Dengue fever… a little closer to home

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Earlier this month we published an article on dengue fever and 7 top tips to avoid it. We couldn’t have picked a better topic as today the  Telegraph has reported that the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, may be heading for the UK.

The mozzie has already been reported in France and Belgium and the fear is that it could be heading north. With warmer and wetter winters the UK habitat has become a lot more appealing. Scientists led by Dr Samantha Martin, from the University of Liverpool, used climate models to predict how changing conditions might affect Asian tiger mosquito distribution. They wrote in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface: ‘‘Mosquito climate suitability has significantly increased over the southern UK, northern France, the Benelux, parts of Germany, Italy, Sicily and the Balkan countries.”

The research shows that parts of the UK could become hot-spots of Asian tiger mosquito activity between 2030 and 2050. It could easily survive in water butts and vases, as well as greenhouses.

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Clothes party success! Written by Jenny Gough

Wednesday, April 18th, 2012

At the moment I am planning my elective placement to Dar es salaam as part of my Midwifery course. I am so excited to have this amazing opportunity but nervous that I now have less than six months to fund the trip!

I decided that I would hold a clothes party. I had been to one before that a friend held where people take along clothes and then other people rummage around and go home with other people’s clothes.

580373 10150915638030968 774750967 12576470 2012669849 n 150x150 Clothes party success! Written by Jenny Gough

Dig out old clothes, shoes, handbags - anything you don't want to raise funds for your elective!

I thought this was fantastic so I emailed friends and spoke to family and asked them would they be willing to donate any unwanted clothes, bags, shoes etc and I would charge a pound an item for clothing and then a donation of their choice for the rest. It became such a huge event that friends of friends were ringing saying they had clothes for me and would they be able to come. This got me thinking that there was no way I could fit everyone into my home. So I asked the local bowling club if I could borrow there club house for the evening. It had a bar so we had a great night. As it was to raise money they let me have the venue for FREE!!! Fantastic start I thought.

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Work the World info session at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Look out, Aberdeen!

Work The World is coming to visit!

Robert gordon uni logo1 Work the World info session at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

The info session will take place on 26 April 2012.

Robert Gordon University will be hosting an informational session for students interested in expanding their horizons with an overseas placement.

We will be gathering at the School of Health Sciences (at the Garthdee Campus) in Room H405 from 5-7 pm on 26 April, 2012 for a pizza, wine, and information session. We will be giving presentations about overseas placement opportunities and providing some refreshments so come and say hello!  There will be plenty of time for asking questions and hopefully we will have some past Work the World students attending to give you a real insight into working in a developing country.

Pop by our FaceBook Event Page to let us know if you’re coming and ask any burning questions you have before the session.

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Did you join the walkout?

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Times Higher Education reported last week on the planned national walkout at campuses across the UK.

walkout medium 150x150 Did you join the walkout?The article talked about the walkout as part of a “week of action” calling on the government and universities to “come clean” on their plans for higher education.

The walkout took place at noon on 14 March and was accompanied by marches, rallies, discussions, petition signings and other campaign actions, the National Union of Students has said.

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State of the art midwifery equipment in Portsmouth vs back to basics care on your elective!

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

RCM reported today that the redevelopment at Bournemouth University’s midwifery campus in Portsmouth boasts the latest training equipment and high-tech audio-visual kit. Professor Gail Thomas, midwife and dean of health at the university, commented

Midwife 05 150x150 State of the art midwifery equipment in Portsmouth vs back to basics care on your elective!

New facilities at Bournemouth!

‘The developments at Portsmouth will enhance the experience of our east-based student midwives, providing them with high quality skills laboratories, lecture and seminar rooms and general learning space……the skills room contains a birthing bed, costing over £7000, a birthing couch, a profiling bed and a Resuscitaire, costing about £8500.’

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Friends of MSF fun run

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Many healthcare students are keen to spend some of their career working in the developing world with humanitarian organisations.

MSF recommend that all students interested in joining their aid organisation gain experience living in a developing country before they apply, if possible using their student electives to work in an overseas medical environment.

FoMSF fun run 150x150 Friends of MSF fun run

FoMSF fun run

Unfortunately, MSF cannot host student electives – it is not possible to guarantee the supervisory component required by universities, locations are often unstable and unsuitable and all MSF doctors on the ground need to be fully qualified.

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Plans for student nurse bursary revealed

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Nursing Times has today reported that all future nursing and midwifery students look set to be offered a combination of a bursary and a loan from September 2012, under latest government plans.

Department of Health civil servants have recommended to ministers that all students should receive a non-means tested bursary of £1,000 together with a means tested bursary, the value of which will depend on where they live. They will also be offered a reduced rate loan.

It would mean a student on a 30-week course outside of London could receive a maximum of £5,915 in support per year of which £3,591 would come from a combination of bursaries and £2,324 from a loan. A student in London could receive a total of £7,391, of which £4,128 would come from bursaries and £3,263 from loans. Meanwhile a student living at home with their parents could receive a total of £4,907, with £3,163 coming from bursaries and £1,744 from loans.

The changes will replace the current mismatch in the student support system in which diploma students receive a non-means tested bursary and degree students receive a means tested bursary.

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Is UKCAT biased towards boys from higher social classes?

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

UKCAT Clinical Aptitude Test helps some universities distinguish between the plethora of high “a level” entrants they receive, testing candidate’s verbal reasoning and decision skills, as well as their mental abilities, attitude and professional behaviour.

To see if the test was fair, researchers at Nottingham University’s medical school analysed 9,884 applicants in 2006 who had acheived at least three passes at A-level. The idea was to see if the test added value to the selection process. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, showed that although test results showed a link between A-level and UKCAT scores, there was a bias towards certain groups of people and universities should be cautious about using it, or any other test, as part of their admissions process.

The study concludes: “This study of a major sub-group of applicants in the first year of operation suggests that it has an inherent favourable bias to male applicants and those from a higher socio-economic class or from independent or grammar schools.”

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Increase in uni fees – would you pay more if it could help you secure a graduate job?

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Medicine and Dentistry may be among the university courses facing a fees hike if the government follows new advice about increasing tuition fees from a report written by the Institute for Employment Studies.

According to the Higher Education Careers Services Unit, graduate unemployment went up by 44% in the past year to its highest rate for 12 years. With that in mind it was unsuprising that the report given to ministers suggested that lots of undergraduate students would not mind paying higher fees for more prestige courses that could help them secure higher salaries. That does beg the question though – what about the students who are al little more cash strapped?

The report tested a series of hypothetical scenarios on a group of 81 university applicants to see if students would be willing to pay more for places at elite universities. The review led by Lord Browne, the former chairman of BP, is expected to set out recommendations for a future system of fees, grants and loans despite the fact then when the review was heard, students disrupted it and were clearly unhappy. The National Union of Students warned that it would mean more students were forced to raid the ‘bank of mum and dad’.

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Rogue gap year companies – what to look out for.

Friday, August 14th, 2009

The Times published an article this week about the problems of voluntourism and the exploitation of students that sign up to enticing sounding volunteer projects overseas, only to end up disillusioned and disappointed when their placement turns out to be of no real benefit, or is sometimes even deemed detrimental to the community.

dsc00819 150x150 Rogue gap year companies – what to look out for.

Boys playing in India

Although Work the World send out gap year students on specific healthcare placements, and the Times article was focusing on companies that send volunteers to work on charitable projects, the message throughout the article about what students should be careful of when booking overseas trips to work in other communities, applies equally to us.

When Dave and Omar set up Work the World it was partly because they had met so many students in similar situations to those mentioned in the article. They wanted to start a company that actually did what it said on the tin and provided gap year students with an amazing experience, whilst at the same time creating a sustainable project in an overseas base that provided work for locals and was of benefit to the community.

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