Personal statement

Question 1

Teamwork

Answer 1

Hockey - since year 8

World challenge - gruelling trek (morale) - village hall (contribution)

Question 2

Leadership

Answer 2

World challenge - role of leader rotated throughout team - navigate team from Kota Kinabalu to project Tampat do Aman

Question 3

Time management skills

Answer 3

Balancing demands of A-levels with extra-curricular activities and extensive work experience

Question 4

Empathy

Answer 4

Built up a relationship with an elderly lady with no family in Hungerford house - relate to communication skills
Making teas and coffees for patients on a stroke ward - helped me to communicate with the person and not the disease

Question 5

Describe a recent medical advancement

Answer 5

CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) - gene-editing technology
‘Cuts out’ infected DNA strands to modify genes
Could overcome HIV and cancer

Question 6

Controversy over CRISPR

Answer 6

Good - could cure cancer and HIV easily

Bad - playing god, creating designer babies

Question 7

Evidence of self-directed learning

Answer 7

Mutants book - inspired by interesting genetics lesson

Question 8

Who wrote mutants?

Answer 8

Armand Marie Leroi

Question 9

Exciting medical advancements

Answer 9

First organ donation (kidney) 1954

Question 10

Describe the new junior doctor contract

Answer 10

Increases pay - especially on weekends and night shifts

Question 11

Benefits of the new junior doctor contract

Answer 11

Pay rises
Limits to how much weekend work can be done, as well as lengths of shifts
Removed pay-to-stay when too tired to drive
Improvements in rest and safety entitlements

Question 12

Main concerns of the new junior doctor contract

Answer 12

Increased stress, tiredness and burnout = lower standard of care
Working antisocial hours doesn’t mean extra money
Because they are paid the salary of a junior doctor if they switch specialities, this could discourage doctors from switching
Unpaid maternity leave - discriminatory

Question 13

Why do you want to study at Southampton?

Answer 13

• Cutting edge research facilities
• Integrated course = patient contact from beginning
• Weekend shifts as a healthcare worker
• Intercalation and language modules (year 3)
• Arts and culture - open day
• McMaster approach - PBL - engaging interest
• Research project year 4
• Wessex Deanery

Question 14

What is holoprosencephaly?

Answer 14

The brain fails to divide into two hemispheres during development

Question 15

Sonic hedgehog

Answer 15

The protein appears in an area of mesoderm under the developing forebrain
Signalling protein that creates the divide
Mutations can cause cyclopia and holoprosencephaly

Question 16

Why do you want to study at Exeter?

Answer 16

• Combination of lectures and PBL
• Community placements
• Intercalation
• Life Sciences Resource Centre - anatomy and biomedicine teaching
• Clinical Skills Resource Centre - si

Question 17

What does the GMC do?

Answer 17

• Protects patients
• Work with doctors to achieve high standards of care
• Doctors can consult GMC for advice
• Doctors must register with GMC