Students with aspirations of a medical career visited the prestigious University of Birmingham to attend an Insight into Medicine and Dentistry day.
Accompanied by Mr A Dean, Highfields’ Head of Maths & Science Learning School, and Dr Sohal, ten Year 10 students got involved in a wide range of activities at the university’s medical school, which is located next to the modern Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Students heard from a practising doctor and dentist about their working life, as well as from current medical students, whilst there was a careers talk about the wide range of jobs available in the NHS, beyond being a doctor or a dentist.
Students also got the chance to get involved in a wide variety of practical activities, including learning how to perform CPR and shock someone’s heart into beating, how to take blood pressure and how to measure peak flow, the speed that someone can breathe out, which is useful in monitoring lung function in people who have conditions such as asthma.
The university is undergoing a multi-million pound redevelopment, and Highfields students had the chance to walk through the beautiful campus and see some of the new buildings and landscapes which have been created.
Mr Dean said: “This was a great opportunity for Highfields students to under- stand better what is involved in studying for a medicine related degree, and also to see that students from comprehensive schools like Highfields are welcome and can make the grade.
“Our students were a credit to the school, getting involved and asking some good questions of the speakers on the day.”
