Information for Students

Introduction to Healthcare Programme

What will you gain from the programme?

  • An understanding of what it is like to study at university
  • An understanding of what it is like to study a healthcare subject at university
  • An understanding of the variety of careers within the healthcare sector
  • An understanding of science, healthcare and medicine jargon
  • An opportunity to take part in interactive science workshops in your school, at Aston University’s campus and online
  • An understanding of university entry requirements
  • Understand the impact of science in the world
  • Advice on how to pursue a career in science, healthcare or medicine
  • An understanding of the importance of your GCSEs on your future aspirations and next step choices

Who is eligible for the programme?

  • Students who attend a school in the West Midlands whose school is partnered with the programme
  • Please note priority on the programme is given to those students from Widening Participation backgrounds
  • Students should have a genuine interest in science, medicine or healthcare and pursuing these subjects at university or career choices

What does the programme involve?

Year 8

Year 8 Science in Real Life Workshop - A more in-depth look at how Science affects our everyday lives, perfect for students with a developing interest in STEM. You will receive an introduction to how scientific principals can be applied to the world around us and will take part in an interactive forensic investigation activity to put your learning into context.

Year 8 Lab Experience - An on-campus experience to give students a taste of university. An exciting insight into how labs are used at university, how they differ between subjects and their application in the wider world of science and healthcare. You will get up-close-and-personal with Aston's labs and take part in hands-on activities and will also receive a campus tour to learn how students balance living and studying on campus from our current student ambassadors.

Year 9

Year 9 University, Careers and the NHS Workshop – A fantastic session for students considering their GCSE options. During this workshop which will take place at your school, you will learn about the journey into higher education and explore your own educational choices, before taking a look at the wide range of NHS careers that your choices post school could lead to.

After a short break, students will then explore how a pandemic affects different teams within the NHS and the contributions different departments make to combat outbreaks. You will play the part of an NHS budget holder and will decide which departments receive additional funding after hearing pitches from a range of professions within the healthcare sector. An involved session that requires group work and problem solving, allowing you to put all your learning on the programme so far into practice!

Year 10

Academic Tutoring in Science or Maths – As key subjects in university applications to medicine and healthcare courses, students who apply to participate in tutoring will receive small-group support in their choice of either Science or Maths GCSE. Tutors are current Aston University students who have studied these subjects themselves. Sessions will be tailored to help you raise your academic attainment and improve your confidence ahead of your exams and transition to post-16 education.

Academic Tutoring Launch: Students will receive an induction presentation, in order for you to know what the purposes of tutoring are (i.e. to improve attainment, confidence, and to learn skills to improve your revision). You will then get to meet your mentor before completing a pre-tutoring assessment, which helps us to establish areas where they are more confident and those where they may need some support. This will allow mentors to customise your tutoring sessions ahead of the first online session in December. Students will also take part in a study-skills workshop exploring different learning techniques to make their revision as effective as possible.

Online Academic Tutoring Sessions: Alongside your launch date, Year 10 students will have scheduled tutoring sessions in either GCSE Maths or Science taking place on the following dates online. These sessions will take place virtually either during school hours, or as part of an after-school club, via our online teaching platform Blackboard Collaborate.

Introduction to Healthcare Graduation: After your online tutoring sessions have been completed, students will attend an Introduction to Healthcare Graduation event held at Aston University. During the Graduation session, students will complete their post-tutoring assessment to see how much you have progressed over the programme and identify areas for further improvement post-tutoring. You will also take part in a second study skills workshop exploring techniques on how to keep motivated and develop good time-management to maintain a sense of well-being in the lead-up to exam season.

The session will come to a close with the opportunity for students to learn about future events you can get involved with at Aston University, including our Year 12 Pathway to the Professions programmes (in either Healthcare, Medicine, Engineering and Technology (STEM), Law or Business) which will allow you to learn more about university and your chosen area of study.

Finally, students will take part in a mini-graduation ceremony celebrating all you have achieved whilst on the Introduction to Healthcare programme.’

How to get involved

  • In order to take part in the Programme, your school must apply to become one of our Partner Schools
  • Get in contact with a teacher in your school (perhaps the careers advisor or head of science) and ask them to get involved with the programme by applying before the deadline of 5:00pm on the 7th October.
  • If your school's application to partner with us is successful, you will then need to complete an individual application form to be considered for the programme. You will need to complete this by Friday 21st October at 5:00pm and details of how to do so will be shared with all successful schools and students nearer the time.