Academic outreach

Although the school summer holidays may conjure images of sunshine, the seaside and ice creams for many pupils, it also brings the harsh realities of hunger for some. Discover the often unseen side of school holidays and learn how YOU can be part of the solution.

At least 190 days of your year are spent in school… 190 DAYS, that’s over half of the year! And, you have been doing this since you were 5 years old! Are we getting school wrong? Explore this question and more. Join staff from the Education programme at Keele, whilst we explore why school sucks and what we can do about it. 

What is the most significant medical advance?

What do you think is the most significant medical advance? Join us for an engaging and interactive session where you will work in teams to solve puzzles that unravel major medical breakthroughs. 

Once the puzzles are solved, you will cast votes to decide which medical advance deserves the title of "most significant". 

Yes

Minimum class size of 6 people required

When does a poison become a medicine, and when does a medicine become a poison?

The origin of physic, or pharmacological therapy, is the use of plants to treat illnesses. Many commonly used therapeutic drugs – as well as recreational drugs – are derived from plants or other living organisms.

We will explore how many substances derived from living things, which were originally identified as poisons, came to be used in medicine. We will also look at how medicinal drugs can sometimes cause harm instead of benefit.

Yes

What's the bleeding time?

When you cut yourself, or cause any kind of trauma to blood vessels, a hugely complex process begins to reduce the loss of blood by forming clots. But this can sometimes go wrong, either failing to produce clots or forming them in places where they block essential blood flow.

We will look at how blood clots form, what problems can arise when this goes wrong, and ways in which these problems may be fixed.

Yes

Introduction to problem-based learning

Problem-based learning is one form of small-group, self-directed learning that is used in a variety of degree courses, including some medicine courses.

This session will give you a short experience of working through a clinical problem to identify the key points and to define a set of questions you need to explore to understand the case.

Yes

First steps in diagnosis

When a patient first presents with a medical problem, there are several basic measurements that are performed to suggest possible causes. These include vital signs, electrocardiogram (ECG) and spirometry (lung function).

In this hands-on session, you will learn how these measurements are performed and what they can tell you.

Yes

The art of antenatal palpation?

Antenatal examinations are a key part of a midwives role, being carried out at most midwifery appointments as they help to assess fetal well being. In this workshop, the basic elements of this skill will be taught and students will have the opportunity to have hands on experience of performing this skill and listening to a simulation fetal heart beat