To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we caught up with OPM and Medical Science degree student, Vicky Vincent. Vicky joined us in Year 7 to pursue her career in diving and whilst studying and training with us as an international diver, broadened her knowledge and passion for science and has since gone on to study Medical Science at University of Plymouth.
Q: When did you realise that you had a love for Science?
I think I have always enjoyed science. Even before secondary school, I always enjoyed playing around with commercial chemistry kits, growing salt crystals and looking at different slides under my own microscope. However, I think I really began to realise my love for it once I reached Year 7, mainly because the sciences were then split into physics, chemistry and biology, allowing myself to explore the different areas in greater depth.
Q: What was your favourite Science subject to learn and why?
My favourite science has definitely got to be biology. It always has been that way to be honest. When I first arrived at Plymouth College, I was very much interested in broadening my knowledge within this subject area. So much so that in year 7, during my spare time where I wasn’t training or catching up on schoolwork, I would be reading into GCSE and A-Level biology topics.
I would always present my findings to my biology teacher, who was Mr Prideaux at that time, who would always encourage me or point me in the right direction to further facilitate my learning. I think biology has always been an interest for me due to the degree of complexity surrounding the human body. The way in which the body functions at both a microscopic and macroscopic level has always been fascinating to me. Knowing how the body works, I believe, is so important as that really is what we are. I think this, and the fact that there is so much to learn, was appealing to my inquisitive nature and is what drew me towards this subject.
Q: What made you choose to study Medical Science?
My love for biology from a very early age is what first drew me towards the career path of medicine. However, I think it is widely known that the medical profession is somewhat challenging. For me, I found this inviting as I saw this as an opportunity to be able to push my academic ability to the max, which I guess may be due to my competitive nature from my days as an athlete.
In addition, as previously mentioned, there is so much to learn about human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology. The idea of lifelong learning and broadening my knowledge around my favourite subject area is what appealed to me most. During times in my life where I found things difficult, academia has always been something that I have found comfort in, so it makes sense to commit to a profession which includes one of my main coping strategies.
Furthermore, there are so many opportunities which allow for research into improving the way that treatment is delivered, as well as being able to identify historic findings surrounding a pathophysiological process. I think this demonstrates the dynamic nature of the profession, further outlining this idea of commitment to lifelong learning.
Many people have asked me why I didn’t apply for biomedical science due to my obvious interest in research. This, I guess, draws me to my last point about making a difference on the front-line. Being able to directly deliver a treatment service to a patient, having that communication link between the patient and I, as well as seeing that I am making a difference to someone’s quality of life first-hand is ultimately the reward of the profession itself. It has been a dream of mine to be able to help people in this way as a doctor since I was a child, and this goal has always, and has remained, constant.
Q: Did Plymouth College help you with this decision? If so, how?
Although I have always been set on my career path, Plymouth College definitely helped in my endeavour to become a medical student. As an athlete, I missed a lot of school, equating to around a day and a half worth of lessons missed every week. Without the teachers supporting me by providing the work that I missed, as well as explaining any concepts I found tricky, was vital to ensure that I was staying on top of my work whilst performing on the international stage.
Furthermore, for any interests that I had within a subject area, the teachers would always help to push my inquisitive nature, which helped build upon my desire to learn more. The support surrounding the UCAS application process was also fantastic.
Having access to teachers who would help to suggest improvements to my personal statement and help prepare me for MMIs (a type of interview style used for medical student applicants) ultimately contributed to receiving offers from all of the universities that I applied to. For this, I will always be grateful.
Q: What's your favourite part of studying your degree?
Honestly, I am really enjoying the degree. There is definitely a lot to learn and it certainly keeps me busy! However, I am really enjoying learning about the different pathophysiological processes that could occur within the human body. I’m often finding that I want to learn more and more every time I come across a new disease.
There is also a section on our course which relates to writing a scientific essay on a topic that we’re assigned to, which I also really enjoy as it allows me to broaden my knowledge within a specific topic area. We are also able to work on these essays in our own time, even after submission, to potentially convert these essays into publications. Although this takes a lot of time, it’s something that I am hoping to achieve and am currently working on.
Of course, with COVID-19, things have been difficult in terms of most of our teaching being online. However, we are fortunate enough to still be taught clinical skills face-to-face, as well as our placements. This is definitely another exciting part of the course where we learn the practical skills that are required to become a doctor. I really can’t pinpoint what part of the degree is best because I really am enjoying every aspect of the course!
Q: When you graduate, what's your next career move?
As medicine is a 5-year course (hopefully 6 because I am hoping to intercalate), I am still quite a way off from qualifying! There are so many different aspects to medicine that it’s difficult to have a clear idea of what to do when I am only in second year. However, at this moment in time, I feel that I am interested in potentially applying for an Academic Foundation Programme job for my foundation years. This specific programme will allow me to be able to carry out some research or, alternatively, learn how to become a medical educator, during my first two years as a doctor. I think this caters well for my want to be a doctor, as well as my want to pursue a small amount of research alongside my future job.
I’ve also had some ambitious ideas about pursuing a PhD later on down the line to really challenge myself, but we’ll see how we go! In terms of what specialty, I really don’t have that much of an idea at the moment – emergency medicine, intensive care, ophthalmology, nephrology and gastroenterology are the current topics of interest. However, these really do tend to change on a monthly basis! Next year, I will be heading into my clinical years where most of my teaching will take place on the wards. Older years say that this is where you start to get an insight into what interests you and what you may be best suited to.
Q: What would you say to someone who is looking to study a Science subject at A Level?
If you are thinking of taking a science subject, I really encourage you to do so! Of course, I am definitely bias, but it is such a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge around a continually growing and evolving subject area. It should be noted that sometimes it can be difficult and frustrating when trying to understand a concept, but the challenge is definitely what makes it more enjoyable. I’ve always been one to link things to cheesy quotes, but nothing in life worth having is easy.
In my mind, knowledge is certainly something that is worth having and it really is there for the taking.
