What is the LIC?
"I should probably start by telling you a little bit about what the LIC actually is. Other than a few too many trips to M&S, a couple of late-night toast eating parties, and thinking that referring to ourselves as ‘The LIC(K)’ is really cool, the LIC is a programme set up by Hull York Medical School in 2019 that flips learning medicine on its head – meaning we learn more from the patients that we see in clinic rather than from the pages of a textbook.
"In order to do this, we spend 3 days a week at our GP placement and 2 days a week in hospital, with the aim that by the end of the year we will be running our own GP clinics, having developed both our communication and learning skills to confidently move in to fifth year. Overall a pretty exciting opportunity!"
Finding our feet
"This first term has been an absolute whirlwind – but the good kind of whirlwind – where we settle in and find our feet in new surroundings, while trusting the process and embracing these new ways of learning.
"The settling in part has been super easy. With all seven LIC students living on the same corridor and sharing the same kitchen alongside a few third years, we are all enjoying getting to know each other.
"We’ve also been able to enjoy a whole host of activities – from a couple of fizzy cocktail nights in the first week, to getting beaten by the third years in the pub quiz, touring the moors, going out for dinner, visiting pumpkin patches and Christmas tree farms – I’m beginning to realise how much we have actually done, and it has been really great!
"Being in the countryside while only a 20 minute train journey from York city centre, the location is pretty ideal."
Getting to know our placements
"As well as getting to know each other, we have also been getting to know the hospital, our GP practice and GP tutor who we will be placed with for the entire year. This has also been pretty smooth sailing.
"The Friarage is a small hospital but because of this it is super friendly, we have been made to feel very welcome and the new education centre and our teaching fellow, Elgan, have definitely helped us begin to feel a part of the community. The hospital canteen is also fantastic, in particular the freshly made scones – so a mid-morning tea break has definitely been a regular occurrence.
"As for our GP surgeries and our tutors, we are all beginning to find our flow and have now started our own clinics seeing 4-6 patients per session. We have also spent 2 weeks of acute care and a week of women’s and child health at The James Cook University Hospital, which is a large hospital just 30 minutes away. It is here that I have met some pretty inspiring members of the team and experienced things that I will never forget – doing chest compressions for the first time meant that I really got to feel what it is like to put every single drop of effort you have in you to keep someone alive, even if it was only for a 2 minute cycle. It has also been really interesting to hear about everyone’s different weeks and learn from each other’s experiences.
"There have, of course, been a few challenges. It has been hard starting this completely new way of doing things and it is natural to worry about not making the most of the freedom we have. It’s refreshing to have so much independence, but taking up all of the opportunities that are available to us while also keeping up to date with the fourth year content can be quite challenging at times.
Looking ahead
"We really feel very lucky to have this unique experience and so wouldn’t want to waste it, but it is equally important to just take a step back and not rush into it. We have so much time and so many more weeks of finding our way that there’s no point in getting ahead of ourselves too soon – it’s all about finding the balance.
"Overall the first term has been a pretty great start to what will hopefully be a pretty great year!"