Having traversed 18 months of exams and assessments, you now have the

utter joy of joining us younglings as we embark on the clinical phase of the course.

You may be aware that as you move out of Derby and join us for clinicals,

MedSoc take over from UNAD as the association who are here to look after

you. This booklet is designed to fill you in on what we do as MedSoc and how we intend to make your transition to the clinical phases of the course as

easy as possible.

If you have any questions further to this booklet, come along to the AGM we are planning for early March, or alternatively drop us an email at

nottsmedsoc@gmail.com

Be sure to check out our website- www.nottsmedsoc.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

James Lainchbury

MedSoc President

2012/2013

Nottingham MedSoc is a student run union, designed to support medical

students of all years in making the most of their time at university. Whether it be providing tutoring or extra support for students who are struggling

academically, or putting on the best socials the university has to offer

(Celebrity Cocktail Party is COMING), MedSoc is here to support you.

NOTE: MedSoc is an all inclusive organisation - every single medical student is automatically part of MedSoc when they become a medical student at the

University of Nottingham.

If you want to save money then look no further! This exclusive card will get you discounts at a wide variety of shops, restaurants and other services all over Nottingham. From hair, to a taxi, dinner and cinema ticket, it’s all there. You will also get discounted entry to all MedSoc events—what more could you want?

To top it off, the money we take from these cards goes straight back into MedSoc; straight back into making your student experience even more incredible by enriching it through sports, societies and social events. The card will last your entire time at medical school and we are even offering you a special half way discount because we believe that it is something you won’t want to miss—all this for £25 (that’s only £10 a year!).

If you want to take advantage of this special offer, purchase a card via our website:

www.nottsmedsoc.com/shop/card

If you are unable to purchase a card in this way, please feel free to email (nottsmedsoc@gmail.com), and we can make alternative arrangements for you.

A sample of this year’s discounts:

10% off at Savoy Cinema 2-4-1 cocktails at Hockley Vodka Revolution (plus a society card available from a MedSoc rep) 50% off food and a variety of drinks deals at Coco Lounge 10% off and ½ price takeaway drinks before 12 at Smythsons Deli 15% off food at Savera Indian Restaurant 20% off at Loch Fyne 20% off fixed fare journeys with Nottingham Cars 20% off at Curtis and York Hair Salon

A full list of this year’s discounts can also be found at the link above.

Once a branch of MedSoc welfare, MedSoc teaching focuses on helping you with all things

academic, from passing your exams to perfecting your clinical skills. This is done through regular

revision sessions providing up to date, innovative teaching for a wide variety of modules. All

teaching is delivered by students from different specialty teaching societies such as Scrubs and

Juniors. As peer teaching is an essential part of our future roles as doctors, MedSoc teaching

provides the opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience (CV booster anyone?) by

volunteering as either a peer-mentor or by delivering revision sessions to pre-clinical years. If

you would like to be involved, please email medsocteaching@gmail.com for more information.

We are also in the process of compiling revision guides and notes for each stage of the course,

all of which are available free from ‘year hubs’ on the MedSoc website.

A large range of medic societies for activities, interests and volunteering mean

that here are plenty of ways to get involved with the community, pursue your interests, learn about new things and meet like-minded people.

HEARTSTART

Heartstart is a student-run branch of the British Heart Foundation that runs sessions for children in schools, Scouts and Brownies to teach them lifesaving skills. These are great fun, so get involved!

HoMED

We run a weekly soup kitchen in Nottingham city centre and hold other events aimed at increasing awareness of the issues surrounding homeless people.

SCRUBS

Nottingham SCRUBS student surgical society gears all of its events to the Nottingham medical course, from anatomy teaching in 1st and 2nd year, to clinical phase introduction and revision evenings for 3rd years, lectures for 4th years and mock finals OSCE sessions for 5th years.

Teddy Bear Hospital

TBH runs clinics at primary schools to reduce hospital related anxiety in kids and to teach them about issues such as healthy eating and exercise using teddy bears.

Wilderness Medicine Society

This society trains students with the skills they need to cope with medical emergencies and survival situations in remote and difficult conditions, through courses, weekend trips and lectures.

Others include: Christians in healthcare, Echolalia: The Official Medical School Magazine, Friends

of MSF, Kenyan Orphanage Project, Marrow, Medics Art Society (NUMAS), Medics Jazz, MedSoc Teaching, Musical Medics, NIMS - Nottingham International Medics Society, Open Art Surgery (art workshops on paediatrics wards), PODIUM (public speaking), Project Malawi, Save a Baby's Life, Sexpression, WAMS (widening access to medicine).

Careers societies host a range of events, including guest speakers, workshops and other opportunities to get involved with career specialties early on.

BUGS (microbiology)

Cardiothoracics

Bumps & Bits (obstetrics and gynaecology)

DermSoc (dermatology)

Faces & Gazes

GastroSoc (gastroenterology)

GP Soc (general practice)

Grey Matters (neurology/neurosurgery)

MCareers Soc

Medics Juniors (paediatrics)

Mind Matters (psychiatry)

Open School Nottingham (patient safety and quality improvement)

Pins and Needles (anaesthetics)

Nottingham medical school possesses the highest quality of sports

teams in the UK. Fact.

In addition to the sports clubs run by the Athletics Union, there are

sports clubs exclusively for medics, which allow more flexibility

than the university clubs might, as all members understand the

demands of a medic timetable. Clubs tend to cater for both those

who wish to play competitively, with medics entering leagues with

other medical schools or playing against halls of residence teams,

and for those who are more enthusiastic than skilled when it

comes to sport.

MedSoc sports clubs/teams:

Can’t see your sport? With new clubs popping up every year, if your sport

isn’t there, there is plenty of opportunity for you to set up your own club or

team

Badminton

Basketball

Cheerleading

Cricket

Cycling

Football (Men’s and Women’s)

Hockey

Netball

Rowing

Rugby

Squash

Tennis

Cocktail party: 4/10/12

Think big. Think colourful. Think completely outrageous… it’s the medic cocktail party! It’s the

biggest medic event on the calendar so get ready to party the night away. Where else would

you find all five years of medics dressed as thunderbirds, the pope in his popemobile and the

boys of the Ocean burger van giving away free burgers in the queue? Cardboard, paint, feathers

- get on it … let’s start off your five years of medical school with one of the best nights of your

life …. 4th October… remember it now!!!

Societies bar-crawl: 17/10/12

Just when you thought you’d had enough of fancy dress, think again! All 46 Medic societies,

whether sport, culture or career related, will battle their way through Nottingham to end up with

a rave in crisis. Each group gets a specific fancy dress then you challenge each other on a manic

bar crawl round Nottingham. Drinking is not the main thing here, challenges in fancy dress and

non-alcoholic tasks are also top on the list. So let’s again show Nottingham the medic way of

doing it!

Halloween social: 29/10/12

Ghosts, demons or vampires they'll all be out to thrill you on this night. So fight back with

pumpkins, garlic and silver... if you dare.

SCAV: 14/11/12

One of the most memorable nights of the year, remaining a mystery until you arrive, this is a

night not to be missed.

Meet your boss: tbc

Freshers prepare to meet the older, more responsible and mature (cough cough) medics on

Meet Your Boss! You get personalised tees and the fifth years will write on you introducing you

to medic life, teaching you about the tricks of certain tasks and advising you if you need help…

all of this followed by the oldies showing us how to still move in style in Ocean ( but trust us

some of their dance moves are getting a bit dated). So get those marker pens and come grab

your tees for a yet another night of medic wonders.

Winter Ball tbc

The winter ball is the perfect end to first term. It is a chance to dress up and socialise with med-

ics from all years. So put down your books and dig out your dresses or tux for the most sophisti-

cated night of your year.

Celebrity Cocktail Party

Think big. Think colourful. Think completely outrageous…

it’s the medic cocktail party! It’s the biggest medic event

on the calendar so get ready to party the night away.

Where else would you find all five years of medics dressed

as Thunderbirds, the Pope in his Pope-mobile and the boys

of the Ocean burger van giving away free burgers

in the queue? Cardboard, paint, feathers - get on

it. Making an entrance is everything and the array

of costumes is always so incredible that this is the

one party everyone arrives early to.

Winter Ball

The Winter Ball is the perfect end

to the year. It is a chance to dress

up and socialise with medics from

all years. So put down your books

and dig out your ball gowns and

dinner jackets for one of the

most sophisticated nights of

your year.

Healthcare Ball

Healthcare Ball is a brand new, bright and shiny event for MedSoc and will be one of the

biggest events of the year! It will be a chance to meet your future colleagues in a

completely different environment; with nurses, midwives, physios and dieticians all

coming together to enjoy a night a little bit different from the normal socials. This will be

unlike any IPL you have experienced before! It is happening in June and so will also be a

great opportunity to celebrate the end of another year and meet the remaining

undergrads you haven’t had a chance to talk to yet and catch up with the GEMs you

haven't seen for a while!

From medic parenting schemes and peer teaching to sexual health campaigns, MedSoc welfare

is there to safeguard the mental and physical well-being of all Nottingham medical students.

Whilst many of us will look back on our time at medical school as some of the best years of our

lives, the student experience isn’t always easy. No matter what the reason, your MedSoc welfare

officer is always available to provide support when things start to get on top of you . We can

provide a friendly face and sympathetic ear alongside non-judgmental, practical advice on what

to or who to contact to best get yourself back on your feet. We’re pretty good at giving away

freebies too (look out for the pens!). Want to know whether you need to provide your own

bedding in Lincoln accommodation? Or still unsure what the clinical phases are actually going to

involve? No problem. In addition to exam and sexual health packs, we produce a number of

peer-written survival guides for various stages of the course with advice from previous years to

help make each step closer to becoming a doctor a little less daunting.

So whether you’re struggling with money, bereavement, exam stress, depression or are just

feeling a bit lonely and fancy a chat; contact your MedSoc welfare officer, Chloe Williams

(mzycw1), or by emailing nottsmedsoc@gmail.com with “welfare” in the subject box.

Nottingham Medics Student Voice is an elected committee of medical students from all years,

and has two main roles:

1) We are part of the SU Education Network, and our reps sit on over a dozen different faculty

committees. We ensure that your feedback is being listened to, and acted upon. We bring issues

to the attention of the faculty ranging from changes needed in facilities through to changes in

the course itself.

2) We are also the voice of Nottingham Medical School at a national level, through our links with

the BMA's Medical Students Committee. Makarious Awad (mzydma) is Nottingham's

representative on this national committee (MSC rep). Sarah Hallett (mzycrsh1) is the BMA ISC

Chair, and in charge of communications and events between the BMA and the medical school.

So if you've got opinions on local and national issues, get in contact with your year rep. Be sure

to join our Facebook group- www.facebook.com/NottinghamMedicsStudentVoice- to keep up to

date with the latest issues and voice your opinions.

CP1 rep contact details:

Adam Aboalkaz (mzyaa3)

Chris Evans (mzycle)

Paris Moore (mzypm2)

Harpreet Sandhu (mzyhs)

Don’t Panic compiled by Mei-Ling Henry, with additional contributions from James Lainchbury,

Robert Cullum, Anna Wild, Hannah Theobald, Chris Evans and Chloe Williams.