New initiative aims to help students turn theory into practice
The University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) School of Medicine is recruiting patient volunteers to help train the North West’s next generation of doctors and related medical staff.
The School is looking for patients happy to allow students to record their medical histories or, in some cases, carry out medical examinations. Volunteers can attend sessions just once or twice a year or, if they wish, can choose to be more active participants.
Ideally, the School is looking for patients who might have conditions relating to the following:
Chest diseases, for example asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis or anything related;
Heart problems for example angina, previous heart attack or operations, valve diseases or anything related;
Kidneys or bladder issues or conditions related to the gastrointestinal system;
Neurological problems such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, previous stroke, previous surgeries on the spine or brain or related issues;
Diabetes
"We’ve listed a number of areas where we’re looking for patient volunteers with specific conditions but we’re open to enquiries from patients with any disorder who would be interested in helping to train our doctors of the future."
Professor Cathy Jackson, Head of the University’s Medical School, said: “By giving us just a few hours a month members of the public can make a major difference. Our students learn the theory and knowledge that underpins their professional role in the classroom, but putting their knowledge into practice is an entirely different proposition.
“More than 80 percent of the diagnosis procedure is based on listening to the patient so our student doctors really must have excellent communication, patient care and decision making skills. This is something they can only learn by working with real patients. We’d like our volunteers to provide feedback directly to students on their performance and behaviours.
“We’ve listed a number of areas where we’re looking for patient volunteers with specific conditions but we’re open to enquiries from patients with any disorder who would be interested in helping to train our doctors of the future, many of whom will work in Lancashire and Cumbria.”
If you are interested in becoming a patient volunteer with the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Medicine please email: MedVolunteerPatient@uclan.ac.uk