Andy Davies, a consultant geriatrician within Manx Care, has been a key player in the establishment of a new medical school in Sunderland.
Andy was appointed as Undergraduate Programme Lead, involved in leading the bid for a new medical school at the University of Sunderland.
He spent two years helping to set up the bid, before the first students arrived in September 2018, and he ultimately left in December 2022 to work at Noble’s Hospital.
New Medical School
The first cohort graduated in July 2024, and Andy was invited to be part of the academic procession for the graduation.
He said: “The task of creating a medical school, recruiting staff and hospitals, writing curriculums and teaching manuals was all worth it to see the first graduands receive their degrees and become graduates.”
Noble’s Hospital and the education team here have also played their part – even though the North East of England is a long way from the Island, it has not stopped students from taking up placements at Noble’s.
The first two Sunderland Medical students to do this arrived on the Island in the Summer of 2022 for their four-week placement, and they were the forerunners of several other students.
Manx Care recently hosted three third-year students for their four-week placements.
Doctors of Tomorrow
Andy added: “What made the graduation even more pleasing was the emphasis the School of Medicine had placed on attracting students from non-traditional backgrounds – 43% of our cohort fit this criteria, including those from low-income families, those with parents who had not been to university and those from deprived postcode areas.
“As they received their degrees I reflected on their back-stories – receiving a medical degree is hard enough, but receiving a medical degree whilst working two or three jobs, battling personal health issues or having walked through times of crisis made it a very special moment.
“To know it was not just their ability to pass a degree course, but also to weather numerous personal challenges, made it even better to watch them succeed.
“The process of creating the doctors of tomorrow is a challenge. It takes five years to pass a medical degree and a further period of six to 10 years to become a consultant or a GP.
“Cultivating excellent training spaces to facilitate those doctors’ development is essential to keep the pipeline flowing.
“Creating a supportive and interesting learning environment that encourages students and graduates to return to work for Manx Care is key for a sustainable medical workforce. I am glad to say that the team here are creating such learning spaces and so the future looks bright.”
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