Budding Medics Diagnose Disease

Aspiring medics at Solihull Sixth Form College got a taste of medical diagnostics recently, when representatives from Keele University visited to deliver an interactive problem-based learning seminar.

Learners on the College's Pre-Medical School enrichment were introduced to the popular teaching style offered at Keele's medical school by Dr Andrew Morris, Lecturer in Infectious Diseases. The seminar saw students role playing the process a GP goes through in diagnosing an illness using their problem-solving skills. They were given a fictitious case study for an infection, presented with a medical history and encouraged to think of the important questions to ask and medical tests to undertake to help them diagnose the illness. Dr Morris had props on hand to make the experience as realistic as possible and learners concluded that the patient was suffering from a urinary tract infection.

Assistant Principal Trevor Irving commented:

"We have a long-standing relationship with Keele University Medical School and Dr Morris has been hugely supportive of our aspiring medics for many years. His interactive sessions are always fascinating and force our learners to think like a doctor, thus providing them with a fantastic insight into what is it like to be a GP. Students engaged strongly in the session and got a lot out of the experience, which will help them to decide if pursuing a medical career is really right for them."

The Pre-Medical School enrichment is offered to those students who have serious ambitions to study Medicine at university. It is a popular option for students to pursue alongside their main programme of study because it gives them an opportunity to take part in valuable activities related to the profession and supports them in making what is a challenging application into a highly competitive field.

Other academic and career-based enrichments offered at the College include a STEM Programme, Psychology Academy, English Academy, Teaching Academy, Visual Arts Academy and a Criminology option called CSI Solihull.

28 March 2025