Virtual Medical Society Fundraising Officer

Hi everyone! My name is Lynette Thomas and I am an S6 (Year 13) student at Cults Academy in Scotland. I am so excited to be one of the fundraising officers for our new Virtual Medical Society! I am an aspiring medic myself, and I am sure many of you will be too, so feel free to ask me about anything you may be unsure of, as I am more than happy to help everyone I can to the best of my ability. With the many branches and specialties within medicine, there are endless opportunities to learn and develop as a professional and explore your particular interests. Personally, I have developed a fascination with surgery after gaining some insight into the field through work experience and reading medical books. In the future, I would like to make a positive difference in healthcare, and possibly attain leadership roles to further develop my skills as a medic. 

In my free time, I really enjoy playing piano as this is one of my favourite things to do when I need to relax. For me it is such a great stress reliever, but along with that, my love for piano has motivated me to achieve great things with it. By playing in front of family and friends, and then building up to larger audiences, I have learned how to manage, and sometimes overcome, my nerves when presenting in front of others. This has been invaluable in helping me build up confidence, which is such a key attribute for many healthcare professionals. Whether that be when presenting to an MDT or teaching medical students amongst other things. I am an avid baker and fortunately, I have had a lot more time to do that during this lockdown period. Another fact about me that some people may also find surprising, is that I am a black belt in karate! Although I don’t do it anymore I really enjoyed it, and it is definitely a skill I can keep for life.

Volunteering has also been a key part of my life, since I first volunteered at my local care home to then volunteering at a local community charity shop, and now as a campaigner for the Covid-19 mission during the current lockdown. I’ll take this opportunity to encourage those who have not already, to sign up to volunteer for the campaign! It is for such a great cause and a wonderful way to productively use the extra time you may have right now. 

My initial involvement with Medic Mentor dates back a few years to when I was a newbie attending my very first Get Into Medicine conference (or National Healthcare Weekend as it was previously called). Since then I have come a long way, as Medic Mentor have motivated me to join my school’s medical society, and I am now a school ambassador. This role has allowed me to become more involved with these conferences, along with helping me to improve my leadership skills through the incredible teaching days that are provided. I have written an article for the Medic Mentor Magazine and I am also looking forward to attending this year’s summer school! 

As one of the fundraising officers for our virtual society, I hope to organise campaigns and raise awareness of relevant and valuable causes within our communities. In addition to this, I will be updating the society at each meeting on our current campaigning initiative and each milestone we manage to reach together. Through a combination of social networking, and the involvement of our nationwide Medic Mentor community, I believe we can make a positive impact on aspects of healthcare in our country. I am really looking forward to working as part of the student committee to develop a society that will inspire many future medics, dentists and vets alike.

If you would like to post Lynette a question, please comment below and she will get back to you!