Medicine and the multidisciplinary team

The Friends of York Hospitals and York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust are proud to engage with the young people in our community to provide an experience of what a vocation in healthcare might be.

This programme is managed by a small team – Drs Paul Laboi, Consultant Nephrologist, Stephanie Neale, Trust Volunteer and Portia Cason, Hull York Medical School and is supported by colleagues across the NHS Trust. Everyone involved gives their time willingly to encourage students from state schools to enter medical school.

It provides 6th form students (year 12) from local state schools, an opportunity to gain insights into the field of medicine and the workings of a multi-disciplinary team. It gives a clearer understanding of the wide range of skills needed for a career in medicine and of the partnerships that exist in the multi-disciplinary team.

The project was introduced in 2018 by Dr Laboi with one student and has grown over the years to 18 students in 2024. Initially funded by the FOYH for local schools in York, this year has seen students from a wider geographical area with funding from The Friends of Selby War Memorial Hospital.

The 10 week programme runs from January to March and through a series of presentations and Q&A sessions, the students learn about a wide range of areas covering different aspects of medicine and healthcare.

They hear from clinicians from a variety of specialties including renal medicine, radiology, cardiology, elderly medicine and anaesthetics. Junior doctors and GP’s also share their experiences of training and working in the NHS. Multidisciplinary team members demonstrate how nursing, psychology, pharmacy, physiotherapy and other disciplines contribute to the care of the patient. Patients and carers share their experiences of the care and treatment they have received from the NHS.

The students enjoy a hands on session learning clinical skills with Tracey McEwan, Lead Clinical Skills Educator (Honorary Senior Lecturer).

Please click here to see the leaflet which gives more detailed information and here for an extract of the 2024 programme. Applications are invited each year through the 6th Form Tutors of the eligible schools.

“I’ve learnt so much from the sessions, and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute. It was brilliant to speak to doctors in a wide range of specialities, enabling me to gain a deeper understanding into what it’s like to work for the NHS, and learn more about the role of a doctor. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to speak to other healthcare professionals, which has given me valuable insight into the multidisciplinary team. I feel I have benefited hugely from talking to patients, as it allowed us to view life from their perspective and see the challenges they face on a day to day basis. This experience has made me even more enthusiastic about becoming a doctor!”

”I have a much more rounded and deeper understanding of the complex ecosystem that is a hospital, including how professionals from multiple disciplines work together to deliver patient-centred, holistic care.”

“All the lecturers have been really interesting, especially the multi-disciplinary team one and meeting patients, this gives us things to reflect on in our medical school applications like the multidisciplinary nature of the NHS, the life changing impact surgery can have and the importance of patient-centred, holistic care. I also just wanted to say I’m really grateful for this opportunity, so thank you.”

All the students feel that their overall learning experience has been fantastic and all would recommend the experience to others.