Aliya Razaaq on learning about dementia

Baroness Warnock, one of Britain’s leading ethical experts recently talked of the “right to die” of patients with dementia. She called for more research into the illness, in order to establish whether patients with dementia were mentally competent. Thus when they reached a certain point in their illness, they could make a decision of whether […]

Read More…

Jessie Colquhoun: Standfirsts and softball

Last Tuesday I would have been starting my first term as a fourth year medical student.  Instead I started my 11th week in the BMJ office as Student BMJ editor.  The position is a year long, and then I’ll go back to Manchester medical school to join a new year.  So it has taken eleven weeks to write this blog.  I’ve […]

Read More…

Aliya Razaaq: Blaming it on the stereotype

The recent research study published in the BMJ entitled “Ethnic stereotypes and the underachievement of UK medical students from ethnic minorities: qualitative study” discussed the underperformance of (presumably South) Asian medical students. It suggested that stereotypes of Asian students may damage their relationships with clinical teachers, resulting in their relatively poor performance in exams. […]

Read More…

Anne Caley: Patient consent

The first press event I attended as a BMJ Clegg Scholar was the launch of the General Medical Council’s new guidance for doctors ‘Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together,’ at the National Theatre, London, so it was no surprise that a short play (commissioned by the GMC) was performed to reflect the situations influencing the need for new guidance.  […]

Read More…