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British Medical Association

Who are your current reps?

Salma Mahmoud

5th Year Student

Jonny Denfhy

5th Year Student

What is the British Medical Association?

The BMA is a trade union and professional association that represents and supports you individually and represents you collectively on issues that impact us all.

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The BMA Medical Students Committee (MSC) is a subcommittee of the BMA which incorporates representatives from all the UK medical schools. These representatives meet four times annually at the BMA House London to discuss the current issues that impact students and represent the student body.

 

Representatives are elected annually through a democratic voting system, by which anyone can apply.

What current issues is the Medical Students Committee trying to address?

UKMLA:

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  • Proposed assessment for all those students who will graduate in 2023

  • Composed of Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Clinical Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA)

  • BMA opposed to this examination in general – we have many ‘red-lines’ that need to be met which will impact our students

  • The Alternative AKT model – proposed by Medical Schools Council

    • May allow more flexibility and control for medical schools

    • BMA voted to support this model at the MSC Conference

 

https://www.bma.org.uk/connecting-doctors/bmaspace/b/weblog/posts/the-ukmla-an-updated-guide-by-the-bma-medical-students-committee

Widening Participation:

  • Increasing awareness and publicity behind widening participation in medicine through website changes and campaigns.

  • Ensuring that WP is still a key criterion in the allocation of 1500 new medical school places

  • Supporting widening participation programmes such as summer schools, contextual grades etc.

Mental Health:

  • Work on conditions of study – when do people get their timetables? How to students request leave – MSC Welfare Lead is looking into a way to define a standard for all schools

  • Lobbying for more services for pastoral support outside of 9am-5pm – so students can access this

  • we are working to improve your conditions of study: such as accommodation, timetable arrangements, standardising requests for leave, medical school support services

  • https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/work-life-support/your-wellbeing/counselling-and-peer-support

Finance:

  • Findings of the medical student finance survey showed that 68% of students are under more financial pressure compared to what they had anticipated prior to starting medical school

  • Clinical Levy for International Students:

    • We argue against increased fees for International students through a clinical levy 

    • We are lobbying  Government Ministers for student loans accessible to all students including Muslims with religious restrictions

The BMA MSC Conference 2018/19

Three representatives (Meltem Sarigull, Dena El-Sawy and Emmanuella Adu-Perah) attended the conference, to discuss their proposed motions. These motions were voted on by 119 students at Lancaster Medical school, the three motions presented at conference won the vote.

  • Dena lobbied the BMA to encourage protected physical activity time

  • Emmanuella lobbied the BMA to encourage the diversity of the medical curriculum, partially related to the teaching of clinical features in the BME populations.

  • Meltem lobbied the to encourage medical schools to teach clinical skills earlier on in the curriculum.

BMA house.jpg

What else does the BMA offer students?

BMA library – books you need; book them out from the BMA – free postage!

BMJ Learning – need help with DECAMPIG, look no further!

Ask Dr Clarke – BMA members have a discount here

Need to talk to someone? - Free Counselling services 

Learning and development – resources for the SJT, career help and much more.

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