Patient / Carer Community
We are committed to placing patients and carers at the heart of medical education at the University of Leeds. By volunteering for the Patient | Carer Community, you will be joining a community of like-minded patients and carers who are all helping to play an active role in medical education and clinical training.
How can my patient/carer experience help medical students?
Listening to a patient or carer who actually lives with, or has experienced, a particular medical condition can be enormously powerful.
Talking to students about your experience helps them to explore not only the medical condition itself but also how it impacts on the life of the patient or carer.
How much time will it take?
This varies:
- You’ll receive an invitation letter each time we have a new involvement activity that you might like to take part in.
- This will contain information such as duration, venue, and a brief description of duties.
- You can then choose whether or not to take part.
Please note: we do try to give everyone on our database the chance to be involved so we cannot guarantee how often you will be invited to take part in our involvement activities.
What will I get out of it?
- Return taxi service to our events if you have a Leeds postcode.
- Reasonable carer or childcare costs – please discuss these with us in advance.
- Appropriate training to equip you with the confidence and skills to take part.
You’ll also be helping to ‘give something back’ to the NHS and ensure better healthcare for all in the future.
What our patients and carers say:
- … hearing my ‘story’ reminded them why they wanted to be doctors
- I found it useful to contribute in a small way to the students’ learning experiences
- It made me focus on the many positive things that have happened to me as a patient
- I found the experience enjoyable and satisfying
What our students say
- Actually seeing a patient gave me the inspiration to work harder
- … motivated me to become a better medical student
- This really boosted my confidence for talking with patients in the future
- refreshing … to be able to chat to a ‘real person’
For more information please contact:
Dr Karen Ayres
Patient / Carer Community Coordinator
Leeds Institute of Medical Education, Room 7.09, Worsley Building, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT
Tel: 0113 343 6951 or Email: k.ayres@leeds.ac.uk
