Skills, Employability and Student Support Dr Debbie Bevitt Deputy Head of School of Biomedical Sciences [email protected].

Skills, Employability and

Student Support

Dr Debbie BevittDeputy Head of School of Biomedical Sciences

[email protected]

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) Newcastle Work Experience (NWE) placements Laboratory Assistant Posts Part-time paid work in research labs in year 2 Student Mentor Posts Biomedicine+ Language Modules

Jamie Brown (Stage 3 Pharmacology) during exchange to Toulouse, France

Tim Ellis (Stage 3 Biochemistry with Immunology) during exchange to Tuebingen, Germany

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 2016.

Siobhan Lister (3rd Year Biomedical Sciences) was awarded 1st prize at the event for her poster presentation:

“Does gastro-oesophageal reflux contribute to cystic fibrosis lung disease?”

University ‘Celebrating Research and Scholarship Exhibitions 2014

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 (40.7%) or a PhD (22%)

Medicine (16.5%)

Dentistry (13%), 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 Measures Teaching Quality• All Biomedical Sciences degrees scored 24 points out of a maximum of 24

National student survey 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014• 93 - 100% overall student satisfaction*

Research Quality• The biomedical research carried out in the Institute for Cell and Molecular

Biosciences and Institute of Neuroscience was ranked in the top 5 in the UK and top 10 in the UK respectively in the 2014 REF.

Times Good University Guide 2014• 8th out of 73 universities** refers to biomedical sciences/other subjects allied to medicine

So why choose Newcastle? Wide choice of degree programmes Flexible: can change your programme of study after first year Transfer options for medicine and dentistry

High quality research-led teaching

High graduate employability, low drop out rates

Excellent student experience