GP Teaching

This summer the Department of Primary Care and Public Health ran the second year of the Widening Access to Community Careers in Healthcare (WATCCH) programme. This is a programme for 16-17 year olds from diverse and deprived backgrounds who have an interest in careers in community healthcare.  The programme gives pupils an opportunity to get vital work experience in healthcare and provides support with the application process. This is needed, now more than ever, when OFFA data shows that in 2016 entry rate to “higher tariff universities” for 18 year olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds was just 3.6%. The WATCCH programme doubled in numbers this year to accommodate 40 pupils and was once again oversubscribed with high calibre applicants.

The programme starts with a Welcome Day at Imperial College London’s Charing Cross campus. Here, the school pupils heard from a multiprofessional healthcare panel including GPs, a pharmacist, physiotherapist, midwife, nurse and occupational therapist.  The panel shared their career journeys and then took part in a Q&A session with an honest discussion on the pros and cons of a career in healthcare. The pupils then got the opportunity to get some hands-on experience practicing blood taking and blood pressure taking. The day ended with a creative session where the pupils created mindmaps, reflecting on their future aspirations and the steps they could take to achieve their goals (see picture).

Following the welcome day, the pupils took part in a 3 day work experience attachment in a local GP practice, where they had the opportunity to shadow a range of healthcare professionals. The pupils then came back together for a Closing Day where they reflected on their work experience and also received teaching on how to maximise their chance of successful application to their chosen career.

Our WATCCH pupils told us about the struggles they had had getting any work experience, and how valuable it had been to gain insight into what a healthcare career might involve. They also learnt about new potential healthcare career options, such as physician associates, which most had not previously encountered. In an era where the NHS workforce is facing a recruitment crisis, this scheme supports applicants from underrepresented backgrounds in their journey to careers in healthcare. Supporting these students is vital in order to create a diverse workforce which better reflects the patients we care for.