4 which serve as distractions. Quadrant 1 Urgent/Important - Deadline projects. Crisis. Quadrant 2 Not Urgent/Important - Personal growth plan. Investment. Opportunities. Creativity. Quadrant 3 Urgent/Not Important - Interruptions. Matters based on the urgency and priority of others. Quadrant 4 Not Urgent/Not Important - Trivia. Time wasters. Busy work. Additional measures to strengthening your self-management is feeling less guilty for saying “no”, delegating tasks to your support system and developing a personal vision statement which helps to align all of your to-do duties into cohesion. Self management is a habit which needs to be exercised; thus it does not always feel fun during the initial steps but the long-term benefits regarding health and sociological benefits are essential. In addition; if you are experiencing high workload stress; it is essential to allocate rest periods for when they are necessary and additional help if required. On a final note, keep pushing! Written By Jade Okene Mental Health Foundation. (2019). Mental health statistics: stress. [online] Available at: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-stress [Accessed 20 Apr. 2019]. Hse.gov.uk. (2019). [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf [Accessed 20 Apr. 2019]. Covey, S. (n.d.). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

One of the biggest difficulties that medical students often face is how to study and how to store the huge amount of information we need to know in our brain. Everyone has their own way of studying and as you go through medical school you begin to discover what really works for you. Over the past 2 years I have adopted the study method of spaced repetition. You might be wondering what it is and if it really works, but yes it does, it got me 1stdecile in my exams (YAASSS!!) and its going to most definitely help you too. Below is my very own guidance to studying and revising for exams. You may want to follow it step by step or you may choose to incorporate some of my steps into your own study process. Towards the beginning of the year or the start of a new semester, I spend most of my time making my notes and gathering my revision resources The second half of the semester is when I begin my revision. First, I make my lecture notes. These notes contain all the information on the lecture slide and any additional the information that the lecturer mentioned that I thought was relevant and helpful. This is done for every single lecture I would have had during the week. Over the weekend, I would go through all the lecture notes I made that week and try to understand them. A mistake that a lot of students make is that they just try and memorise, however it is important that we store the information into long-term memory because we not only need it for our exams, but also for when we start working as doctors. Taking the time to understand what is being taught is therefore vital. Once I feel that I have understood the information, I will make a new set of notes for each lecture. These notes must be concise and set out in a way that you best understand them. Steps 1-3 are continued on a weekly basis until there is a long break e.g. Christmas or Easter Holidays. At the beginning of the holiday, I always advise making a list of everything you need to know e.g. lectures, anatomy etc and then make a revision timetable. A mistake I feel that many of us make is that we overestimate the amount of work that we are able to do. This often leads to us feeling as though we haven’t accomplished much. It is therefore important that we set realistic targets to meet and give ourselves some time to relax and have some fun. 5. The holiday period is where the revision begins. Many people have their own methods however I particularly like the use of flash cards. From the notes I made previously, I would make my cards with a question on the front and the answer on the back. I try to make all of them during the first week. 6. For the rest of the holiday, I constantly review the cards and below is how I do so: I have 3 boxes, each labelled every day, every 2 days and every 5 days. All the cards are placed in the everyday box on the first day and I will go through them. The cards I got correct and had no difficulty answering would be moved up to the next box (every 2 days). The cards I got wrong will remain in the everyday box. After 2 days, I will review the second box. Those that I got correct would be moved up to the last box (every 5 days) and those that I got wrong would be moved back down to the everyday box. At the 5 days mark, all the cards in the last box are reviewed. If they are correct, then they remain in that box. If not, they move back down to the second box (every 2 days). This may all sound confusing, but eventually you will get the hang of it. 7. Flash cards isn’t the only method of studying. There are many other ways such as group studying with friends, or even teaching someone who knows nothing about what you’re studying. Lastly, it is very important to make sure that you have a good work-life balance. Don’t isolate and over work yourself. It is vital that you still maintain and keep some time for your friends and family. Thank you so much for reading and good luck with your exams. Written by Khadija Owusu

Medical school applications are so competitive that deserving candidates are turned away every year. However, please be encouraged that many applicants get rejected first time and are later successful. It is important to not lose hope. Here are some tips to help you through this time. Allow yourself to heal Rebounding from medical school rejections is tough. Being rejected can feel discouraging and demotivating especially when you know you have worked so hard. I would encourage you to allow yourself to recover and to heal from it. However, you must bounce back. Don’t give up on the fight. Rejections may mean you might have to wait a little longer than expected but it doesn’t mean that you will never get there. Rather than view rejection negatively, see it as a true test of your passion and desire to study Medicine. Concentrate on A levels Do not let any rejections hinder your motivation to study for your A-levels. It’s okay to feel down for a little while but make sure to bounce back and redirect your focus to achieving the best grades possible. Don’t lose hope! Reflect on why got rejected At times, a rejection can be due to a flaw in your application. Take to examine every aspect of your application to see what went wrong. Was it a pre-interview or a post-interview rejection? If pre-interview, did you meet the GCSE requirement? Do your predicted grades meet the A-level requirement for that medical school? Did you meet the non-academic requirements including extra-curricular activities, volunteering and work experience? If post-interview, how was your interview performance? Why did your interview performance let you down? What could you have done differently? If you can, try and get feedback from the medical schools that you applied to. Although this might not always be possible, it is always worth asking. Consider clearing The universities offering clearing spaces differ from year to year. Although getting into Medicine via clearing is competitive, it is definitely worth a shot and there is no harm in trying. Clearing opens on July 5th 2019. By going on the UCAS website you’ll be able to search the Medical schools that you can apply for via clearing. Note that you would have had to achieve the correct grades and have met the entry exam threshold to be considered. Also, prepare for another round of interviews! To find out more about clearing, you can check the UCAS website by following this link: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/results-confirmation-and-clearing/what-clearing Consider taking a gap year Be excited! You’ll have a year of endless opportunities and this can serve much better than diving into a degree that you might not be committed to. If you do decide to take a gap year, be sure to make the most out of it. Spend the year constructing an even better medicine application. You can do this through: Getting more medical related work experience. This can be achieved through paid work, potentially as a health care assistant, volunteering or shadowing a doctor. The longer term the experience is, the better. Work on improving your UKCAT or BMAT if this was a weak point that you identified. Make smart decisions when reapplying such as researching the medical schools that allow reapplications. Spend some time doing the things that you love and that will make you happy! Whether that is through travelling or picking up a new hobby, go for it. Let your gap year be an opportunity for you to grow and learn new skills. Consider graduate route entry You may have a 5th university choice that you applied for at the start of the year. If you have an offer for that course you may consider studying it and following a graduate route entry into medicine which is an accelerated four-year course. However don’t limit yourself to graduate only programmes! You can still apply to the traditional/standard medical courses. While doing your degree be sure to undertake as much work experience as possible, including some form of volunteering to help with your future medicine application. If this is something you think you’ll be interested, please research the pros and cons thoroughly. If you want it, work hard for it and you will get it! Don't give up! WHERE DID I GO WRONG? Are you wondering where you may have gone wrong in your Application? Contact us and we will be happy to go through your Application with you over a phone call with one of our team members. We will identify any weak points and suggest how you could have improved it. Email us: melaninmedics@gmail.com Wishing you all the best of luck! Written By Sarah O'Connell Applications Coordinator

Whether you’re studying for your A-level exams or medical school exams this summer, the motivation to get out of bed, go to school or university AND actually consolidate your learning through revision is something we all struggle with! These are my tips to motivate yourself to revise and a few ways to learn your content effectively. 1. Maintain a good work-life balance during ‘revision season’ I lose motivation when I have nothing to look forward to but doing more revision – this can be very counter-productive! To make it easier to motivate yourself to revise, you should break up your learning with hobbies or fun things you enjoy doing. For me, it’s very important to not isolate myself from my family and friends – you do not need to be revising 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Revision is really about quality and not quantity. Revise smart NOT hard! A good way I approach a large amount of revision is focus each day on a subject (sometimes I find that creating a revision timetable is useful as it means you aren’t feeling scatter-brained about where to start). Try and work for 2 parts of the day: for example, morning to late afternoon or late afternoon to evening and use your spare time to do what you like. You can take a morning off to sleep in or spend an evening with your friends. You’ll feel less guilty about it because you would have put the solid work in during the day. 2. Reward yourself after every exam… but don’t slack! Most of us have more than one exam and must not burn ourselves out or have too much fun before the next. It’s important to reward yourself with a small treat or some time out after one exam before your next one comes around. Have your favourite food for dinner, meet up with friends or give yourself one day/few hours off from studying. This will re-energise and re-motivate you to tackle your upcoming exams. 3. Use different revision techniques for your subjects/topics Different types of revision can be tailored to different subjects and the variety will keep you on your toes and help you stay motivated and on top of things as you’re revising. Mind-maps are a great way to write out complex and detailed biological processes whereas flashcards are perfect for learning quick facts and figures like the total number of chromosomes in a human cell or the date Henry VIII was born! Below is some more information on these techniques: Creating Mind-maps or posters Mind-maps are a creative way to organise your notes about a topic or particular process on 1 sheet of A4 or A3 paper. These are much easier to look at and take with you on exam day and you will find that you learn a lot of content as you create them. I find that creating posters and putting them up in my bedroom encourages me to look at them and refer to them if I’m ever studying and forget a few facts/figures here and there. Mnemonics and mental associations Mnemonics are a good way to learn names, short processes and relationships. However, basing all of your revision on mnemonics can get you very confused when it comes to examinations (I wouldn’t recommend mnemonics for learning anatomy, for example, because there is just SO much to know!). Mental associations with unique scenarios, images or things you enjoy are a popular way to memorise content. Flash Cards + quizzing yourself (handwritten or online) Flashcards can be one of the most effective revision techniques if used correctly. The most important part of revision is NOT the note-taking or textbook-reading but it is the consolidation and understanding of that knowledge and being able to answer questions about it. I create my own online flashcards using the programme Anki and use these to test myself BEFORE attempting past papers. The programme also automatically shuffles cards, so you practice the flashcards you DON’T know more often than the ones you have mastered. If you have exhausted your past paper question bank or are tired of doing them, flash cards are a quick and easy alternative. Quizlet is also a great site for ready-made quizzes to test yourself. 4. Think towards the future… what am I going to do when exams are over? Having something great to look forward to when all your exams are over is always a good motivator. When I finished my A-Levels I travelled to Malta with family and planned my subsequent gap year (which included a lot of travelling too!). Keeping this in mind kept me on track to do well in my exams. Although travelling is always fun, it could be just looking forward to all the free time you have coming up in the summer! This is not an extensive list but just a few things to help you KEEP GOING! The 2 year journey of A-levels is short but intense – rise to the challenge and make sure you succeed! Good luck! - Jessica O’Logbon We have a number of useful blog posts to help as we approach Exam Season! Check them out below: - MEDICAL SCHOOL RESOURCES: YOUTUBE REVISION CHANNELS - NOTE-TAKING IN MEDICAL SCHOOL - OUR TOP TIPS FOR LEARNING ANATOMY - INNOVATIVE WAYS TO STUDY - OUR TOP TIPS FOR MANAGING THE WORKLOAD - HOW I STUDY IN MEDICAL SCHOOL: SPACED REPETITION - A-LEVEL REVISION TIPS AND ADVICE - GETTING THROUGH EXAM SEASON

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men” Fredrick Douglas I grew up in relative poverty. The common dream to transcend the chasm of socio-economic divides in society always seemed impossible, but somehow, I managed to scale those esoteric heights. I am often asked how? What made it possible? I am so stubborn to think that I could to do whatever I put my mind to that I have stumbled upon comparative triumph at a flattering rate. My secret to success. An infallible belief in myself which undoubtably, often, landed me in trouble rather than glory. It is, however, the foundation of who I am today. Where did such resilience come from? In a time where negative influences and stories dominate society and media, where do we look to for guidance and structure? Unfortunately, for young black men, positive black role models are rare. Even more sparse are those positive role models who exist in middle class or professional environments in which our society is built on trying to emulate. I can only speak for my own influences and what I know of the black British communities. There is no doubt the experiences I have had will have an eerie resemblance in different ways across varying cultures. For me, my most influential role model was my father. At a superficial glance you would see the ordinary working-class Caribbean man. When I look at him, I see that history I was never taught in school. I see more. My father is a traditional man with simple goals in life; to build a family and provide for us. Often the simplest things can be the most complex in practise. When I was four years old, my mother died quite suddenly. It is a story that requires its own personal blog to explain how her memory is part of who I am today. Retrospectively, I can honestly say I was too young to really understand or feel true pain. My sadness on reflection was probably mirroring the emotions of those around me. Having since experienced love, relationships and the pain of break ups, I can not imagine the difficulty and suffering my father went through. The woman he built a life with, his everything, the mother of his children was taken from him. All he knew had to change. Not too long after he was made redundant. He persevered through shift work, low paying jobs, absence from his children. He was on his own with two sons and all the stress of life and finances. Furthermore, in later life, his new wife had cancer on two separate occasions. Now with four children he was responsible for, I can only speculate on the complexity of emotions he overcame to be the rock of our family in such a difficult time. Despite the duress and pressure my father must have been under, he never wavered. He taught us morals, shared his religious faith, gave rules and taught us accountability. He disciplined us. He showed us love and affection. He educated us about the responsibilities and dangers of being young and black in England. He taught me about hard work and dedication and had an undying faith that I could be successful in anything. He made me work for the things I wanted whilst encouraging me to push beyond. Not only did he tell me these things. He showed me. His whole persona embodied all he taught me. Family always first. Not to shy from hard work. What you put in is what you get out. Rules are important but you must break boundaries. Be creative and express it in whichever way you are so inclined. Without knowing it, the power struggle and the annoying consistencies I experienced as a child prepared me for those things that I had no idea would come. My father was my very own black king. Strong and vulnerable. Brave and unwavering in faith. Humble yet proud. The history I was never taught. I see so much more because of him. My relationship with my father was not perfect. In fact, in some points it was fractured to dangerous and almost catastrophic amounts. One thing I can only say now is I am eternally grateful and so blessed to have him in my life. Now not everyone is as lucky to have such a person in their life. Despite that, there are many strong and positive black men and women in our communities. I say to them, do not be afraid to be proud. You may not have achieved as much as you wanted or gained the title you craved, yet in your struggle there is so much beauty. Be proud and stand up and share your stories. Invest in your own communities. There is so much good there. We are so much more than how we are portrayed. Be proud of your blackness. Be proud of your struggle. Even the humblest achievement is inspiring. Even ‘just’ surviving. The lack of positivity in the black community is the child of institutional racism combined with poverty. It seems inevitable that a worrying majority of young black boys and girls, regardless of their ‘class’ will become exposed to either discrimination, violence, crime or gangs. Again, another subject that requires its own dissembling and exploration. It exposed me to violence, death, crime, police, fear, comradery and fellowship. As a young man, I had two of my closest friends murdered, many of my friends stabbed or seriously injured, arrested and harassed. I had experienced what an urban warzone is. Fear of death and violence daily, a powerful motivating factor to positive but mostly the negative behaviours of those living in these communities. I accepted my circumstances. Despite this, I always believed I was destined for more. My pride and self-belief drove me beyond the norm. I had no one to tell me which way to go. I had to stride for myself. This is the way my father believes each person must live their life. We must all decide in the end who we are and live with the consequences. I decided despite my beginning I would end well. I think that came from him. To those young adults and children looking to their futures and looking for guidance. There are Kings and Queens around you if you look. Do not be discouraged by the barriers society has placed in front of you. You can overcome anything. You need to believe in yourself for someone else to believe in you. Find your fire, your passion. We are more than gangs, more than knifes, more than a statistic. We are more than athletes, more than music, more than entertainers. Whilst I am proud of our sporting achievements, our cultural prowess, our musical and performing talents, we are so much more. We are beautiful, we are smart, we are whatever you believe yourself to be. We are a community. Find your role model and remember to be one to someone else. You do not have to be perfect to inspire those around you. There is no remote to life, you need to stand up to create change. Written by Dr Jerome McIntosh

Balance. As medical students and future doctors it is something we frequently speak about during interviews and strive to achieve. It is truly the key to success and in this post, I will be looking at how I achieve balance between my study and gym life. Finding a balance between time to study and time to go to the gym has been a skill I have learnt since my first year of university and I am still adapting to the growing responsibilities of a medical student. For example, I had a lot more free time in 1st year compared to 3rd year (my current year) due to placement, more clinical skills teaching and lectures. Nonetheless, something I have found to help is perspective. I have to be honest with myself at the times where I feel guilty for leaving the library to go workout and ask myself how much would that 1 hour of studying actually contribute to my knowledge long term. I could have done 1 lecture or a few questions, maybe even practiced an OSCE station but how much of an impact would that have on my final grade at the end of the year? Very little. Revision and studying should be building on the knowledge that is already there (I like to refer to it as the layers of revision) therefore 1 hour less of studying will not lead to me failing my exams. So, the next time you tell yourself you just don’t have time or your time would be better spent studying, analyse how true that statement really is. Something else that has also helped me find balance between the two is the fact that they complement each other so well. I try to refrain myself from seeing the gym as a “chore”because this will lead me to feeling like I have to go rather than I want to go. Also, the gym can be the perfect break away from studying, especially if you find yourself stuck on a difficult topic that is proving difficult to understand. It allows you to clear your mind and come back to your revision material with a clearer mind and a fresh set of eyes. Several studies have been done on the benefits of exercising whilst studying and some common findings is that they increase your alertness and attention span. Also, eating a healthy diet with plenty of water does provide cognitive benefits which can also help with revision. In addition to that, organisation and planning my days and weeks ahead of time has to be one of the biggest factors which allows me to remain balanced and on top of my commitments. I start each new week writing a list of goals in terms of what topics I want to study, any lectures/clinical teaching/placement days I need to attend and then all the other things that may occur during the week for example church service or OSCE practice or even an afternoon out with my friends. I start slotting in these goals into each day and fitting in gym sessions around that. For example, if I wanted to study haematological cancers this week but also do 2 practice OSCE sessions and go out to lunch with my friend, I would fit these into the days and make gym sessions fit around them. Occasionally this may mean sleeping very late or waking up early but I try my best to catch up on the missed sleep with naps or weekend lie ins. I would advise getting a planner/diary or even using notes on your phone. Making a spreadsheet is also a good way to do this and is something I used to do in 2nd year. Finally, I’d say my most important tip is being okay with not being able to do everything. It’s very easy to be hard on ourselves and stress about every single thing but there are going to be days where you cant get everything done and you learning to be okay with this is crucial! Putting pressure on yourself is good to an extent, the right amount of pressure can force you to be productive and push yourself but too much pressure can leave you feeling run down and unhappy, both of which I have experienced. There are days where I get 6/7 hours of studying done and had time to smash my gym workouts but there are other days where I only get in an hour of studying and wasn’t able to spend as much time in the gym as I wanted to and I have learnt to be equally content with both. Medicine does not define you, neither does the gym, it is what you do not who you are. Tomorrow is always another day to do more and be better but appreciate the little victories you had today!

As a preclinical medic, the idea of clinical medicine may seem daunting. How does one cope with the transition from lectures, dissections, tutorials, small group teaching and PBLs to spending your days on the wards and interacting with patients? As a preclinical medic myself, I often worry about how do I know what I need to know whilst on the wards? How much do I need to know? How will I make notes and find the time to commit what I have learnt to memory? Fortunately,I had the pleasure of interviewing Mitchell Osei-Junior iBSc (Hons), a medical student at King’s College London with dreams of becoming a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist/Psychotherapist. Having recently acquired a diplomas in Applied (STEM) Mathematics & level 3 Child Psychology, he is also currently studying for level 4 diplomas in Adolescent and Child Psychology as Mitchell’s main interests lie in psychosocial and developmental psychology. 1. What is the difference between preclinical and clinical years at medical school The main difference between preclinical years and clinical years is the focus of the year.In preclinicals, the emphasis is on you getting the 'basics' of medicine in terms of Anatomy, Physiology and other various human sciences that will form as foundations for clinical years.However, in your clinical years, the emphasis is on 3 main components: I) Knowledge (applying your foundations for understanding clinical conditions) II) Communication (being able to convert medical jargon to lay language whilst also building rapport) III) Practical skills (Because OSCEs become an important thing) 2. How is teaching/learning different during clinical years compared to preclinical In pre-clinicals, you spend a lot of time attending lectures, dissections (to supplement anatomy teaching) and small group teaching (to consolidate what you have learnt in your lectures). In essence, there is a lot of spoon feeding as a preclinical medic! In clinical years, you only have lectures 1 day a week & the rest of your week is spent on the wards. Bedside teaching becomes a regular feature where a doctor/physician's associate takes you around to practice your physical examination techniques on actual patients. In terms of learning, in your pre-clinical years, your lecture notes are usually sufficient enough to get by your exams. No other textbook required.However, in clinical years your Oxford Clinical Handbook will be your best friend. Lectures alone are not enough to supplement your clinical knowledge. There is a lot of self-guided responsibility of learning in clinical years which can feel like a bit of a jump. 3. What would you advise to prepare for the change? What practical advice would you give to medical students starting clinical rotations? In terms of preparing for the change, I would suggest that practicing taking a professional history and attending the clinical examinations sessions during your 1stand 2ndyear is important!Examinations and history taking are your main metaphorical 'sword & shield' for the clinical years. Once you have these skills all you need is building the bricks of clinical knowledge from each patient you meet. In terms of practical advice, I will advise spending induction week for each block building a sign-off timetable. Apart from all the things you need to learn during clinical years, getting sign-offs for your portfolios are key. Space your sign-offs fairly so you still have time to visit wards, speak to and examine patients. This gives you enough time each week to do some much needed independent revision/study. Time management is a really key skill during clinical years. 4. How to make the most out of your clinical years? In terms of making the most out of your clinical years, in the first few weeks of your first clinical block you are most probably going to be really scared of talking to patients and examining them too. Not to worry, every student, foundation doctor, core/specialist trainee, and consultant has felt the same way and remember their first clinical year fondly. Some even have embarrassing stories of mess-ups they had during the period (oh let's not discuss my first time taking a history and accidentally causing a mess with a patient's glass of water during it!) Patients know fully well you are students and you need to learn. So they generally don't mind you forgetting questions that you need to ask, or not understanding certain medical procedures they went through, or accidentally saying medical jargon, or pressing too softly whilst palpating during an examination etc. I would advise during clinical years, clerk as many patients as you can and ask them to clarify treatments they have been through. Patients actually make the best educators and they want you to be an amazing doctor when you graduate. So in summary, if you are not spending at least 30 minutes taking a history from a patient on a ward you really haven't learnt much about them! Also make spare time for yourself to carry out your hobbies! Your mental health is important too. :) Interviewed by Sarah O’Connell

Medical school can be very demanding and challenging at times by having insufficient time to complete everything. However, here are a list of top tips that have helped me to manage my time effectively through medical school so far. 1. Organise yourself: Write down your key dates e.g. deadlines, exam dates in chronological order starting with the earliest deadline and ending it with the furthest. Choose a place where you study often or spend the most time in your house and place your deadlines there to be used as a constant reminder. For me, this is on the wall above my study desk in my bedroom. 2. Set yourself goals/smart targets regularly in relation to the deadlines: SMART meaning specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. Breaking down a goal in this way ensures that you have defined the steps needed to achieve your goal by giving you a sense of direction in an organised manner. If for any reason, you do not achieve your goal you can look back and identify which parts of your SMART plan need to be improved. An example of a SMART target plan that I used for one of my exams was: S- To achieve an average of 80% in all my anatomy colloquiums in order to obtain partial exemption in the final exam in June M- By ensuring I answer as many practice anatomy questions as possible before each colloquium to determine any weak areas that may need more attention A- Planning anatomy group sessions with friends during our free time and dividing the topics amongst ourselves and taking it in turns to teach & test each other by practising on the cadavers R- To keep a track of all colloquium results T- This should be completed within every 4-6 weeks in time for each colloquium. 3. Write down your university timetable: This provides an overview of the number of hours you will be in university and the number of hours you will have free per day and so helps you organise your week accordingly. I use my time efficiently by doing study sessions in the library when I have long gaps in my timetable, whereas during the shorter breaks I squeeze in a gym session or grab something quick to eat. In addition, I do the ‘bulk’ of my studying and revision on the weekends. 4. Take regular breaks: Scheduling breaks throughout your day can increase the productivity of your work, allows you to refocus your attention and concentration and reduces stress. This could include naps, exercise e.g. going for a walk, hobbies, spending time with God (if you are religious). 5. Create a daily or weekly ‘to do’ list: Listing things that need to be done and writing it down and ticking them off once completed allows to you to continuously monitor your progress and be accountable for your time. 6. Prioritise your list: Figure out which ones are the most important things for that day or week and put them at the top of your list. 7. Learn your preferred studying method: Determining your preferred studying method allows you to be efficient whilst you are studying. For example, if you are a visual learner it is recommended for you to watch YouTube videos or create mind maps, which enables you to have a better understanding of the topics instead of memorising textbooks. 8. Always have something to read or listen to at hand: Keeping flashcards/ revision notes in your bag during the day allows you study on the go for example whilst traveling to and from university. These pockets of time This provides you with more time at the end of each day, which you can use for other interests. 9. Meal prep: Honestly, meal prepping is the way forward! Every Friday I go food shopping and batch cook for the weekend and upcoming week. This saves so much time during the week, especially when I return home in the evenings from late study sessions. I normally choose Fridays as this my least busiest day of the week, but you can choose any day which is most suitable to you. 10. Take some time out for yourself: Whether this is meeting up with your friends, washing your hair (even though this takes ½ a day lol), going to the gym, extra curriculum activities, catching up with on a Netflix series etc. For me this includes: jogging, netball, baking, listening to podcasts or music and catching up with friends. These activities help you to de-stress, hence creating a work-life balance. Written by Shona Manning

It’s official, I’m halfway through medical school!! Last week we had our Halfway Ball at the beautiful Grand Connaught Rooms (London), and it was a lovely evening. It started off with reception drinks and photos, followed by a 3-course meal and finally ended with lots of music and dance. In this blogpost, I reflect on the last 3 years of medical school, which has gone by very fast. This will include some of the things I have learnt and achieved over the years. 1. The jump between A-Levels and Medical School was SERIOUS! a. The majority of us have been the high achievers throughout school and over the years we had perfected our revision strategy, which mostly consisted of following the relevant specifications and doing a bunch of past papers. Then you come to medical school and realise that this same strategy may not work. You’re suddenly surrounded by people who were also the high achievers and you may have not done as well as you hoped in your first medical school exams. It’s important to not be disheartened. Do not compare yourself to others. Use the first couple of months or even the first year to adopt a suitable study strategy that will work best for you. 2. Spaced repetition is the key to SUCCESS! a. After my first exams I adopted the revision strategy of using flash cards and doing spaced repetition. More details of this method of study can be found in the blogpost titled ‘How I study in Medical School: Spaced Repetition’. Using this method of study although difficult in the initial stages, has proven to be very beneficial for me and I still continue to use it now during my intercalated degree. 3. Take your SSC projects SERIOUSLY! a. We often question our universities as to why they keep giving us the extra essays or projects to take and we often believe it is a waste of time. However, they are put in place to help us build our medical portfolios. Be open and speak to many doctors, find out what they have going on, especially if you have found your area of interest. Immersing yourself in these projects can give you many opportunities as I have been blessed to have such as giving and winning oral and poster presentations at conferences. 4. I decided to INTERCALATE! a. At St George’s, intercalating is optional. If you decide to intercalate, you must have achieved above a certain decile in your exams. During my 3rdyear of medicine I weighed up the pros and cons and finally came to the decision of intercalating and it has been the best decision yet. Rather than typically studying one area in depth, I do a bunch of different modules alongside my research project. This year has not been intense as medicine, I’m only in 2-3 times a week which leaves me with plenty of time to do some independent study, research and conduct many school outreach sessions. 5. Find the right BALANCE! a. One thing I always tell people is that it is very important to be organised and to find the right balance. Studying and working hard is vital, however it is also key to set aside some time to unwind and have fun with some friends and family. After all, time goes by so quickly, so why not make the most out of your time during medical school. Overall, I’m very excited for what the remaining 2.5 years of medical school has in stall for me! Khadija Owusu

Black blood donors make up only about 1% of the NHS’s existing donor base, despite the number of donors increasing over the last few years. Amongst the BAME community we make up less than 50% of currently registered donors as well as new donors registering. Unfortunately, the need for black donors doesn’t come down to just wanting more of us on the register. Unknown to most people, donations of blood from black donors are especially important for Sickle cell anaemia. Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic condition that predominantly affects Afro-Caribbean people. With more than 15,000 people in the UK affected by the condition the number of black donors in comparison is disproportionate. The condition affects the blood cells, causing them to be sickle shaped and be stuck in blood vessels causing the symptoms of the condition. People with sickle cell anaemia tend to suffer from painful episodes known as sickle cell crises which are difficult to manage with conventional analgesia. Other symptoms also include increased risk of infection and anaemia. There is also a reduced life expectancy for people living with sickle cell disease especially severe forms. So, why the need for more black donors? We know that people with sickle cell anaemia need frequent blood transfusions to manage their condition and to minimise the painful sickle crises that they endure. It is also known that a rare subtype of blood known as the Ro subtype is needed in these transfusions and this blood type is more likely to be found in black donors. As the blood transfusions needed by sickle cell patients needs to be best matched to them, it is more beneficial for the blood to come from a donor of the same ethnic background. In 2017 GiveBloodNHS launched a twitter thread on black blood donation that went viral for good and bad reasons. The intention of this campaign was to increase awareness of blood donation specifically to help increase registration amongst black donors. The campaign succeeded in this and was especially designed to target and educate the Afro-Caribbean community. Unfortunately, the campaign was met with some resistance and was accused of being racist and selective. Fortunately, this backlash was cleared by the NHS as they reiterated the message of the campaign with facts about blood donation and sickle cell anaemia. Sadly, both within the Afro-Caribbean community blood donation and sickle cell anaemia are not discussed widely enough. The idea of blood donation within our community is often met with negativity partly due to lack of education on process and importance of donation as well as fear or mistrust of healthcare provisions. Here is where we pose the question: Who is responsible for educating the Afro-Caribbean community about blood donation and sickle cell anaemia?Does the responsibility fall on the NHS, healthcare professionals or charities? The responsibility really falls on us, black medics who are uniquely positioned between having access to our community as well as the education and knowledge from our medical background. We should be particularly active in promoting blood donation within our community by being an example ourselves, registering ourselves as donors and as well as starting the conversations outside our medical circles. Awareness seems to fall normally to charities that advocate for sickle cell anaemia such as the Sickle Cell Societyand they’re work for sickle cell survivors cannot go unnoticed as they work to support them though their condition. As black medical professionals we should seek to work with these organisations to learn how we can both raise awareness but also how within our work we can better manage patients when they present with symptoms of their condition. I personally registered to donate blood and donated blood for the first time 2 years ago. In my own mind before donating, the process was daunting, and I’d imagined it to be something far more draining than what it was. Even as a medical student at that time, I was not well informed about the blood donation process and this had led me to delay my own registration. I find it funny that we practice venepuncture and cannulation so easily as medics but when it comes to us being on the receiving end, we have reservations. The whole donation process was easier and far less dramatic than I’d imagined. After about 30 minutes the whole process was done, and I was able to go about my day as normal. After donating I felt to bring up the discussion of donation with family members and as expected it the idea of donation was met with responses on the myths usually linked to the process as well as misinformation. From this, I realised that without us as black medics educating our own community there is no way we can spread the message any stronger. Health issues that predominantly affect Afro-Caribbean people need not fall by the way side as we can raise awareness within our own community. Being our own healthcare advocates within our communities can be such a powerful medium. Coupling this age of social media as well as our unique position as black medical professionals we can truly make a difference in educating more of our community. Learn more about blood donation here: https://www.blood.co.uk/why-give-blood/the-need-for-blood/why-we-need-more-black-donors/ Learn more about Sickle cell anaemia here: https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/

In the summer of 2018, I spent 8 weeks in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on my medical elective. After waiting for 4 years, I finally got to experience the best part of medical school and I was not disappointed. After 14 hours of travelling, we finally arrived on the island and were greeted by our friendly and eccentric landlord. Her enthusiasm was comforting, the island doesn’t receive many tourists so she was bursting to show off her island; although I was miles away from home, she instantly made me feel at ease. The next day, she was kind enough to take us shopping and show us around the island. Although small, it was absolutely amazing. The beaches looked like a screensaver, the weather was hot and the locals were extremely friendly. We were treated to a “Vincy Sunday lunch” and then of course, we went to the beach, which was only a 10-minute walk away. The next day was our first official day of the elective. We were instructed to take a Vincy bus to the hospital, as it was a 20-minute drive away. After waiting on the side of the road for 15 minutes, we realised that the Vincy buses weren’t buses at all; they were the brightly coloured vans that drove past at 100 miles an hour blasting Soca music. The journey to the hospital was eventful to say the least; a few prayers were said during that journey! After we paid our placement fees ($50 per week!), we were told that we could have the next two days off to get ourselves together and get used to the island, so once again we went to the beach – it was then that I realised this would be a common theme on this elective. For the first four weeks of my elective, I was in the obstetric and gynaecology department. This was a fast paced and busy area of the hospital and consisted of a labour ward, postnatal ward and female surgical ward. As this was the main hospital, it offered the highest level of care on the island. Medical care is highly subsidized by the government, but there is a lack of some specialised equipment, drugs and personnel meaning that there are often times when patients go without. For example there was only one CTG machine in the entire hospital so, whilst in the UK women may be hooked up to the machine for continuous monitoring, here it was only used if necessary and women often had to queue up in order to use it. Despite this, doctors had an unrelenting ambition to do their best for their patients and often arranged medication to be shipped to Saint Vincent so they could prescribe it to their patients. My days usually consisted of ward round, teaching followed by some work on the ward however by 12 pm I was done and free to explore the island. When I first arrived on the wards, I was hit by the stifling humidity. Doctors and medical students have to wear white coats at all times, and most wards do not have air conditioning so whilst everyone else was used to these conditions, I usually spent most of the ward round dripping in sweat. The staff and patients were extremely friendly, and the “local” medical students (of which 99% were in fact from Nigeria) were quick to take me under my wing. The teaching was invaluable, and I was often kept on my toes; the consultant was often quizzing us throughout the morning and many times we were asked to presentations to the rest of the team without much warning. At first I found it intimidating but I soon grew confident and I learnt so much during my time there. I was fortunate enough to be on the island for carnival season, which is known as Vincy Mas. This is a month long celebration in which there are events and parties nearly every night, and this was easily the best part of my elective. Almost everyone on the island took part, and it was not uncommon to see a consultant dancing in one of the bands alongside one of the nurses! Taking part in the festivities made me feel like a true Vincentian as I was able to fully immerse myself in their culture and spend some time with the locals. As you can tell, there was plenty of time to explore the island, which we took full advantage of! After we had seen most of Saint Vincent, we travelled to a few of the Grenadine islands including a boat trip to Tobago Cays to swim with turtles! Following my 4 week Obstetrics and Gynaecology placement, I spent 4 weeks in the A&E department. I chose this because I haven’t had much experience in emergency medicine as I had always found it to be quite daunting, so I decided to challenge myself and experience it for the first time in a different country. As there were quite a few students in the department, most days ended after one hour of teaching at 8:30 am, excluding one day a week where I stayed behind until the afternoon. During my time there, I learnt a lot about trauma management and advanced life support, mostly through teaching but occasionally by observing one of the doctors manage a patient with a life threatening injury. As with most emergency departments, the pace ebbed and flowed. At times there was not much to do then suddenly a gun shot victim would be rushed in, or a child having a severe asthma attack. Overall my elective was an amazing experience, one that I often wish I could relive. The similarities were often comforting but I found some of the disparities in opportunities and resources hard to believe at first. It threw into sharp perspective my own experience of medical school and hospitals in the UK and made me feel incredibly lucky. Written By Ife Williams If you'd like to share your elective experience on our blog post; email us: melaninmedics@gmail.com