Writing a blog containing research for Medicine/Nursing?

I'm really interested in going into Medicine or Nursing (or anything health related) when I leave sixth form (I'm in year 11 currently) and I wanted to get the ball rolling with work experience/stuff to put on CV.

I'm interested in researching different medical conditions and then publishing them on a blog, not for popularity, just because I'm interested and we don't do that type of stuff in GCSE Biology.

I got this idea from my friend who is currently taking a wildlife course in college and he has started writing a blog explaining different species of animals just for fun but also to put on his CV. So, I took it and thought I could apply it to what I want to do... I mean photographers/artists make collections of their work so why can't I with what I want to do?

Would this be something I could talk about in future interviews? I know it's not experience, but it's a fun and unique idea imo, but I'm not sure if I could put it on my CV... What'd you think?

Reply 1

MonteCristo

14

I think it's a nice idea but the risk is that you will be seen to be advising patients +/- interpreting medical information when not qualified to do so. I think you'd be safer keeping a blog that addressed something like:

-NHS politics - the doctor strike, safe nurse staffing levels, seven day NHS, funding, private healthcare, etc. You could start by highlighting important articles in the press (Guardian Health, BMJ, etc) and then adding your own commentaries as you become more confident and informed. This will also help you understand ongoing issues in the NHS and make your knowledge pretty bullet proof at interview.

-Answering science questions - is the world objectively as it appears to us? Can blind people imagine colour? Would I still be "me" if I had a brain transplant? These are all dealt with elsewhere but your aim would be to simplify them for your blog audience. You could start more simply if you preferred - are left handed people more creative? How do we hear?

I think both of these would be much safer ground than trying to summarise medical information. If you are plugging into the blogosphere, Ben Goldacre is further following: http://www.badscience.net

Reply 2

romansholiday

OP

17

Original post by MonteCristo

I think it's a nice idea but the risk is that you will be seen to be advising patients +/- interpreting medical information when not qualified to do so. I think you'd be safer keeping a blog that addressed something like:

-NHS politics - the doctor strike, safe nurse staffing levels, seven day NHS, funding, private healthcare, etc. You could start by highlighting important articles in the press (Guardian Health, BMJ, etc) and then adding your own commentaries as you become more confident and informed. This will also help you understand ongoing issues in the NHS and make your knowledge pretty bullet proof at interview.

-Answering science questions - is the world objectively as it appears to us? Can blind people imagine colour? Would I still be "me" if I had a brain transplant? These are all dealt with elsewhere but your aim would be to simplify them for your blog audience. You could start more simply if you preferred - are left handed people more creative? How do we hear?

I think both of these would be much safer ground than trying to summarise medical information. If you are plugging into the blogosphere, Ben Goldacre is further following: http://www.badscience.net

Those are some really nice ideas actually :smile:

I obviously don't want to give medical advice out (good or bad lol), the blog would just consist of me talking about a number of diseases/conditions that I'm interested in. For instance, I could do a blog post about the Zika virus, maybe how it is developed and how it effects the body. But I totally understand what you're saying. Like when you Google "I have a cold" and the responses are "You're gonna die" :biggrin:

Reply 3

MonteCristo

14

Original post by romansholiday

For instance, I could do a blog post about the Zika virus, maybe how it is developed and how it effects the body.

I agree that you could do that responsibly but you might inadvertently mislead people, e.g. if you write something incorrect about Zika without realising that your blog has become the "Number 1" Google result when people search for "Zika virus"...

It would also take some explaining at interview because interviewers might have the same concerns, even if you ran your blog 100% responsibly. It's probably worth staying on safe territory if you can.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4

romansholiday

OP

17

Original post by MonteCristo

I agree that you could do that responsibly but you might inadvertently mislead people, e.g. if you write something incorrect about Zika without realising that your blog has become the "Number 1" Google result when people search for "Zika virus"...

It would also take some explaining at interview because interviewers might have the same concerns, even if ran your blog 100% responsibly. It's probably worth staying on safe territory if you can.

LOL, ok I agree. Thanks for the advice.

Reply 5

Nezumiiro

14

Original post by romansholiday

I'm really interested in going into Medicine or Nursing (or anything health related) when I leave sixth form (I'm in year 11 currently) and I wanted to get the ball rolling with work experience/stuff to put on CV.

I'm interested in researching different medical conditions and then publishing them on a blog, not for popularity, just because I'm interested and we don't do that type of stuff in GCSE Biology.

I got this idea from my friend who is currently taking a wildlife course in college and he has started writing a blog explaining different species of animals just for fun but also to put on his CV. So, I took it and thought I could apply it to what I want to do... I mean photographers/artists make collections of their work so why can't I with what I want to do?

Would this be something I could talk about in future interviews? I know it's not experience, but it's a fun and unique idea imo, but I'm not sure if I could put it on my CV... What'd you think?

Hello,
I think that's actually a cool and unique idea, if you do it well it could become a very interesting point of discussion at interview :wink:

It takes some motivation though and you should probably decide early on whether you're going to go it alone or will write the blog with a group of friends.
I say this because I had a similar idea last year to write a STEM and medicine blog with a couple of friends but they soon lost motivation and my plan was over-ambitious for me to do it all myself so I had to abandon it. I am hoping to revive it this summer with fewer topics to write about.

Anyway, good luck with your blog!