Medical Student Programme Included in Scientific Paper
HCGA has been hosting Imperial College London medical students since 2018 on a community group placement as part of their BSc in Global Health. We recently took part in a study which evaluated this partnership, between the university and local community groups. The study has now been published in the peer reviewed journal BMJ Open.
The study found that real-world experience in diverse communities helps students become more socially aware healthcare workers and that programmes such as this are mutually beneficial for both the students, who gain hands-on experience and for the community based organisation, which strengthens their services and their networks.
The students we host visit six times in the autumn for one day per week. After an introduction to the charity they participate as volunteers so they can chat to other volunteers while getting stuck in with gardening. This is a unique opportunity for the students to experience first hand the health and wellbeing benefits of volunteering in green spaces.
As part of the placement, we include a visit to another London charity which delivers health and wellbeing gardening. By the end of the placement, the students complete a project in which they suggest a service improvement for our charity and provide a thoroughly thought out and researched report to HCGA. We have implemented many of the suggestions over the years.
We look forward to hosting our next group of students in the autumn.
Pettitt C, Chapko D, Budhathoki SS, Murray K-K, Ward H. Exploring community stakeholder perspectives of partnership development in community-engaged undergraduate Global Health Education in the UK: a qualitative study. BMJ Open 2025;15:e089766. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-089766 (30 Jan 2025)
Photo: Imperial Students taking a break during a work session with our Get Out There team