WELCOME TO THE INCLUSION HUB
Welcome to the LUSUMA Inclusion Hub! Here you can find what's on and how you can get involved in events happening this year. You can also find some tips and tricks on how to get the best out of your time at medical school, whether you are an undergraduate, graduate/ mature, or international student.
Medics' Fresher's Week is the best opportunity to meet as many people as you can in your year, and most importantly, to get stuck in! It may seem nerve-wracking at first going into a completely new environment - but remember that everyone is probably feeling the same way. A smile and a 'hello' goes a long way!
WHAT'S ON FOR FRESHERS 2022/23?
Find a quick summary below of events happening during fresher's week below:
Medics' Fresher's Week is the best opportunity to meet as many people as you can in your year, and most importantly, to get stuck in! It may seem nerve-wracking at first going into a completely new environment - but remember that everyone is probably feeling the same way. A smile and a 'hello' goes a long way!
WHAT'S ON FOR FRESHERS 2022/23?
Find a quick summary below of events happening during fresher's week below:
TOP 5 DOs + DONT's for Leicester Medic Freshers:
1. DO get involved - try to make sure you get involved in as many activities as possible on offer throughout the duration of medics freshers.
2. DO get connected - follow LUSUMA on the official Facebook page and on Instagram (@leicestermed) for updates on socials, academic workshops, and fun stuff to get involved with throughout your time at medical school!
3. DON'T be afraid to ask for help - Leicester Medical School offers lots of support to its students. LUSUMA has its very own welfare officer and academic officer (although anyone of our LUSUMA committee is on hand to help you). The School also has pastoral and academic support available for you to access. On top of this, you will be assigned to medic parents who will look out for you throughout your time in medical school from day 1.
4. DON'T worry if you don't make friends straight away - you will have plenty of time to make long-lasting and supportive friendships along the way during your time at university. Being friendly and open is key!
5. DO have fun! Fresher's week is the start of a fantastic new chapter in your life, so enjoy the ride!
I'm a graduate entry medic coming to Leicester. What should I know before joining?
1. DO get involved - try to make sure you get involved in as many activities as possible on offer throughout the duration of medics freshers.
2. DO get connected - follow LUSUMA on the official Facebook page and on Instagram (@leicestermed) for updates on socials, academic workshops, and fun stuff to get involved with throughout your time at medical school!
3. DON'T be afraid to ask for help - Leicester Medical School offers lots of support to its students. LUSUMA has its very own welfare officer and academic officer (although anyone of our LUSUMA committee is on hand to help you). The School also has pastoral and academic support available for you to access. On top of this, you will be assigned to medic parents who will look out for you throughout your time in medical school from day 1.
4. DON'T worry if you don't make friends straight away - you will have plenty of time to make long-lasting and supportive friendships along the way during your time at university. Being friendly and open is key!
5. DO have fun! Fresher's week is the start of a fantastic new chapter in your life, so enjoy the ride!
I'm a graduate entry medic coming to Leicester. What should I know before joining?
- As a grad medic, you might feel some pressure to know exactly what you're doing as you've been through the uni experience before. It's important to remember that you're still starting fresh just like traditional freshers and to cut yourself some slack from time to time.
- You may have already completed a degree in something being taught during medical school - use this to your advantage when reflecting on concepts taught to you as this will help you greatly during revision period (you will likely become your entire Belbin's best friend if this is the case!)
- You may be subject to some extra stress (whether that be financial or emotional) as an older student. Remember it's okay not to be okay and that there is lots of support available for you to access at any point throughout your career as a medical student.
- Remember that although studying medicine might be your dream, that you should take time to do things outside of medicine that you enjoy (including hobbies/past-times you may have picked up during your previous degree). This not only gets you involved with societies and sports, but also its a great booster for your mental health.
- It can be difficult travelling to a new country and experiencing a completely new environment whilst also studying a degree like medicine. Fortunately, there is lots of support for our international students available, e.g. fresher's events specifically for international students. We also have international students on our LUSUMA committee should you need to talk to someone who has been through this before!
- Try to schedule in time to contact your friends and family back home - it can be difficult to find time as a new student, but making sure to take some time out of your week to talk to others is a great way to destress.
- Don't forget to soak in the sights and explore Leicester! There are loads of things to do and try in the city, so make sure to have fun.
Joining foundation year? Here are the experiences from some of our ex-foundation year students:
What was the foundation year for me?
The foundation year was a great first year at university. It was a great opportunity to really get a feel of what medical school is like as well as university in general. It consists of 4 different, engaging modules and throughout the year you are assessed on a variety of skills. It provided me with an amazing opportunity to really practice skills such as essay writing, presentations, OSCEs and written exams. Finally, we were also given the opportunity to taken part in some of the HCA training, ahead of year 1. The class size is small enough for me to have gotten to know everyone on it had it not been for covid, although I was still able to make many friends from my course.
How did I find the foundation year?
I found the foundation year interesting, exciting but also challenging at times. The foundation year starts with almost a recap and refresher of some a level content in the first module (Biological sciences). The second module (Introduction to Medical Sciences) a lot more challenging and intriguing as a lot of the content I was taught was new for me. We also had a Psychology module which I again enjoying as it was a subject I had taken before and was excited to do so. Finally the Medicine: the patient module was personally my favourite as it is when I felt the most like a medical student. Some of this module is taught throughout the year alongside other modules to ensure it is integrated along the way. In this module we learnt about different diseases, symptoms and treatments as well as gaining valuable communication and empathy skills through practice. During this module you are also given the opportunity to practice these skills as you are assigned a real life patient to speak with which is something me and the rest of my class were excited to do.
The foundation was also a great opportunity to live independently as I lived out in student accommodation. I was able to participate in and enjoy taking part in LUSUMA sports societies also as you are given a free membership to these societies in your Year 0.
How did I find the transition?
For me personally the transition from A-levels to the foundation year wasn’t too bad. Although for the first 3 modules you are in a much bigger cohort with students from Year 0 in physiotherapy and biological sciences, the actual class size for Medicine FY was a nicer, smaller number, making the transition a lot more comfortable. The transition was also eased as a lot of the content at the beginning is a recap of A-levels meaning we weren’t thrown straight into the deep end. Living in University of Leicester accommodation also helped as it meant I was living with people in the exact same boat as me coming to university not knowing anyone.
In terms of my transition into year one of Medicine I am yet to find out, however we have been given many tips from our foundation year lecturers and tutors hopefully giving us a head start in terms of starting year one. They also reassured us that they are always there for us to contact if need be and I have also volunteered to be a medic parent for the new cohort which is a new scheme LUSUMA have set up which I am so excited to see happen and hopefully it helps all the new students! I am currently really excited to start my first year of medicine and become a foundation medic parent but also meet my medic parents!
- Amrit
The foundation year gave me an insight into university life. I found it pretty hands on with the group work and tasks we had set out which prepared me for the content in year 1 medicine.
It was a smoother transition into year 1 because, instead of it going straight into the main content, I was able to gain an idea in some of the content that was taught which made it easier for me to understand. The year has a bit of everything from clinical experience to lectures to group work which is all vital part of medical school.
An important thing I would say is to make sure you keep on top of everything and then you can go have as much fun as you would like!
- Behram
Helpful contacts for support:
- Vice President of Academic, Welfare and Sponsorship (Aboli Joshi): [email protected]
- Welfare Officer (Abhishek Girish Pai): [email protected]
- Diversity and Inclusion Officer (Uzair Sarfaraz): [email protected]
- Graduate and Mature Students' Representative (Holly Healey): [email protected]
- LMS Pastoral Support Unit: [email protected]
- LMS Academic Support Unit: [email protected]
LUSUMA Diversity and Inclusion Officer - Sam Kebbe
[email protected]
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Sam is your go to person if you want information on diversity and inclusion at Leicester.
He will be happy to help you via [email protected] To find out more about Sam, click below: |