Experience Medicine

The Experience Medicine programme, run by the University of St Andrews and NHS Fife, aims to support Scottish state school pupils from widening participation backgrounds who are interested in studying medicine.

The programme provides practical experience, insight, and guidance to help pupils understand medical careers and strengthen their applications to medical school.

Programme Aims and Outcomes

  • Offer hands-on experience through NHS Fife placements, including shadowing healthcare professionals.

  • Develop key skills needed for medical school applications, such as communication and teamwork.

  • Provide guidance on the admissions process, including UCAT, personal statements, and interviews.

  • Increase confidence and aspirations by exposing pupils to real-world medical environments.

  • Support efforts to widen access to medicine, ensuring talented students from underrepresented backgrounds have equal opportunities.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a place on Experience Medicine, pupils must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Reside in the lowest 40% of the most deprived areas in Scotland, as determined by the Scottish Government SIMD 2020 dataset.

  • Be care-experienced, meaning they are or have been looked after as a result of a local authority order (See information on care-experienced applicants).

  • Be a registered young carer (See information on young carers).

  • Be estranged from their family (See information on estranged applicants).

  • Be a refugee.

If the programme is oversubscribed, priority will be given to pupils who reside in and attend school in Fife and meet at least one of the above criteria.

Experience Medicine 2025

The programme will run on a weekly basis throughout the Fife school holidays on the following dates:

  • Monday 7 July – Friday 11 July

  • Monday 14 July – Friday 18 July

  • Monday 21 July – Friday 25 July

  • Monday 28 July – Friday 1 August

  • Monday 4 August – Friday 9 August

Students will be expected to make their own travel arrangements and be available Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 6 pm. The first four days will be spent at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, with Friday at the School of Medicine in St Andrews.

Please note: Travel costs may be reimbursed for the most economical mode of transport. We cannot reimburse the cost of any accommodation

 

The information collected in this form will be held and used only in the ways outlined in the University's data collection statement.

Supporting information

If you are selected to attend the Experience Medicine Programme you will be expected to adhere to the NHS Fife Dress code for medical students.