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Healthcare news - summarised, digested and discussed every week. In addition, improve your critical thinking skills and prepare for your interviews with some practice questions!

Covid: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to be tested on children (BBC)

Latifa Haque (Co-Lead Editor)
February 22, 2021

A new trial will test if the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective in children. Will this raise concerns around capacity and consent?

How Scientists Shot Down Cancer’s ‘Death Star’ (NY Times)

Sakina Lakda (Blogger)
February 12, 2021

Scientists have developed a drug called Sotorasib that can switch off a common cancer-causing mutation.

Covid-19: Many poor countries will see almost no vaccine next year, aid groups warn (BMJ)

Latifa Haque (Co-Lead Editor)
February 4, 2021

Many developing countries are unable to secure vaccines for their populations this year, whilst wealthy nations buy more than they need.

COVID-19: Lockdown needs to be stricter, scientists warn

Sana Khan (Blogger)
January 27, 2021

The new variant of COVID-19 has put the NHS under extreme pressure, but the same measures are not enough to reduce the infection rate.

Covid-19: Surge leaves key hospital services 'in crisis' (BBC)

Sakina Lakda (Blogger)
January 19, 2021

A number of health services have been put on hold due to the pandemic. What impact will this have on the NHS in the coming years?

How will Brexit affect the healthcare workforce? (BMJ)

Dhillon Hirani (Blogger)
January 5, 2021

With Brexit negotiations over, it is time to analyse the effect that leaving the EU may have on the NHS.

NHS to trial ‘game-changer’ blood test able to detect more than 50 cancers (Independent)

Latifa Haque (Co-Lead Editor)
December 19, 2020

Trials will begin in 2021 for a new blood test that has the potential to detect over 50 cancers.

Why are more people from BAME backgrounds dying from coronavirus? (BBC)

Vaani (Blogger)
December 10, 2020

BAME communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 due to various socioeconomic and political factors.

Covid vaccine update: When will one be ready? (BBC)

Dhillon Hirani (Blogger)
December 4, 2020

With various COVID-19 vaccines now available, how do we decide which one is the most effective?

Coronavirus: Inside test-and-trace - how the 'world beater' went wrong (BBC)

Latifa Haque (Co-Lead Editor)
November 25, 2020

A closer look at the inefficiencies in the test and trace system

WHAT IS THE NEWSFEED?

Each week, one of our Medmentors will share a short summary of an interesting medical article from a reputable news outlet or journal (e.g. BBC, British Medical Journal, Guardian). They'll include some points of discussion and reflection, as well as potential interview questions to help you practice thinking on your feet, gathering your thoughts and giving structured responses.

Why is this important?
The aim of the newsfeed is to keep you engaged with medical news and prompt you to think widely about the topics discussed. By doing this consistently, you'll develop strong critical thinking skills. This way, when your interview comes around, you'll be equipped with the tools to tackle any topic they throw at you, even if you're not familiar with it.

Here we review medical books, podcasts and TV episodes / series!

Book review #1: Your Life in My Hands by Dr Rachel Clarke

Iqra Ali (Blogger)
February 10, 2021

A closer look at Your Life in My Hands by Dr Rachel Clarke, and how it could be useful for your medical application.

MEDMENTOR STORIES

Here you can find a collection of individual stories and reflections from medical students and doctors for inspiration and insight into life at medical school and beyond.

Tips and resources to guide you through the different parts of the medical school application!

Year 12 Summer School Opportunities

Allegra Wisking (Co-Lead Editor)
March 1, 2021

What are summer schools? Why attend a summer school? What free summer schools are there available?

How to become a COVID-19 Vaccinator

Pavan Marwaha
February 26, 2021

Interested in becoming a COVID-19 vaccinator? Here we answer some of your questions as to how to get involved.

What is the UCAT bursary scheme?

Dhillon Hirani (Blogger)
February 14, 2021

Everything you need to know about the UCAT bursary and whether you're eligible for it.

Year 12 essay competitions for medicine in 2021

Latifa Haque (Co-Lead Editor)
February 12, 2021

Essay competitions you can enter to make your medicine application stand out.

Should you do an EPQ for medicine?

Sakina Lakda (Blogger)
January 31, 2021

The benefits and disadvantages of doing an EPQ if you want to apply to medicine.

Interview series #4: Understanding a career in medicine - do you really know what you’re in for?

Sana Khan (Blogger)
January 21, 2021

Acknowledging stress in medical school and a medical career, and some tips on how to approach interview questions on stress management.

Interview Series #5: How to get over a bad medical school interview or MMI station

Sakina Lakda (Blogger)
January 17, 2021

Our top tips for how to get over a bad interview or station.

Medical Book and Podcast Recommendations

Allegra Wisking (Co-Lead Editor)
December 31, 2020

Looking for a good medicine-related book to read or podcast to listen to? We've picked our favourites to make your search a little easier!

The difference between empathy and sympathy

Abdul-Rahman Abbas (Co-Founder)
December 31, 2020

What is sympathy? What is empathy? Is one better than the other? Why is the difference important?

The Best A-level Revision Methods: Backed by Evidence

Ella Walkeden (Marketing & Outreach Lead)
December 27, 2020

A quick guide on the study methods you should all be using and the ones to avoid if you want to achieve the top grades at school and beyond.

Next

MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION

Here you can find tips and resources to guide you through the medical school application. There's a lot of great resources scattered across the internet (visit our SuperHub), so we've tried to condense these for you and fill in any gaps!

Hand-crafted guides to support you through the different parts of the medicine application process.

How do you network as a student?

Latifa Haque (Co-Lead Editor)
February 21, 2021

Networking opens you up to different opportunities you may not have thought were possible! Find out how to start networking a student...

Do medical students need medical insurance?

Dhillon Hirani (Blogger)
January 30, 2021

Everything medical students need to know about medico-legal support & insurance + how you can get it for free!

Is a medical school intercalated (iBSc) degree worth it?

Dhillon Hirani (Blogger)
January 23, 2021

Answering the most important questions about an intercalated medical degree.

Sponsorship Statement

Abdul-Rahman Abbas (Co-Founder)
September 1, 2020

Our sponsorship policy.

Welcome to the SuperHub

Abdul-Rahman Abbas (Co-Founder)
August 27, 2020

What is the SuperHub? How can it help me? How can I make the most of it?

APPLICATION GUIDES

More coming soon.

WHAT IS THE BLOG?

The blog is a mixture of two things:

a) Useful informative articles for your medical school application - in our SuperHub we've provided links to some great hand-picked resources from across the internet. However, where we feel there are gaps or possible improvements to be made, we've taken it upon ourselves to write a piece and link it into the hub. You'll find those pieces here in the blog.

b) Interesting Medmentor stories regarding their experiences applying or life during medical school - a collection of individual stories that you can read in your own time! We hope they help make the process more 'human' and give you an insight into the human side of life at medical schools ... because we're not all study machines!

WHAT IS THE NEWSFEED?

Each week we select an interesting medical article from a reputable news outlet or journal (e.g. BBC, British Medical Journal, Guardian) and share it on our newsfeed.

With each article, one of our Medmentors will provide a short summary of the piece (for when you're on the go) with some points of discussion and reflective thoughts. In addition, included in every article are some potential interview questions to help you practice thinking on your feet, gathering your thoughts and giving structured responses.
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Why is this important?

Keeping up-to-date with medical news is key for anyone looking to go into the profession. It's also a great way to become more aware of the challenges faced in the healthcare industry.

Importantly, our short discussions with reflective comments are structured to help you think more critically about the ideas and points raised. The aim of this is to help you improve your ability to deconstruct headlines and delve deeper into the topics discussed. It may be cliche, but there is always more to the story. Therefore, the ability to think about potential issues and conflicting views on your feet will help you that much more during your interviews when you are asked questions on the spot (which you undoubtedly will be).
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