20 Year 12 students from Greater Merseyside were given the opportunity to take part in an exciting new 'Aimhigher Access to Medicine' project on 27th June.

The project, in partnership with Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, provided a comprehensive day of activities to support pupils interested in studying medicine as they aim to gain a place at University.

The day, delivered by a team of qualified doctors, included sessions to help students prepare their UCAS applications for medical school, information on education testing, interview preparation and techniques as well as "insider knowledge" of the system.

Deirdre Lynskey from Aimhigher Greater Merseyside explains:

"Students in medical school should ideally come from backgrounds reflecting the communities they will serve as qualified doctors. Applicants to medical school, however, are typically not diverse. Through this programme we aim to widen social inclusion and participation in the medical profession."

Dr Colin Moreton from 'Access to Medicine' comments:

"The NHS needs doctors who can relate to all their patients, but at the moment the profession is far from being representative of the public it serves. Medical schools need to guard against any kind of discrimination - intentional or otherwise."

Quotes from some of the students who took part in the day include:

Sophie:

"It was really good, really useful. I would recommend it to anyone. The day 'got you into the interview mindset."

"We learnt how to present ourselves and how to answer in a professional way.' On being asked about rating the day out of 10 she said 10/10."

Silmiya:

"It was really useful. We learnt a lot about the interview process and ethical issues. I would recommend it."

Schools and Colleges taking part in the day were:

Archbishop Beck Catholic Sport College
Broadgreen International School
Childwall Sports College
Gateacre School
St Francis Xavier's College
Knowsley Community College
Rainford High Technology College
Carmel College
Sacred Heart Catholic College
St Mary's College
Upton Hall School
The Mosslands School
Birkenhead Sixth Form College