The Aspiring Medics
3 min
Updated: Jan 12, 2023
Exeter is defined by early clinical contact, friendly and supportive staff and the characteristic friendly atmosphere of a small Med School. Exeter are very keen on the holistic approach.
The problem-based syllabus helps you anchor medical knowledge learnt in lectures, whilst preparing you to treat your own patients as an F1.
Placements can be in a massive variety of settings, from GP surgeries to chiropractors and funeral directors!
Check the Exeter Medical School website and email info.stlukes@exeter.ac.uk if you have any specific questions!
Read GMC's Good Medical Practice in action.
Practice with family and friends as much as you can and reflect on your work experience and skills.
Make full use of the three minutes between each station – this is there to help you prepare and focus for the next station, so make sure you don’t waste time thinking about your previous station.
In a roleplay scenario, think about how you would approach the situation in real life and try to demonstrate attributes such as communicating clearly.
Exeter provides clinical contact through community placements from day one, which many students find particularly useful and motivating, since they can better understand how medical knowledge learnt in lectures is applied to real life patients. Special Study Units are 3 -week blocks delivered twice a year, during which students carry out research in a selected field related to medicine and also enjoy a break from the core medical syllabus. Intercalating is also an option, with Exeter offering a wide range of degrees and masters.
Exeter provides the perfect mix of city life, country side and beaches! Exeter's beaches are just a 15 minutes train journey away and Dartmoor National Park 30 minutes away. First year students have the opportunity of living close to the medicine or on the main campus - regardless, they often live with a mix of medics and non-medics, which enables them to form friendships outside of their course. Exeter also provides a wide range of student societies, ranging from Medics Hockey, to medical specialties societies, to Taylor Swift society! Most medics spend at least a year of their degree at the beautiful Truro campus, and that gives them the chance to explore the beaches of Cornwall, surf and exercise outdoors, as well as a nice break from the city life!
It is very easy to get to know people and make friends at Exeter. There are societies for all hobbies and interests, and they are all amazing at organising drinking and non-drinking events! The sports clubs and facilities provided by the uni enable you to reach you full sporting potential, regardless of your level. It is common for medics to have friends from other courses, since it is so easy to meet others, even outside of the medicine campus. Medical students and others living around St. Luke’s tend to form a close and tightly-knit community which makes the social life even better. The self-directed nature of the course makes it easier to plan a social life around it.
Exeter Medsoc (as well as many other medical societies at Exeter) are brilliant at organising social and academic events! Ranging from the Medics Winter and Summer balls, themed socials every 3 weeks, conferences and movie nights, to weekly revision lectures, there is always something to get involved with. UEMS is a small med school, and hence it is very easy to get to know your whole year and meet people outside of your cohort - Exeter Med School really is one big family!