Doncaster student one step closer to medical school thanks to scholarship

Conor Troupe, aged 15, has wanted to go into medicine since he was nine-years-old.

He won the scholarship to Pre Medical School the only training provider in the UK dedicated to helping young people decide if a career in medicine is right for them, through his high school, Rossington All Saints Academy.

The scholarship pays for the course, uniform, and all of the resources Conor needs to successfully complete it.

Conor said: “The course at Pre Medical School has helped me understand more about what training to be a doctor will be about, as well as teaching me practical skills such as how to do CPR.

“I would never have been able to go to Pre Medical School without the scholarship from thevaluecircle.

"I feel like the experience of knowing more about medicine and being more prepared for what I will learn during a medical degree will help me stand out on my application.”

Emma Troupe, Conor’s mum, agrees that his place at Pre Medical School has helped Conor refine what he wants.

“It’s given him a taster of various options and more of an insight into the areas he could look at. We have no one in the family who’s in medicine, and wouldn’t have known where to start to help Conor achieve his ambitions.

“I want him to do what he’s dreamt of doing, and the scholarship has definitely put him in a better position, as well as exposing him to other young people from different backgrounds who might also go on to do medicine.”

Wakefield-based management consultancy thevaluecircle has many healthcare clients and was pleased to get involved when approached about how it might support students at Pre Medical School, the UK’s first vocational training programme for young people considering a career in medicine.

thevaluecircle’s donation was made on the basis that the place would go to someone who would not otherwise have access to the advantages attending Pre Medical School can create.

Managing partner of thevaluecircle, David Cockayne, said: “When we were told about Pre Medical School it seemed like a brilliant idea and one that we’re proud to support.

“We specified our scholarship should go towards supporting a young person without people in their family who are already within medicine, to help with equity of access to the medical profession for the future generations.

“Getting into medicine is incredibly competitive.

"The evidence is overwhelming that students living in less affluent areas are less likely to make it on to medical degrees.

"We wanted to play a small part in helping someone with aspirations about a medical career to put themselves in the best possible position to make that dream a reality.”

Pre Medical School, based in Doncaster, helps young people explore medicine as a possible career.

Their teachers are medical or associated professionals who take young people aged 15-18 through a curriculum which explores how the body works and why it doesn’t, along with the practicalities of how to apply for a medical degree at university.

Dr Dean Eggitt, who set up Pre Medical School with his pharmacist partner Neringa Smalstiene in 2020, was delighted to be able to support another young person to understand more about whether a career in medicine is right for them.

“Medicine has an issue with elitism, not only in getting into medical school in the first place, but also staying in medicine, and feeling comfortable once you’re qualified.

“I didn’t come from a medical family, so have broken the mould by qualifying and continuing to practice as GP.

"Even now, 15 years in, I find still have challenges because of my background.

“Neringa recognised similar issues within pharmacy, so setting up Pre Medical School was our way of tackling the challenges we experienced, not simply talking about them.”

*Pre Medical School is an evening class that helps young people to understand what a career in medicine is like and whether or not it’s right for them.

Each class lasts for two hours and is held once per week over 18 weeks. Classes are a mixture of face to face and virtual learning. To be eligible, you must be at least 15 years old, have academic potential, and have a genuine interest in becoming a doctor. Pre Medical School, based at Hill House School in Auckley, delivers high quality education from practising healthcare professionals with a unique and extensive curriculum, and small class sizes of up to 12 students.

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