Sixth Form students at Saint Benedict Catholic Voluntary Academy are being given an insight into the world of medicine as part of a unique work experience opportunity.
Maryam Begum, Evelyn Gash and Hans Manalang are three of five Year 12 students who are undertaking placements at the Royal Derby Hospital once a week for six months.
The hospital offers work experience across a range of departments including areas like critical care, cardiology, audiology, orthopaedics, rehabilitation, and more.
Evelyn, who is studying A-levels in Biology, Chemistry and Geography, is working on the hospital’s dementia ward.
She said: “We go to the hospital for two hours after school, once a week. We hand out teas and coffees and have conversations with the patients. We can also feed them and we all work on different wards. It was a bit of a shock at first, working on the dementia ward and seeing families quite upset. It was quite hard but I feel like I’ve built up trust and relationships and it’s very rewarding.”
Maryam wants to be a clinical psychologist and is working on the blood ward.
She said: “I think this gives me a valuable insight into patient care and supporting people.”
Hans is working on the hospital’s orthopaedic ward.
He said: “The ward is for people who struggle with mobility issues. I’m finding it interesting and it’s very good experience.”
Headteacher Hazel Boyce said: “I am incredibly proud of our Year 12 students for participating in this experience. It has been eye opening for all of them and has exposed them to areas of medicine and health care they had not previously considered or necessarily known about.”
