I always like to joke that my mum tricked me into doing medicine. As a five-year-old, speaking to my grandparents on the phone, they would repeatedly ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up. My parents would tell me to say ‘a doctor’. The phone calls kept coming until I was 17, when I submitted my application to medical school.
As a proud alumnus of Barts and The London, I can’t overstate the impact medical school had on me. Whether it be studying in the basement of the library, cheering on our sports teams or enjoying a McDonalds after a night at the student union, the friendships and memories I formed at Barts will stay with me for a very long time. The most important thing I took away from Barts and The London is the importance of building a sense of community within the institutions you work or study at.
Having started my job as an F1 in Brighton, I am glad to have fallen into this line of work. While the job can be stressful, the people I work with are amazing – whether it be the consultant leading the ward round, the nurses caring for patients, or the social care workers putting discharge plans into place. Only in medicine can you find such a dynamic workplace with a human element to it. It makes those six years slogging away in the library and eating Perfect Fried Chicken in Whitechapel worth it. Nonetheless, from my short career so far, it is clear there is a shortage of medical professionals in the NHS. Having undertaken an elective placement in New Zealand I note this problem is not unique to the UK, but is a global phenomenon.
From a young age, my parents always emphasised the importance of education. With that in mind I have always loved the idea of both learning myself and passing on knowledge to others. During secondary school I worked as a tutor. I enjoyed watching my students’ faces light up having explained a tricky concept to them. Throughout medical school I tried to throw myself into as many opportunities pertaining to medical education as I could. Giving preclinical students a grounding in the anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and pathology that make up the foundation of medicine was incredibly rewarding.
I joined Medics.Academy at the end of my fourth year of medical school as a Fellow. Considering the global shortage of doctors, and my interest in medical education, the vision behind Medics.Academy resonated with me. As a bit of a tech-nerd, working at a start-up and gaining skills such as entrepreneurship and leadership appealed to me. Initially, as a Fellow, I started writing content for our upcoming clinical genetics course, and I have since been involved in other projects such as the Wiley ‘At a Glance’ series. I have recently taken on the position of Fellowship Team Manager. In this role, I will be responsible for managing the Fellows at Medics.Academy. I hope to strengthen the Medics.Academy community and to run regular workshops to help Fellows gain new skills. Furthermore, I hope to be a source of advice and support to ensure Fellows make the most of the programme.
Away from medicine, I am a stereotypical millennial and enjoy sharing memes or binging the latest Netflix series while munching on avocado and toast. It seems studying and living in East London has rubbed off on me! Seeing the world and experiencing different cultures has been a goal of mine for some time, and I try to travel as much as I can. As an avid Arsenal fan, I love sitting down and watching the football on the weekend, although I must admit to wallowing in self-pity for a number of years, reminiscing of the glory years of ‘The Invincibles’.
The Fellowship Programme
At Medics.Academy we have a number of Junior Doctor and Medical Student Fellows. We envision Fellows take on a long-term role with Medics.Academy to produce courses, undertake marketing projects and move through the company over a number of years. As Fellows, we hope to provide you with a number of skills pertaining to project management, product development and leadership. Our Fellows have published work academically and presented at international conferences. Ultimately, our goal is to train the global medical workforce. If this mission resonates with you as it did me, why not hop on board and help educate the next generation of healthcare professionals. If you are interested in applying click here.
About the Author
Yusuf is a Foundation Year doctor, newly graduated from Barts and the London School of Medicine. Throughout medical school, Yusuf was awarded numerous prizes for outstanding academic achievement and he delivered high-quality peer-teaching through student-led societies, in which he held various positions of leadership. His passion for education led to him joining Medics.Academy in July 2018, where he is currently the fellowship team manager. His other interests include medical technology and health policy.
