Hi! My name is Sripradha and I am a 3rd year medical student at Cardiff University. I am from India but grew up in Bahrain. I started medical school in the UK right after my A-levels were cancelled (yup, I’m from the covid batch).
When I first started medical school, I was overwhelmed by all the opportunities there were. Imposter syndrome hit me hard when I realised that a medical degree does not constitute of studying medicine alone, rather it encapsulates how deeply you immerse yourself in the field. As every frantic first year medical student does, I started applying to anything I could find, be it volunteering roles, being a representative for various organisations or assisting with virtual conferences. However, I had no idea where to start and it always felt like I wasn’t doing enough (I know, typical med student mindset). It was only after I attended my first revision session dissecting a lecture we had on respiration that I realised what I wanted to focus on: medical education.
These revision sessions work on a near-peer basis in that a student from the year above will recap topics that are new to their juniors in a digestible manner. I was so inspired by this system as it was mutually beneficial for both the teachers and participants. Once second year started, I enrolled myself to be a teacher in OSCEazy, a medical education platform. The whole premise of OSCEazy was built upon the near-peer teaching style I previously described. After a year of teaching, I can verify that teaching truly is the best way to learn and it has only driven my passion for medical education further.
I could write pages about how in awe I am of medical education and teaching however, that is probably not what you are here to read about. So, if you, like me, have an interest in teaching or even just getting involved in opportunities outside of your medical school, here are a few tips I have put together to get you started:
Don’t be afraid to reach out: as an introvert, I absolutely hated the idea of having to ‘put myself out there.’ However, the urge to teach took precedence, so I started contacting organisations through their social media platforms. For instance, when I wanted to stand for the representative of the British Medical Association (BMA), I wrote them an email expressing my interest and they were more than happy to have me on board!
Talk to your seniors: at Cardiff, we have a handy mentor scheme that allowed me to meet several seniors and get their advice on how to find opportunities that suit me. They have probably been in the same place as you and surprisingly are not as intimidating as you think they may be.
Start small: thanks to the pandemic, most of these teaching sessions were delivered online so it wasn’t as scary as delivering them in an auditorium full of people. I started off by giving ‘back to school’ seminars with societies in my university just to get over that initial fear of public speaking.
Networking: this is a big one. Once you start getting involved with medical education organisations, you start to see a few familiar faces. Getting to know each other is fantastic as medical education is a tight knit community and I can bet that you’ll probably be working with them again.
Delving into a specialty interest: if you’re someone who has already found their calling, try to deliver sessions orientated around that specialty. This can be useful in your portfolio as it can demonstrate that you had an interest in a certain speciality early on. However, if you’re like me and still have no particular specialty in mind, consider doing sessions around topics that are of interest to you. For instance, I found cardiology quite interesting, so I tried to do more teaching involving it.
Practice, practice, practice: when it comes to delivering teaching sessions, always do a run through of your slides and presentation to eliminate any errors and to ensure it runs smoothly on the day. I like to get my teaching slides peer checked as well just to be reassured that all the information on there is correct.
Don’t be let down by poor feedback: after seeing negative comments on your work, it is normal to feel upset especially since you’ve worked so hard on it. I remember stressing out about the odd unsatisfactory remark however, after delivering more sessions I realised it is inevitable and should just be taken as constructive criticism.
And finally… confidence: imagine having a lecturer who is hesitant on delivering their content. It can be so discouraging and can even put you off from learning the material. I remember getting so anxious for my first teaching session, I started talking too fast just to get it over with. With each session you start to establish the right pace and find a delivery style that suits you best.
Hopefully this list gives you a clearer idea on how to seek opportunities you are looking for without making first year Sri’s mistakes. It can be daunting at times, but honestly, teaching has been such a rewarding experience and has helped me beyond the scope of learning. I hope this has encouraged at least one person to take that leap of faith!
If you have any queries at all, please do not hesitate to contact me ☺
Email: srinivasans6@cardiff.ac.uk
Instagram: @_sripradha_ (https://www.instagram.com/_sripradha_/)
Twitter: @Sripradha7 (https://twitter.com/Sripradha7)
LinkedIn: Sripradha Srinivasan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sripradha-srinivasan-8581b0202/)