Hello Everyone. My Name is Tom Krys, and I am one of two Research Officers in the newly formed Virtual Medics Society. Research is something I have a massive passion for, and it can really set you apart when applying to Medical School. As part of the Committee I hope to be able to share my passion with all of you and help to give you the tools so that you can do some research yourself. I hope you are all as excited to get involved as I am.

So, who am I exactly? I am a Year 12 student at St Johns College in Portsmouth, Hampshire. I am studying A-Level Biology, Chemistry, Maths and AS Further Maths, and I am looking to apply to Medicine with deferred entry in October. There are a few things that draw me to medicine. Firstly, it is a wide and diverse career, with the opportunity for lifelong learning in a field that must always be improving. However, it is also a caring profession, where you are there to help people at their most vulnerable, and can make a massive difference to their lives, be this through curative or even palliative treatment. This combines for a career I have dedicated several years of my life to become a part of.

I have been involved with Medic Mentor since January 2020, when I attended a National Healthcare Weekend in London. I was blown away by the amount of opportunities available to students, and I quickly got involved with as many of them as I could. I signed up to the Summer School, and thus the Leadership Course, attending my first course meeting in February, in which we learnt about running a school Medics Society. I was able to use the skills learnt here to start a Medics Society within my own school, which I am currently the chairman of. I presented “My Story So Far” at another National Healthcare Weekend in March, which was a challenging but hugely rewarding experience. I am on the Awards Programme, and currently preparing evidence for my Gold Certificate. I have also written an article for the Medic Mentor Magazine. Here, I put together a questionnaire on Teenage Opinions on the NHS, which I sent around my school and friends – networking via social media. I received over 50 responses and was able to put my research into an article that will be published in a forthcoming edition of the magazine.

I have undertaken a number of work experience placements. The first was 6 months of weekly visits to a local GP Surgery, working in Reception helping to file documents, shadowing Specialist Nurses and eventually GPs. I then spent a week shadowing an Oncology Consultant and a Respiratory Consultant, where I was lucky enough to watch a plural drain. I have attended a Surgical School where we were taught a few procedures such as suturing, CPR, administering a canular and even a mock appendectomy. I looked to further this knowledge by doing a First Aid course through school. I also do volunteer work, mentoring Junior School students and working at a Soup Kitchen for Homeless people once a week.

Outside of medicine, I like to keep myself busy. I am Deputy Head Boy and Head of House at school. I look to get involved in super-curricular activities and have done online learning courses through the Open University during lockdown, as well as entering for Olympiads. I enjoy Sport and play Colts Rugby for Havant RFC. I am also a keen musician, and have Grade 7 Piano and Trumpet, as well as being a member of the Hampshire County Youth Wind Ensemble. I have leadership experience as a Corporal in the Royal Marine Volunteer Cadet Corps. Finally, I have my Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver award and am working towards Gold.

I do not know exactly what field I want to Specialise into yet, and I am open to see what excites me during Medical School. I am interested in applying to do an AFP during my foundation years, however, to try Medical Research.

It is an honour to be part of the VMS committee and if anyone has any ideas for the kind of research they want to, do not hesitate to get in contact.

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

Study Guide November 2021

Problem Based Learning Problem based learning (PBL) is a popular method of learning, currently used by most health professional courses in the UK. The aim of PBL is for you to read through a complex and broad series of information, to identify areas of interest and...

Ethics cases for July 6th

On the 6th July 2021, the VMS will be hosting their first ever student run ethical case session. For those of you that have attended the study guide sessions, the format will be almost identical and is aiming to mimic the Problem Based Learning style that is highly...