The summer is a quieter period for the department as many students are taken up with exams or away on holiday. It gives us some time to regroup and prepare for the autumn term.
Student Leaders' Conference
On 4-6 April we had the annual student leaders' conference near Telford, commandeering a youth hostel for the weekend. Students from 16 schools were there for talks from 1 Samuel by Steve Burmester (vicar from the Wirral) and practical sessions from the staff. We pioneered a new track for National Students' Committee (NSC) members, which was received very well. Our Student Leaders' Manual was fully revised for this conference; since its revival last year it has proved a most useful resource. There were some great times of fun and fellowship, and even a snowball fight on the Sunday morning!
Staff changes
Summer is the time when student staff change over. Four of our regional staff will finish this summer – Roxy Whelan (East Midlands staffworker), Helen Lane (West Midlands staffworker), Joanna Johnson (South East intern) and Ruth Whiteman (North East intern). All go back to increased medical commitments and Jo married Tim, a cardiology nurse, on 21 June. We have been privileged to have them all on the team and we wish them God's blessing and guidance for the future! Our two team leaders, Alex Bunn and Charlotte Hattersley, remain for the year ahead, and we are processing further applications for student staff. We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Will Taylor as a one-year student intern. Will is a Newcastle student and well known to us as a local student rep and NSC member. Will writes:
I have been involved with CMF in a number of different ways since I began med school and it has always been of great benefit to me, so when the possibility of spending a year as an intern came I jumped at the chance. After a difficult and vigorous selection process (the scars are horrific) I am delighted that they have decided to take me. I am hoping and praying for a year in which I can be of great benefit to CMF and also learn a great deal.
Fundraising
On Saturday 9 August a number of CMF students and staff will be tackling the 'Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge'. This is a joint fellowship event and fundraiser – we aim to raise up to £10,000 towards the cost of subsidising our National Students' Conference. We will be staying in bunkhouses at Ribblehead and aiming to conquer Whernside, Pen-y-ghent and Ingleborough in less than 12 hours! Any students who would like to join us should email Matt Stammers on m.h.stammers@bsms.ac.uk
Student committees
The National Students' Committee now has several new regional reps, and our faithful chair Avril Stirzaker will hand over before the next meeting, ready to restart her clinical studies at Manchester. Please pray for wisdom as the hunt is on for her successor! Avril writes:
Serving the Lord as NSC Chair has been a privilege. Seeing how God is working through student groups across the UK and Ireland is always exciting. My role has focused on how the NSC can better support, resource and equip these groups and their leaders. It's been a joy to work with so many committed and enthusiastic students. On a personal level it has stretched and challenged me in many ways and this, along with the time CMF has invested in me, has helped me grow.
We are delighted that CMF has been co-opted to the BMA Medical Students' Committee for 2008-09, for the first time in five years. Claire Wilson from Glasgow is our NSC BMA officer and she writes:
The BMA gives doctors and medical students across the UK a voice through which their views can be heard and as Christians, our voices matter! Several CMF students have taken this opportunity to speak out on issues affecting our profession in the past, and we pray that this year's co-opted member will be blessed as he or she takes on this role.
Graduation and F1
Finally, many of our student members are graduating and moving off to F1 jobs in August. Please pray for them, that they would stand strong and maintain their witness in the new and challenging situations they will face as junior doctors. If you would like to help support junior doctors through our pastoral care scheme, or if you've graduated but not given us your new contact details yet, email sandra.hartley@cmf.org.uk to help us keep in touch.
