Skills, Employability and Student Support

Dr Chris BaldwinHead of School

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/biomed/undergrad/

School of Biomedical SciencesStrategic Plan 2014/15

• The School aims to provide an environment that supports all of our students in achieving their maximum potential and delivers an excellent student experience.

How we support our students – Academic and Personal

• Each student is assigned a personal tutor• Meet with tutor at start of course• First point of contact throughout the degree programme

for any problems• Can change tutor on request

• Back-up system of course advisers• Call in students if there appears to be problems (e.g.

missing classes or coursework)• Study skills advice to students having difficulties

• Additional specialist help available from a study skills adviser

How we Support our Students – Lectures (Blackboard & ReCap)

Teaching material (lectures, module guides, extra reading etc) provided on the University Virtual Learning Environment - Blackboard.

We ask all staff to ReCap their lectures. This is an automated event recording and delivery system that enables the audio and visual material from events such as lectures/seminars to be made available online.

The School has one of the highest proportions of lectures recorded in the University with very positive student feedback

How we support our students -Personal and Wellbeing

• Student advice centre

• Student wellbeing• Counselling service

• Mental health adviser

• Financial support

• Disability support

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/

Transferable skills

Skills from an Biomedicine Degree

• Very large quantity of subject knowledge• Strong and explicit links between current world class research and

teaching:

Specific skills

• Critical reasoning and analytical skills, including the capacity for solving problems and thinking creatively, often through extensive reading; 

• Computing and statistical skills - gained through use of spreadsheets, databases and presentation packages found in most workplaces;

• The capacity to think objectively and approach problems and new situations with an open mind;

• Organisational skills - acquired, for example, through coping with lectures, practicals, study, part-time work and social activities.

Vocational choices in final year project

• Research Laboratory• Clinical• IT• Science education/

communication

A wide range of opportunities to add value to your degree

Placement opportunities Vacation studentships Year out in Industry Overseas exchanges (Europe, Australia, Singapore) Links to companies (including spin-offs) Student associate scheme

Laboratory Assistant Posts Part time paid work in a research laboratory in year 2

Biomedicine plus Optional research lectures

Mentoring

Nisha Chana and Kayleigh Goodman – final year students at PRBB research centre University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona (top University in Spain). Both are completing their final year projects in Spain on Erasmus funded scholarships. We have further links with University of Toulouse (France), Pierre Curie University (Paris) University of Tubingen (Germany), Westphalian Wilhelms University in Munster (Germany) and Lund University (Sweeden). We will have further opportunities in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

Dhiluni Kandage (3rd Year Biomedical Sciences) was awarded 1st prize at the University ‘Celebrating Research and Scholarship Exhibitions 2013’ event for her poster presentation on white and grey matter alterations in patients with depression.

Brigitte West (Biomedical Sciences) and Rose Brown (Biomedical Sciences and Medical Microbiology) have started their own website which explains the science

behind a range of beauty products http://www.beautybythegeeks.com

International Genetically Engineered Machines Competition, MIT, Boston, USA

Team 2013: “Bare Cillus”

See http://2013.igem.org/Team:Newcastle and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Kk6bKKOQ0

James (Biomedical Sciences), Alina (Architechture), Justas (Computer Sciences), Isabelle (Biomedical Sciences), Christopher (Synthetic Biology), Vivian (Pharmacology), Vincent (Biomedical Sciences), Robert (Synthetic Biology), Yana (Biotechnology), Geoffrey (Biomedical Sciences) and Matthew (computer Sciences)

Award-winning University Careers Service

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/

Large number of employer presentations

SBMS Employability Ambassadors

Also sessions tailored for our students: Postgraduate study Applying for Medicine Voluntary work with SCAN Talks from SBMS alumni

Graduate success in Biomedicine

Destinations six months after graduation (2012/13)

Newcastle Biomedicine Graduates

Newcastle University Graduates

All UK undergraduates

(2011/2012)

Work (full-time/part-time) 51.7% 65.0% 67.4%

Further study/work and further study 43.1% 22.9% 20.9%

Unemployed5.2% 6.1% 7.2%

Other4.5%

Careers for BioscientistsGraduates are highly employable in a wide range of careers

including: Laboratory scientists

Hospitals Universities and research institutes Industry

Science communicators (journalism, medical writing, PR work, medical charities, museums/science centres etc)

Teachers Other roles in industry e.g. marketing, medical sales,

brand management Patent work Science funding, policy and administration

About 50% of our graduates go on to further study

Higher science degree Masters – MSc/MRes (36.8%) or a PhD (25%)

Medicine (24%)

Dentistry (9%), PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education)

A small number of other courses including law, accountancy, physiotherapy etc

Profiles on the web:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/biomed/undergrad/profiles/

Quality MeasuresTeaching QualityAll Biomedical Sciences degrees scored

24 points out of a maximum of 24

National student survey 2011, 2012, 201395%-100% for overall satisfaction

Research QualityRAE2008: Medical Sciences Units combined: ranked 6th out of

32 in UK

Times Good University guide 2013*6th out of 78 universities

*refers to biomedical sciences/other subjects allied to medicine