Student of Medicine

James, former student at Ormiston Rivers Academy, is a medical student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, part of Queen Mary University of London.

James completed his A- levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, and AS level in Physics, a level 3 BTEC in Engineering and an EPQ in heart valves whilst at Ormiston Rivers sixth form. So far James has completed two years of his degree, which are pre-clinical years where he has learnt about the human body and how it functions, which then develops to how it can go wrong and what we can do when this happens. In these years he has also learnt about basic examinations and procedures ready for his first placement. He is now in his first clinical year where he has started his first placement, focused on neurology and surgery.

It is difficult for James to say the exact moment when he decided that this would be his career pathway; he has always loved Science and been intrigued by the human body, and in combination with wanting to help people and give back to society, this inspired his decision to go into medicine. He also undertook work experience and shadowed medical professionals which made him realise this was the career he wanted.

James’s advice for other OAT students wanted to go into medicine:

• A good piece of advice I got from school is that going into medicine is not about your grades; when you get there everyone will be extremely intelligent and so you need to set yourself apart in other ways.
• Extracurricular activities are crucial for applying as they are what makes you interesting and will give you something to talk about in your interviews.
• It is extremely important that you volunteer, work, read or get work experience… James worked in a pharmacy, volunteered in a care home, tutored younger students in Science and Maths, and read a lot of publications and journals. It is important to reflect on these activities and acknowledge how they make you feel and what you have learnt from that situation.