The Kent and Medway Medical School saw first group of  graduates. - video Dailymotion

KentOnline / KMTV

The School saw its first cohort of students graduate to help chronic doctor shortages in Kent and nearly half will continue to work through the South East.  Etholle Reynolds reports.

Transcript

00:00Every year, Canterbury Cathedral sees thousands of students graduate,

00:04but there's something quite special about this particular ceremony.

00:08The students at the Kent and Medway Medical School will be the first group to graduate

00:12since the joint partnership between the University of Kent and Canterbury Christchurch University

00:17began back in 2020. In September 2020, Kent and Medway Medical School officially opened,

00:25making it the only medical school in the UK to open during a global pandemic.

00:30For many students, this unique opportunity was something that drew them to study here in Kent.

00:36Yeah, well, for me, it was very much the selling point of coming to this medical school. They

00:40sold it as having the opportunity to be a part of shaping the school and what it would become.

00:46And that was very much why I wanted to come here. I wanted to be a part of the school and the process

00:52and what the training would be like to help mould it for the future years. And that is what it has

00:57felt like throughout my time here. Today, there are over 500 students across the five years studying

01:03to become future healthcare workers here in the county, aiming to address what the school are

01:08calling a chronic shortage of doctors within the region. Why are we here in Kent and Medway is well

01:16grounded in the experience of lots of other countries and lots of other healthcare systems,

01:20where we know that medical students and medical graduates tend to stay closer to

01:24their own medical school. And so by feeding that workforce pipeline in Kent and Medway,

01:30we really hope that we'll make a difference to the medical workforce here in the county.

01:34And for many students, they look forward to joining the workforce in an area they've already taken on

01:39placements.

01:41Yeah, I think it's really good to be on the other side of things and be the doctor now.

01:46So I'm part of East Kent Hospitals Trust, which includes Ashford, Margate and Kent to Canterbury.

01:52My placements are mostly going to be between Kent to Canterbury and William Harvey. So my first

01:57placement is only five minutes away from where I live, which is excellent. And then I'll be doing

02:02some commuting to William Harvey. But yeah, it's been really good. It's been quite good to see very

02:07familiar faces because I've done placements there before as well. So a lot of support. So yeah, it's been good.

02:13It's clear to see that the students have not only studied locally, but are also joining the local

02:19workforces as well. Despite only being five years old, the Kent and Medway Medical School

02:26is offering opportunities to those who may have not even considered a profession in healthcare

02:30initially. Etelie Reynolds for KMTV in Canterbury.

The Kent and Medway Medical School saw first group of graduates.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended