TSR Med Students' Society Part IV

Who?


A small proportion of the cohort, though.


Those people don't get eliminated at the interview stage

Oh actually second thought, they can all be adequately be prepared for and thus cheated.

But I suppose all interviews do.


The majority of those unsuitable do get eliminated, there are always the few who you wonder who let them in.

Ultimately, we do a pretty shabby job at selecting (and, frankly, you could take a random scoop of the applicants and get a decent enough cohort anyway), so making a bit of money from a relatively small proportion doesn't sound too bad at face value.

Hey I was just wondering if you know when Imperial send out their decisions on intercalated BScs!? The online booklet says they decide mid to late march and send out decisions after so I'm guessing externals wont hear until early April? Sorry for all the qs!

Sheitttttt finals results day tomorrow....

Does anyone else think the sBMJ is an awful read? I just read through the new one and continually felt myself thinking: this is dire.

Does anyone else think the sBMJ is an awful read? I just read through the new one and continually felt myself thinking: this is dire.

2 weeks gone, no revision done yet

Does anyone else think the sBMJ is an awful read? I just read through the new one and continually felt myself thinking: this is dire.

Your not a final year though are you??

Does anyone else think the sBMJ is an awful read? I just read through the new one and continually felt myself thinking: this is dire.

Research has shown that learning cooperatively in small groups leads to significantly higher individual achievement and more positive attitudes towards learning compared to studying alone (Springer et al 1997). Small group work encourages you to actively engage in the learning process and this helps you to recall more information and engage better with the course (Prince, 2004). Many students also find small groupworking a more challenging and enjoyable way to learn.

Problem based learning is designed to encourage lifelong learning, curiosity and to simulate clinical practice. Research suggests that PBL leads to better retention of knowledge which can be applied to clinical situations (Norman & Schmidt, 1992), may promote deeper learning and result in better diagnostic and teamworking skills (Coles, 1985, Koh 2008). A recent review of what works in PBL (Schmidt et al, 2011) found that learning regularly in small groups generates friendships and peer pressure which protect against dropout and motivate students to study regularly. The small group tutors are also important – they provide flexible frameworks to support student learning and, of course, contact between students and teachers are much closer than in larger classes.

Reflection is an important part of learning and has been shown to help students learn from experience, make sense of complex situations and integrate information. Jigsaws and Year 3-5 small groups not only teach about professionalism and human science but also enable you to express your views and to share your different experiences in a supportive environment. These factors are all important in developing your reflective skills (Mann et al 2009). Reflecting on how you see professionals communicate in the real world can improve your communication skills, particularly in uncertain and new situations (Salmon and Young, 2011). Small group discussion is also thought to protect against the ethical “erosion” and reduction in empathy that students have been shown to experience during their clinical years (Neumann et al 2011, Feudtner, 1994).

Learning in small groups can also improve your independent learning, team and interpersonal skills (Prince, 2004) which are all key skills for doctors. You will be assessed on these in your groups, through professionalism judgments, using criteria that build year on year.