North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust will be hosting its annual ‘Career in Medicine’ event in June this year as it seeks to inspire potential medical students into taking up the profession. The event is being held on Friday 29 June and Saturday 30 June at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle and is now in its fifth year.

The event invites local school students from across years 11-13 who are considering studying medicine the chance to meet senior and junior medical staff and to gain top tips for medical school entry. The event is also open to anybody who has already left school and is considering studying medicine as a postgraduate degree. All those attending should either attend school or be primarily a resident in the areas the Trust’s two hospitals (the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven) serve.

Around 70 aspiring medical students attended last year from across the north, west and east of the county including Whitehaven, Keswick, Wigton, Penrith and Carlisle. The feedback received from the students after the event was very positive. Their comments included:

• I enjoyed the case scenarios and they really engaged my thoughts

• I enjoyed the hands-on practical segments of the afternoon and watching the role-playing patient / doctors.

• I enjoyed seeing a patient and hearing about their experience

This year’s event will be held in the James George Education Centre at the Cumberland Infirmary and will feature a series of interactive sessions and workshops held by the Trust’s top clinicians. Topics will include: Cardiology, intensive care, trauma, orthopaedics (bone saw), obstetrics (childbirth and midwifery), endoscopy, neurology, and ear nose and throat.

Dr Louise Buchanan, consultant cardiologist and course director, said: “I am thrilled we are able to offer the event for another year. I grew up in west Cumbria and want to encourage as many people as possible from the area to pursue a career in medicine.

“It takes a lot of hard work to become a doctor but medicine is a hugely rewarding career and the opportunities it offers are outstanding.

“This is a very rare chance, to be able to chat with practising doctors and get top tips on medical school entry so if you’re thinking of studying medicine it can’t be missed.”

If you are interested in attending the event, you must ensure you book a place which is on a first-come, first-served basis. You will require confirmation from your head of sixth form or if you are an undergraduate, you will be required to demonstrate the grades you have received so far. For more information, please contact Lyn Coulthard 01228 814089 or email Lyn.Coulthard@ncuh.nhs.uk