This document is designed to provide information for patients, their carers and family members regarding volunteering to help with the education of medical students.
Here at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, we regularly hold teaching sessions for Undergraduate Medical Students – the future generation of doctors.
We are looking to recruit patients to assist us by volunteering for our Volunteer Patient Community.
What is the Volunteer Patient Community?
The Volunteer Patient Community (VPC) are a group of volunteers who are involved with the teaching of Undergraduate Medical Students as they study to become the doctors of the future.
Once you become a member of the VPC you can sign up for sessions that you would like to be in involved in. The level of involvement required depends on the individual session and what is being taught.
Some may involve you being asked questions about a previous healthcare experience or a medical condition that you may have, or, allowing them to examine a particular body system such as your heart or lungs.
How can I help?
The teaching sessions are led by a qualified clinician, and you do not need to have any prior training or experience, just willingness to listen to our students and provide feedback regarding their communication skills and bedside manner.
We recognise the importance of placing the patient at the centre of healthcare and therefore it is vital to include patients within medical education to ensure we are training well-rounded doctors of the future.
We are very grateful to all the patients who have participated in the past and therefore we are looking to recruit a larger group of volunteers to supplement additional learning opportunities for our students.
What is involved?
Our teaching sessions are predominantly carried out at the Undergraduate Hub at
St James’s University Hospital, located next to the Thackray Museum of Medicine. If you are keen on engaging with our undergraduate students and getting involved in their education, please do get in touch with us. Your contact details will then be added to our mailing list, and we will reach out with available dates for you to come join us at the Hub.
On the day of teaching, a member of our clinical team will greet you and brief you on the session as well as inform you on what the students are expected to gain from the experience. The sessions can vary in length from a couple of hours to a full day, but our clinical team will remain at your disposal throughout the duration of the session.
You are also able to express a preference for how long you are available for. We will also happily reimburse you for reasonable expenses incurred during your session, such as food expenses for a full day session.
Who can volunteer?
You can sign up to be a volunteer if you are 18 or above and interested in contributing directly to the training of future doctors. We embrace diversity and welcome individuals from all backgrounds and beliefs.
Whilst many of our current volunteers have diagnosed medical conditions, we also encourage those without medical conditions to participate. You can choose to give as much or as little of your time as you would like.
Once you have signed up, we will contact you directly to get a better idea of your background and interests to ensure you get the most out of the volunteering experience.
Where will teaching take place?
Teaching will take place at The Undergraduate Hub at St James’s University Hospital.
What if I change my mind?
You are free to leave our Volunteering Patient scheme at any time, please get in touch if you wish to leave by phone or email.
How to get in touch
Volunteer Patient Community
If you are interested in joining the Volunteer Patient Community, or have any questions then please get in touch via phone, email or letter.
