University’s medical school opens clinical training facilities
New training facilities have opened at Aston Medical School, just a year after it accepted its first cohort of undergraduate students in 2018 and in time to welcome its second intake which started in September.
The new facilities, which are located on the ground floor of the main building close to Birmingham city centre, cost a total of £780,000.
As well as housing state of the art group work rooms, which include C-touch screens and areas for private study, students will benefit from a new high tech Clinical Skills Centre with a spend of £500,000 on technology to support their training.
Students will have access to a simulated hospital ward with mid-fidelity manikins and SMOTS camera technology that allow students to be recorded discreetly during medical simulations and provide instant feedback.
The clinical training facility also houses rooms with Sonosite ultra sound machines and a powerlab for physiological testing including blood pressure, lung capacity, ECG readings, EMG and pulse oximetry; in order to create a simulated medical setting. The rooms also have a range of part task trainers that allow for the introduction and practice of clinical and resuscitation skills in a safe environment, as well as life size anatomical models.
Professor Helen Cameron, Dean of Medical Education, Aston Medical School said: “We are delighted with these modern and comprehensive facilities. It is great to see how such teaching and study space can support the development of a community of learners. And I am looking forward to watching the students run their first ward round.”
Vice Chancellor, Professor Alec Cameron, Aston University said: “The launch of our new facilities will ensure Aston Medical School students gain access to the best training facilities and study spaces possible. These facilities will complement the clinical settings our students will work in while on assessed work placements and are an important asset to our students, our doctors of the future.”
As part of the official launch a number of guests from key hospitals, NHS trusts and clinical commission groups will be in attendance and given a tour of the facilities; including representatives from, Dudley & Walsall NHS Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Leicester University, Sandwell & West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group and Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
Many of Aston Medical School’s students have gained entry to Medicine through the Sir Doug Ellis Pathways to Healthcare Programme, which supports students from less advantaged backgrounds, minority and non-medical backgrounds to gain entry to medical school and other courses such as Pharmacy and Optometry.
Launched in November 2016, the Pathways to Healthcare Programme has seen 225 16-18 year-olds from Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull gain practical, hands-on experience in the NHS, gain support to apply to study Medicine and academic support to prepare them for life at medical school.
More recently, the new Keith Bradshaw Introduction to Healthcare Programme, which targets pupils in year 9, 10 and 11 at secondary school has allowed Aston to talk to 600-800 pupils who were able to take part in a range of workshops on and off Aston’s campus.
