On Wednesday, during our annual Work Experience Week, MedVetDent students attended a Cardiac Careers event hosted by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. The event was organised by Emma-Jayne Hanner, MedVetDent Coordinator, and was attended by students interested in pursuing careers in Medicine, alongside learners from AAQ Medical Science, A-level Biology, BTEC Health and Social Care, and STEM Aspire with interests in healthcare careers such as radiography, clinical science, and cardiac nursing.
The event provided students with an engaging and inspiring insight into the world of cardiology and the wider healthcare profession. Exceptionally well organised and thoughtfully structured, the morning combined interactive career insight sessions, practical activities, and professional guidance from a wide range of NHS healthcare staff working within specialist cardiac services.
Students rotated through a series of sessions led by professionals from across the multidisciplinary healthcare team, including cardiology doctors, cardiology nurses, physiologists specialising in echocardiography, and radiography staff. Each session explored the speakers’ individual career journeys, the challenges and achievements they had experienced within their professions, and included practical and interactive elements that helped bring the sessions to life.
The rotating structure worked brilliantly and gave students the opportunity to hear from, interact with, and learn directly from professionals across multiple disciplines. Students spoke extremely positively about how interesting, informative, and motivating they found the event, with many commenting on how much it broadened their understanding of Cardiology and highlighted the huge variety of professional roles involved within this specialist area of Medicine and patient care.
One of the highlights of the morning was a session delivered by an F2 Doctor focusing on applying to Medical School. Students found this particularly valuable and reassuring, especially the discussion surrounding the many different pathways into Medicine. For many learners, this was both encouraging and empowering, helping them to recognise that there are multiple routes into a successful healthcare career.
The event formed an outstanding enrichment opportunity within the College’s MedVetDent provision, further enhancing students’ understanding of careers within Medicine and the NHS more broadly. Experiences such as this are invaluable in helping students make informed decisions about their future pathways while developing greater awareness of the realities, opportunities, and rewards of working within healthcare.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Laura Godfrey, Janet Marshall, and the entire Sussex Cardiac Centre team for the time, effort, enthusiasm, and care dedicated to creating such a meaningful experience for our students. Their willingness to share their expertise and professional journeys so openly made a genuinely lasting impression on all involved.
