PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

Being Co-Presidents has been a huge responsibility, but also a great opportunity

Each month has been packed with endless meetings and at times the emails felt non-stop. However, we are so grateful that we had this opportunity to support and represent medical students at the University of Bristol. A few things we are proud to have accomplished include Bristol Heroes, an increase in sober socials, an increase in pre-clinical events and the Stethoscope Bursary.

We really wanted to boost student wellbeing as well as help students feel part of a community. The Bristol Heroes scheme had over 40 students nominated by their peers and chosen by us as great examples of being great friends; people who help make our days easier and are a credit to our medical school. We wanted students to feel recognised for achievements that wouldn’t be seen at OSCEs or Progress Tests.

Inclusivity is really important to us and we understand that students might find a ‘traditional’ social unwelcoming for a number of reasons. We wanted to increase the number of sober socials, so created a competition to win funding for a sober social from our sub-societies. We were thrilled with the creative submissions and were pleased to choose three unique socials that we knew would be enjoyed by our members.

Joining Medical School can make you feel like a small fish in a huge pond, suddenly there are lots of new faces in lecture theatres, which is why we worked hard on having socials for our first years so they could have the opportunity to get to know their peers and enjoy a treat. We were able to host a highly attended coffee and cake social and were able to collaborate with Elsevier and create a scavenger hunt across the SU which was followed by free Eat-A-Pitta. We really hope our students enjoyed these events and loved meeting some of you!

Finally, we’re really pleased to have worked with the medical school to help create the Stethoscope Bursary. This is something that had been in the works for a while, but we were able to push for and create a formal process where students can apply for a reimbursement- helping reduce the financial barriers students might face.

Overall, we are proud of the work our committee has done this year and have enjoyed being your co-presidents. Thank you for having us!

Love, Veronica and Manisha

Introduction to Tilly - Hi, my name is Tilly, and I am a third year going into my fourth. I'll be at Yeovil and Bath next year, so do say hi if you're also there. I grew up in a small village in Derbyshire but soon became well acquainted with the Clifton Sainos and Jason Donervans. I may have faced my own personal challenges at University but clearly the medical school couldn't get rid of me that easily! So far, my experiences at Bristol have been enriching; a clear highlight would be CoDirecting CLICendales 2023.

Introduction to Walé - Hello readers of the Black Bag, a familiar name is back, but this time in a section I never thought I'd be in! For those who don't know, I've been writing in the black bag under the alias of Walé, and you've now trusted me to be your Co-President too. I'm currently an intercalator at Imperial, longing to return to Bristol and escape the London life (sideeye).

Our Goals and Visions for the Year

We broke down our vision into three values:

• Access and Inclusion o So many things in medical school are passed down by word of mouth or gatekept in what can feel like a competitive environment. Our aim as Co-Presidents is, in part, to contribute to creating an accessible and inclusive culture.

• Medical Students at the Centre o As Co-Presidents we find ourselves privileged to represent the voices of the community, we are a part of in meetings with Faculty. There's a growing number of you, and we want your voice to be represented and, importantly, at the centre of big decisions.

• Good Vibes o Good vibes, simply put. Your mental well-being is essential, and we have the opportunity as a society to contribute positively to that.

This year we are incredibly luck to have a 24-person committee to deliver these goals! This is the largest the committee has ever been and is packed full of keen medical students (a rarity) who want to improve your experience.