Charlotte is a first year Stipend Ambassador and a regular contributor to the Ambassador Blog.
On 29 January, I went to the Medway campus for a photoshoot for the Kent Medical School prospectus. (The School will be opening in September 2020 and applications will therefore open in September 2019). I got the shuttle bus to the Medway campus from the Canterbury campus and walked to the Christ Church building, which was nearby and where the photoshoot was taking place. The shuttle bus was simple to catch, I had booked my place online and there was enough space for everyone getting on. The timetable is also available online, with links to the booking system. It took around 50 minutes to an hour to get from Canterbury to Medway and vice versa.
The photoshoot was extremely enjoyable. I was able to meet Kent students from the Medway and Canterbury campuses, as well as Christ Church students, again from both campuses, so there was a mix of students. This was a great opportunity to interact with students from another university, as with the majority of ambassador jobs you are only with other Kent ambassadors. We were all doing different courses as well, which was good because we could all tell each other what we were planning on doing after university and talk about our ambassador work.
Taking the photos was quite quick but the preparation took longer and it was interesting to watch how the scenes were set up. I was amazed at Christ Church University’s facilities: fully equipped simulation operating theatres and simulation hospital wards. There was even a dummy laying in a bed which was breathing so students could take their pulse, etc.
I played the part of a student doctor at one point where I was speaking to a nurse at the nurses’ station in the simulation ward; roles then reversed, and I became a patient having their blood pressure taken. There was one set-up where ambassadors were crowding over an operating table. It was very realistic with all the medical instruments laid out. The ambassadors posing in these photos had difficulty getting the masks and hats on so the rest of us tried to help them – it is a lot harder than it looks! One of the kind ladies overseeing the photoshoot ended up having to stand in as a lecturer and she was very funny waving around instruments whilst saying she had no idea what they were used for! Interestingly the photographer had been a veterinary nurse and was able to tell us what some of the equipment was for, so we even got a mini lesson in surgery!
The general atmosphere was brilliant, informal, relaxed and everyone seemed to have a great time. We all said that if something like this came up again, we would definitely apply!
This experience was extremely interesting, fun and fairly different compared to most of the jobs that are available for ambassadors. I am also much more confident in getting the shuttle bus for future jobs because many opportunities are in Medway and there are a few schools not far from the campus, including Kent’s sponsor schools Brompton Academy and Chatham Grammar School for Girls.
I am eagerly awaiting the prospectus publication!