I am thrilled to be elected as chair of the MSC (medical students committee) this year, and excited to deliver more for the 40,000+ medical students we represent across the UK with a new MSC team elected. You can find your local rep here.

This year, I am bringing a wealth of experience to the role: valuable insights of the BMA gained as MSC deputy co-chair for education last year, leadership experience from running a medical/dental students’ union, and a deep appreciation of medicine as I enter my seventh (and final) year at medical school. As we dive into another busy year at MSC, there’s a lot to accomplish. I would like to outline some of my top priorities to introduce myself.

Medical education is my passion and is what has driven me throughout my degree. Right now, we are in a deeply opportunistic time as the Medical Licensing Assessment begins its first full year of implementation. It is crucial that we keep a close eye on this process and continue to make our voices heard to ensure it runs both smoothly and fairly for all students. 

Our commitment also extends to the Prescribing Safety Assessment, where we will be monitoring and pushing for the implementation of the PSA independent review, which MSC inputted into last year. We will also continue to lobby for the reversal of the changes to the Specialised Foundation Programme based on students’ feedback.

Foundation programme limbo

Last year also marked the first under the new preference informed allocation process for the UK foundation programme, and it wasn’t without its challenges. We received numerous concerns raised to us by students, and we believe there are several improvements possible to make the system work better for everyone.

This led me to write on behalf of the MSC to UKFPO, all of the 18 UK foundation schools, NHS England (and devolved nation equivalents) and the health secretary at the time. Our goal was to ensure all levels of power took the BMA’s suggestions seriously and to find resolutions for students with placeholder programmes that were found in limbo waiting for further information about their first job as a doctor.

This year, we must ensure our proposals are considered and applied, as we work with all stakeholders to build an allocation system that minimises negative impacts on students' welfare and considers the retention of UK graduating doctors to be paramount.

A liveable level of funding

We will continue to raise our voices loud and clear about the concerning developments in our medical schools, especially with the upcoming medical doctor degree apprenticeship pilot starting in September 2024 and the creation of a four-year undergraduate medical programme. Both of these changes are untested to the way medicine has been taught and could have harmful unintended consequences for student communities, our UK medical degree’s international recognition and equity of funding.

Medical student funding is in an unliveable situation currently. It does not cover the living costs for many who battle with reduced funding under the NHS bursary. Last year, we meticulously analysed this issue to develop campaign aims to lobby the various student finance organisations and NHS Bursary organisation more effectively. As we start the BMA session, we will be launching a student funding campaign to help fix medical student funding.

To support students, it will also be equally important to secure improvements locally at your medical schools, by working more collaboratively between our MSC representatives to highlight good practice and develop resources to help put pressure on your universities to match that.

Medicine is no longer made up of elitist groups of people but is one proudly full of diversity. To continue this flourishing, we need to widen access into medicine even further with the MSC partnering with external expert organisations like widening participation charities, and to help secure more equitable funding for all those who wish to study medicine and don’t have the means and social networks to pursue it.

Standing up for our profession

As we move into 2024, the NHS is facing an even wider and growing number of problems. As students, it’s crucial that we support our resident doctors, consultants and GPs in their industrial action as this is for our futures in healthcare too. We can do this by joining picket lines across the UK, organising our own events, using our voices to speak up about issues, and wearing supportive BMA badges/lanyards for their campaigns.

We are also dealing with the devaluation of doctors nationwide, the impact of physician associates impeding on our educational opportunities alongside concerns of our regulator and royal colleges’ effectiveness to complete their roles. It is a lot for us to work through, but the BMA MSC team is eagerly raring to go to fight for the future of our profession!

Wellbeing support

The effects of the politicisation of medicine, rise of social media, the post-pandemic impact and the general struggles of completing tough medical degrees have made it harder than ever to prioritise our mental health. Our new report on medical students’ wellbeing addresses this problem head on, offering solutions that we need to embed this academic year to make a real difference for all of the students we represent.

We are also promoting the BMA’s wellbeing helpline, available 24/7 for everyone, whether you are a BMA member or not. I used this service for the first time myself this year and found it very supportive, so don’t hesitate to consider it as a first step if you need someone to talk to about anything.

It seems there will be a lot to get done, doesn’t it? But the BMA is now in one of the strongest places it has ever been, and we can leverage this strength for MSC to engage in more union-driven campaigning and supporting research that achieves the change students need. To do this, we all need to work more closely together as a team, with a unified national voice across the 46 UK medical schools with our local BMA reps, MedSocs, medical students' associations/unions, and other medical organisations.

You can keep up to date with the work of the medical students committee here on Instagram and here on X/Twitter.

Rob Tucker is a final year medical student at Barts and The London, Queen Mary University of London, and chair of the BMA medical students committee