Peninsula Pathways workshops

Medicine: Problem Based Learning (PBL)

The first two years of medicine are centred around PBL. This workshop enables students to experience how PBL is used at many medical schools, and the approach includes the presentation/case study to a small group of students who engage in discussion over several sessions. The facilitators (tutors) support and assist students with identifying the limits of their knowledge and monitor the group process (encourage participation).

Dentistry: Enquiry Based Learning (EBL)

The dental curriculum is based on an EBL approach using clinical cases. This workshop enables students to experience how EBL is used in many dental schools, and the approach includes the presentation/case study to a small group of students who engage in discussion over several sessions. The facilitators (tutors) support and assist students with identifying the limits of their knowledge and monitor the process (encourage participation).

Mock MMI interviews

Students experience a mock MMI interview which allows them to gain valuable feedback in preparation for the real thing. The mock interview consists of 7 different ‘stations’ with each station assessing the student for specific attributes.

“I couldn't imagine walking into my interviews without the preparation I did with the University of Plymouth, and I know they definitely wouldn't have gone as well as they did. Half the battle is knowing what to expect and how to use the format of the interviews to your advantage. The mock interviews I participated in were as realistic as possible, and the feedback I received at the end of them was invaluable."

Admissions and selection talk and presentation

The workshop enables students to gain a better understanding of the entry routes into medicine, dentistry, biomedical and healthcare sciences and diagnostic radiography. It gives an insight as to what medical and dental schools are looking for alongside the academic qualifications, and overview of what you need to consider when applying to study medicine or dentistry, such as the admissions tests (UCAT and/or BMAT), contextual information and the different types of interviews, and how to prepare.

Study skills and revision workshop

During this session, we will outline evidence-based information on the best ways to learn and retain knowledge. You will reflect on the best and worst learning that you have ever done, explore your own learning style and discuss your study environment and organisation. Using a simple game, we will unpick how our memories work and how this can aid learning and recalling of facts. We will finish with an overview of the current evidence underpinning how we learn for life at medical school.

Introduction to reflective practice workshop

As a clinician, you will have to reflect on experiences to build new perspectives and knowledge that will help you in similar situations in the future. In this session, you will think about what reflection is, why it is necessary, how to reflect and have a go yourself. Reflection is a key skill for all healthcare professionals but it is also very useful for life in general and will come in handy in interviews and when writing your personal statement.

UCAT practice workshops

The most useful preparation you can do for the admissions test is practice. This workshop is facilitated by current students who give great tips and advice and go through example questions and practice papers. This enables you to become familiar with the format of questions, and trains you to recognise quickly what questions are actually asking you to do.

 “At the very least, they just get you thinking about preparing for the UCAT, as it can seem like a bit of a beast to tackle! When I was starting out, it was so useful to go through all of the different types of questions as a group, attempt questions, and analyse our answers. For sections such as abstract reasoning especially, it was really useful to get other people's point of view and learn from their techniques.”

Ethics and debating workshop

This workshop enables students to gain a better understanding of moral principles that govern the practice of medicine; the four pillars of medical ethics; autonomy, non-maleficence, justice and beneficence.

Personal statement and application workshop

Medical and dental schools differ in their use of personal statements and some do not use them at all. The University of Plymouth does not use personal statements as part of the selection process, but we do recognise that students will still need to have a good personal statement when applying to other medical schools. This workshop gives you tips and advice about what medical/dental schools are looking for, such as your experience, skills and attributes that are relevant to healthcare.