University of Sheffield Medicine Student - Ask Me Anything

OP

Original post by BurstingBubbles

Wow it all sounds so great but busy - how do you balance studying etc around time to relax?

How have you found the support is with your ME and dyslexia? Is dyslexia something that the Uni helped to assess or did you go via another assessment route? :smile:

Hi there,

I enjoy being busy, but I always make sure I plan out time to relax too. I try to get all of my work done during the day so I have the evenings to do what I want. I prioritise meal times and make sure I have a proper break for lunch rather than eating on the go. The main thing is staying organised and getting better at knowing my limits and when to say no to people.

The support from the University has been very good, the Disability and Dyslexia support service (DDSS) in Sheffield is amazing. They have a large team of people, who are all dedicated to supporting students and making University more accessible. I have extra time and rest breaks in my exams which I can use if I need to, and the support service has notified my department that I may need to take more regular rest breaks. They are also helping financially, and certain placements have been modified so I do not have to travel so far when I am having fare-ups.

I only realised that I might have dyslexia when I was in my second year of Medical school and I was struggling with the reading for some research I was doing. I emailed DDSS who arranged a short online test and once the results came through for that, they arranged a formal assessment. The process was really easy, and as soon as I got my results, they put a learning support plan in place to help me.

Reply 3

George&Mary

13

Original post by University of Sheffield Students

Hey Everyone,

My name is Evie, I am a 5^th year student studying Medicine, I am currently intercalating (taking a year out to do a master’s degree) in Human Anatomy and Education.

Since joining the University, I have tried out a variety of societies including OTC (Officer Training Corps), Badminton, Jiu Jitsu, Dance, Burlesque and Anatomy society. I was captain of the University Jiu Jitsu Club for two years and have started my own medical society – the ENT and OMFS society. I am also very into climbing - which is very big in Sheffield!

I have also balanced part time work alongside my degree and am currently teaching art classes to primary school children alongside my Masters.

Since starting my degree, I have been diagnosed with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) and dyslexia, so if anyone has any questions about disability or learning disability support at the University, I am happy to discuss this.

I lived in Howden in Endcliffe in my first year, and have lived in various shared houses around Crookemoor and Crookes since. I have also become vegan since coming to University, and can recommend some good food places to go to!

Feel free to ask me any questions about Medicine, Disability or University in general, feel free to ask!

I'll be online every Wednesday if you have any questions, but if your question is urgent or you would like an answer sooner, you can find lots of students (including myself) available to chat via The Access Platform (TAP) at https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/study/chat

Thanks for doing an AMA, Evie.

Could you explain a bit about placements, and travel and accommodation arrangements please?
How essential is having a car, or is it all easily doable by public transport?
How often in the first year do you need to be out and about, and what proportion of your time do you spend at the RH or NG hospital med schools locations?

Thank you !

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

Original post by University of Sheffield Students

Hey Everyone,

My name is Evie, I am a 5^th year student studying Medicine, I am currently intercalating (taking a year out to do a master’s degree) in Human Anatomy and Education.

Since joining the University, I have tried out a variety of societies including OTC (Officer Training Corps), Badminton, Jiu Jitsu, Dance, Burlesque and Anatomy society. I was captain of the University Jiu Jitsu Club for two years and have started my own medical society – the ENT and OMFS society. I am also very into climbing - which is very big in Sheffield!

I have also balanced part time work alongside my degree and am currently teaching art classes to primary school children alongside my Masters.

Since starting my degree, I have been diagnosed with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) and dyslexia, so if anyone has any questions about disability or learning disability support at the University, I am happy to discuss this.

I lived in Howden in Endcliffe in my first year, and have lived in various shared houses around Crookemoor and Crookes since. I have also become vegan since coming to University, and can recommend some good food places to go to!

Feel free to ask me any questions about Medicine, Disability or University in general, feel free to ask!

I'll be online every Wednesday if you have any questions, but if your question is urgent or you would like an answer sooner, you can find lots of students (including myself) available to chat via The Access Platform (TAP) at https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/study/chat

Hi thank you for this!

Do you have any tips for interview?

Reply 5

Anonymous #2

Hi, I was wondering if you had a list of hospitals that Sheffield med students can get sent to? Thank you :smile:

Reply 6

OP

Original post by George&Mary44!

Thanks for doing an AMA, Evie.

Could you explain a bit about placements, and travel and accommodation arrangements please?
How essential is having a car, or is it all easily doable by public transport?
How often in the first year do you need to be out and about, and what proportion of your time do you spend at the RH or NG hospital med schools locations?

Thank you !

Hello!

In first and second year the only placements that you will have are GP placements for a few hours every other week, and then a two week hospital placement just after Christmas in First year. You then have a 12 week placement over the summer in second year, and then after that, the majority of your time will be spent in GPs/hospitals on placement, with teaching blocks in between, as well as some in-hospital teaching.
You will spend about half of your placements in Sheffield and the other half in GP surgeries/hospitals outside of the city. There are good transport links to all the hospitals, and students will usually set up group chats and share lifts too.

I do not have a car and I know a lot of students who have graduated without using one. However, in your later years (4th/5th) it can be helpful, because the timetables are more individual so there will be a smaller group of people on the same placement as you. It is definitely not essential, however it can reduce travel time compared with public transport. The hospitals' that are further away - Grimsby, Chesterfield, Bassetlaw etc, do have student accommodation that you can stay in for free, and lots of students do use the accommodation at the hospital while they are on placement.

In first and second year, around 85% of your time will be spent in the medical school in the Hallamshire or at the clinical skills centre at Northern General. The rest of the time will be in anatomy labs, microbiology labs, statistics seminars on the University campus (and then the GP sessions every other week).

I hope this helps!

Reply 7

OP

Original post by Anonymous

Hi, I was wondering if you had a list of hospitals that Sheffield med students can get sent to? Thank you :smile:

Hi, I do not have a complete list, but here are the ones that I know my friends have been sent to!
- The Royal Hallamshire - Sheffield
- Sheffield Children's hospital - Sheffield
- Northern General Hospital - Sheffield
- Jessops maternity hospital - Sheffield
- Western Park cancer hospital - Sheffield
- Rotherham
- Barnsley
- Bassetlaw
- Doncaster and Doncaster psychiatric hospital
- Grimsby
- Chesterfield
- Scunthorpe

Reply 8

OP

Original post by Anonymous

Hi thank you for this!

Do you have any tips for interview?

Hey!

The main thing to remember is that they are looking to see if they think you could make a good doctor. They know you have the grades and the UCAT score at this point. It is about coming across as a caring person with good communication skills. They do not expect you to be a doctor or to act like one at this stage, so you do not need any special knowledge (apart from on the specific questions that they give to you before hand) as long as you show that you have made an effort to try.
Be honest and show that you are a real person, they do not want people who sound like robots and have rehearsed their questions off a script. Think about the questions and how you can relate what you have learned in your work experience/volunteering, but do not overprepare or you may not sound genuine.

I hope this helps!
Let me know if you have any other questions!

Reply 9

George&Mary

13

Original post by University of Sheffield Students

Hello!

In first and second year the only placements that you will have are GP placements for a few hours every other week, and then a two week hospital placement just after Christmas in First year. You then have a 12 week placement over the summer in second year, and then after that, the majority of your time will be spent in GPs/hospitals on placement, with teaching blocks in between, as well as some in-hospital teaching.
You will spend about half of your placements in Sheffield and the other half in GP surgeries/hospitals outside of the city. There are good transport links to all the hospitals, and students will usually set up group chats and share lifts too.

I do not have a car and I know a lot of students who have graduated without using one. However, in your later years (4th/5th) it can be helpful, because the timetables are more individual so there will be a smaller group of people on the same placement as you. It is definitely not essential, however it can reduce travel time compared with public transport. The hospitals' that are further away - Grimsby, Chesterfield, Bassetlaw etc, do have student accommodation that you can stay in for free, and lots of students do use the accommodation at the hospital while they are on placement.

In first and second year, around 85% of your time will be spent in the medical school in the Hallamshire or at the clinical skills centre at Northern General. The rest of the time will be in anatomy labs, microbiology labs, statistics seminars on the University campus (and then the GP sessions every other week).

I hope this helps!

Thank you - really comprehensive answer 👍 very helpful.

Reply 10

Anonymous #3

The Student Union looked impressive at open day, something about having the longest student bar in the UK ?

As a med student do you actually get to spend much time there or socialising in general, or is it pretty much full on? Are there lots of med soc activities, sports teams for men and women, like football, rugby etc? I couldn’t find much online about med soc or the Sheffield SU societies. Wednesday afternoons off in first year?

Does Sheffield do the medicine family thing with older students that a lot of med schools do for wellbeing and support?

Were you a climber before you got to Sheffield or was it something you started there?

Sorry for all the questions. Just v interested 😃

Reply 11

Anonymous #4

Hello!

Thank you for this, I wanted to ask if it was any different for graduates or if it was okay when they integrated into the standard course with other students?
How do you find the support from staff in terms of teaching?
What's your favourite thing about sheffield and what about sheffield convinved you to pick sheffield over any other potential universities? :smile:

Thankyou!

Reply 12

Gill2021

8

Hi Evie.
Thanks for the info you've given so far. I wanted to ask about intercalation: can anyone choose to do either BSc or MSc or do you have to be selected or meet certain criteria? Do you have free choice of subject (and location) or is there an "approved" list?
Also, how did you find doing full body dissection? And in which years do you do that?

Reply 13

Anonymous #5

Also, how did you find doing full body dissection? And in which years do you do that?

Great question. Its one of those things that might attract people tko Sheffield, and i think you probably do learn a lot more than anatomy tables for example, but there must be a bit of trepidation when you start as it will be the first time many people will have seen a dead body.

Are the staff good at supporting the students in that way too?

Reply 14

Gill2021

8

Oh and how heavy did you find the timetable and workload in the early years? I do worry that I may feel it's all work and no time for play...

Reply 15

Original post by Anonymous

The Student Union looked impressive at open day, something about having the longest student bar in the UK ?

As a med student do you actually get to spend much time there or socialising in general, or is it pretty much full on? Are there lots of med soc activities, sports teams for men and women, like football, rugby etc? I couldn’t find much online about med soc or the Sheffield SU societies. Wednesday afternoons off in first year?

Does Sheffield do the medicine family thing with older students that a lot of med schools do for wellbeing and support?

Were you a climber before you got to Sheffield or was it something you started there?

Sorry for all the questions. Just v interested 😃

Hi, I'm not Evie but I'm a 4th year med student at sheffield. I personally don't go to the SU club very much as I don't really like clubbing but I know plenty of med students who do. I've always found time to socialise and have time for my hobbies. Certain placements can be full on so I might have slightly less time to do other things but I will still have a little.

There are lots of sub-societies within medsoc including sports (football, hockey, badminton, tennis, running, etc) and other societies like peer teaching (they put on revision talks and provide exam questions so are very useful for revision) and societies for different specialties (GP, Acute medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obs & gynae, psych, etc).

Yep Wednesday afternoons are free throughout first and for the most part in second year as well (there were a few clinical skills sessions that may be on wednesdays early on in second year).

There are medic families as well. In first year, you'll be in a group of other first years and maybe 1-3 second years will be your medic parents. And then once you're in second year, you can become a parent yourself for the next set of first years.

Reply 16

Original post by Gill2021

Hi Evie.
Thanks for the info you've given so far. I wanted to ask about intercalation: can anyone choose to do either BSc or MSc or do you have to be selected or meet certain criteria? Do you have free choice of subject (and location) or is there an "approved" list?
Also, how did you find doing full body dissection? And in which years do you do that?

I haven't intercalated so Evie will know more about this than I do, but from what I understand, you'll have to apply to the course(s) you're interested in and then they'll select you. The vast majority of people I know who intercalated got into the course they wanted so I wouldn't worry too much about that yet. There's a long list of options each year for courses in sheffield and then you can apply to other universities as well
Dissection is done only in 1st year. I enjoyed anatomy and doing dissection ourselves meant we could get hands on and I found that really useful.

Reply 17

Original post by Anonymous

Also, how did you find doing full body dissection? And in which years do you do that?

Great question. Its one of those things that might attract people tko Sheffield, and i think you probably do learn a lot more than anatomy tables for example, but there must be a bit of trepidation when you start as it will be the first time many people will have seen a dead body.

Are the staff good at supporting the students in that way too?

Dissection is done in 1st year. I enjoyed it - it was good to get hands on and be able to dissect ourselves in our groups. It was odd to see a dead body like that for the first time but the staff are lovely. They let us know when they were showing us the bodies for the first time and if anyone was feeling unwell, they could leave the room if they wanted to. They don't mind if you need to sit down for a bit or get some air. It can get really hot in the anatomy lab and the smell can be a bit off putting so plenty of people had to sit down or leave the room for a bit.

Reply 18