Clinical Medicine: Support
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Clinical Study
Pastoral support is co-ordinated through the designated Associate Director of Clinical Studies lead. In addition to support from College Tutors and pastoral support which is available from the Director and Associate Directors, each student is allocated an Education Supervisor by the Medical School to oversee their progress for the duration of their clinical school training (Years 4-6 and Years 2-4 of the GE Course). The Educational Supervisor's role is to provide longitudinal educational support (not teaching) for the clinical years of the course, reviewing student portfolios of learning, acting as mentors and meeting with students at least once per term. The Educational Supervisor is in a position to monitor student progress for the whole of the course. In this way, students who are failing to keep up with the course for whatever reason can be offered help at an early stage.
Peer-based support is excellent in this relatively small medical school and most clinical students identify strongly with William Osler House, the clinical student club run by students. Peer support is available via the Osler House Peer Support Network. The peer supporters have undergone a formal training programme and provide confidential and informal pastoral support to clinical students.
Although clinical studies take up a large part of students' time and must obviously have first claim on their attention, students are encouraged to broaden their educational horizons as much as possible and to pursue other academic interests such as languages and music whenever time allows.
The clinical course is seen increasingly as the first part of a continuing education that progresses seamlessly into the first few years after qualification. This combination of scientific and clinical education, with its emphasis on skills that will enable students to keep up with the latest ideas in medical practice throughout their professional careers, makes the Oxford course an exciting and attractive prospect.