Posted June 2nd 2021 (3 years ago)

Foundation School Bulletin

RCPath competitions and events

1. Hugh Platt Foundation Essay Prize 2021 – closing on 11 June
Our annual essay competition is an excellent opportunity for you to boost your CVs ahead of applying for specialty training. This year we’re inviting Foundation doctors to discuss testing strategies for managing COVID-19 for a chance to win £200 and have your essay published.

2. RCPath Book Club featuring The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – 21 June
We're excited to announce that Jeri and David Lacks will be taking part in the next RCPath Book Club on Monday 21 June. Join us to find out how their grandmother, Henrietta Lacks, has contributed to scientific advancement through HeLa cells.


3. RCPath/BDIAP Foundation Taster Event 2021 – 23 June
The joint RCPath/BDIAP Foundation Taster Event 2021 is an exciting opportunity for you to explore pathology and see what the career has to offer. This free virtual programme will be delivered with a mixture of specialty-specific sound bite videos from a variety of consultants and trainees (sent to attendees a few days before the meeting), followed by a live virtual session held on Wednesday 23 June at 7pm GMT via Zoom (approximately 1.5 hours).

Attendees will have the opportunity to explore:
• What pathology actually is and why it is important.
• What the training involves.
• The variety of opportunities that are available for trainees to pursue e.g., teaching, molecular and digital pathology.
• Advice about the application process and how to be successful at the interview.
• How to pursue academic and research opportunities in pathology.

4. Get creative with our Art of Pathology Competition
We’re inviting entrants of all ages from the UK and abroad to interpret this year’s theme, ‘All Together Now’, using any artistic medium of choice. The winner from each of the three age categories will receive £50 and have their artwork published online and in the Bulletin.

5. Furness Prize for Science Communication
Have you organised or taken part in any public engagement or science communication activities this year? This prize recognises trainees and undergraduates who have consistently shown excellence in their science communication activities. Complete the self-nomination form by Friday 17 September for a chance to win £200. There is also space on the form for a referee to provide a supporting statement for your application.

Widening Participation Study

Dear Doctors,

We are looking to recruit doctors from different stages of medical training who identify as coming from widening participation backgrounds to consider participating in our research.

We would like to invite you to take part in a focus group and/or a semi-structured interview as part of our research project, which seeks to explore the factors which have a bearing on the career destinations of doctors from widening participation backgrounds.

Traditionally the makeup of doctors studying medicine has not been representative of the wider population and some groups have been overrepresented and some groups under represented when accounting for ethnicity, gender, and social economic background. Widening participation refers to making access to higher education more accessible to everyone, in particular those groups who have not traditionally had the opportunity to study at university. We want to explore the factors affecting the career decisions of doctors who originally came from widening participation backgrounds, and how this affects the decisions you’ve made, relating to where you work (and in which career pathway).

If you are interested in participating you can find the link to the pre-registration form here where you can express your interest to take part, and tick to confirm you are giving your consent to proceed with the project. This form will collect some initial demographic information and should take no more than five minutes to complete.