It was an extra special day for five students from the University of Sheffield last week, when they received their medical degrees and became the first members of their family to graduate.
Their achievement also marked the success of Sheffield's Outreach and Access to Medicine Scheme (SOAMS), which has helped the students turn their dream into a reality.
SOAMS, which is run by the University's Outreach and Access Section, aims to m
ake a career in medicine a real possibility for students from all backgrounds. The scheme offers support and guidance to local Year 9-13 students through an activity-packed programme over five years.
The five students graduating last week: Laura Bowes, Saima Khan, Nafeesa Akhtar, Qumer Younis and Danny Glover were among the first cohort of SOAMS students, who started the pilot two year scheme when they were doing their AS-levels. The pilot was such a success that it was expanded to a five-year programme in 2001.
The programme is now run in two phases. During phase one students from Year's 9-11 get to take part in a series of activities that challenge myths about the medical profession whilst raising awareness of University study and the medical profession. It incorporates visits to local science museums and a range of events on campus.
At the end of phase one, 30 students are selected to enter phase two on the basis of their exam results and commitment.
In phase two, teenagers get to attend a residential summer school with University-style lectures and seminars, clinical skills practice, mock interviews and clinical placements in hospitals. University students also offer support to the teenagers through an e-mentoring scheme.
Students who successfully complete phase two are then offered a guaranteed interview for the University of Sheffield's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. They must then perform well at interview and achieve the necessary A-levels grades to be offered a place.
The five students who graduated last week were not only the first students to benefit from SOAMS, but some of them have also acted as mentors for other students now taking part in the scheme.
Saima Khan, who lives in Fir Vale, Sheffield with her family, is delighted to have graduated and really values the support and help she has received from SOAMS. She started the scheme while studying for her AS levels at Castle College, Sheffield.
She said:
"SOAMS presented me with many opportunities which allowed me to acquire and develop various new skills which would benefit me not only whilst applying to study medicine, but also beyond this stage of my career. I am sincerely grateful to all the staff who worked on SOAMS and who gave me invaluable support and guidance and enabled me to achieve my dream of becoming a doctor."
Deborah Fowler, Head of the Outreach and Access Section at the University of Sheffield, said:
"We are immensely proud of all the SOAMS participants who have graduated from Sheffield's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences this year. They are the first SOAMS students to graduate and their success validates the aims of the SOAMS scheme to widen participation to individuals who would not traditionally study for a degree in medicine.
"On behalf of the SOAMS team and the Outreach & Access Section I would like to convey my congratulations to all those who have graduated and wish them every success as they embark upon their career as doctors."
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