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The University of Southampton
Medicine

Charlotte Harrison BM5 with intercalated year

Charlotte Harrison's Photo

My time at Southampton has been brilliant. When I visited it, I felt it was a really great place to be – there was a buzz on campus and the facilities were a high standard. The course has so much to offer.

Charlotte Harrison was awarded the Donald Acheson Second Prize - for second highest scoring performance in the BMBS programme – at this year’s graduation ceremony.

Here, she tells us what stood out as particular highlights during her time at the University of Southampton.

“The intercalated one-year Master’s in Medical Science course, which I completed during my BM5 course, has allowed me to gain a better understanding of Medicine and has certainly shaped my career path. It was a definite highlight.

I chose to do the extra one-year course, during my third year research project. I really enjoyed my time with my supervisor and the research was really interesting that I found I wanted to take a year and develop my research skills further.

My research was around Alzheimer’s and dementia with Professor Nicoll and it was fantastic and really enjoyable. The year allowed me to take more time to finish and take a step back and enjoy other things in the University. When I came back to Medicine, I had more of an idea of how to learn, which in itself, is a key skill. When I went into clinical placements, I was able to ask questions in a research context. When you’re seeing patients and able to acknowledge the unknowns that we have in medicine because of that research experience, it is really stimulating, and I believe, a benefit to the patient.

My intercalated experience has been a key factor in my decision on what to do after graduation. I have now acquired an academic foundation job in Oxford, which will allow me to do research and I hope to carry this on into my future career. I really felt the intercalated course gave me the best of both worlds - to practice medicine and see patients and see the research side as well. I would definitely recommend it to other students.

My other highlights have been being involved in the Medics Review, which was fantastic fun and allowed me to build some good teamwork skills; and my final year placements were really good as I felt I had more autonomy and something to offer.

Of course, Graduation is a wonderful highlight too. I’m delighted to be finishing up alongside my classmates, who have all worked so hard, but it is bittersweet as it is the end of a chapter.

My time at Southampton has been brilliant. When I visited it, I felt it was a really great place to be – there was a buzz on campus and the facilities were a high standard. The course has so much to offer. The early contact with patients is so important as it helps you develop better skills, particularly in communication. There was less of a barrier around patients, which if I had not met patients until my 4th year of the course, like some courses, it would have taken longer to develop that interaction with patients.  Studying at Southampton has put me in good stead for the challenges doctors face.

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