Northern Ireland medical students committee

​The NIMSC represents all medical students in Northern Ireland. It considers and acts on matters affecting those studying medicine.

The committee also works closely with the NIJDC (junior doctors committee) to advise on issues of concern to medical students and to update the committee on the work of NIMSC.

Our priorities

Support for students during pandemic

A key priority for NIMSC this session has been to ensure medical students at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) across all the years groups are supported and kept informed throughout the COVID Pandemic. NIMSC reps attend meetings with the General Medical Council, Department of Health and Social Care, Trust sub-deans and QUB to raise concerns as necessary and communication updates shared on a regular basis.

Racial harassment charter

NIMSC is delighted that QUB medical school has signed up to the BMA Racial Harassment Charter. The Charter focusses on four mains areas: Supporting individuals to speak out; ensuring robust processes for reporting and handling complaints; mainstreaming equality, diversity and inclusion across the learning environment, and; addressing racial harassment on work placements. The committee has also recently co-opted a representative from the QUB Afro-Caribbean Medical Association in order to further develop work in this area.

#ThinkAheadMed campaign

The aim of the campaign is to promote the huge number of opportunities available to students at medical school in order to help every student reach their career potential. It will cover everything from extra-curricular roles and responsibilities to involvement in societies, quality improvement, research, teaching and leadership etc. The outcome will be to provide students with a broad list of opportunities which they may not be aware of and can help provide them with a head start when applying to FY1.

New medical school

Funding to open the new medical school in Derry Londonderry was agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive in 2020. Up to 70 medical students will start at Ulster University’s graduate-entry medical school in September 2021 onto a four-year degree programme. Once the school has officially opened, NIMSC will welcome representatives from the medical school onto the committee.

Widening participation

NIMSC has ran a series of very successful school visits over the past two years giving school pupils the opportunity to speak face-to-face with medical students and hear first-hand how and why they decided to study medicine and how it compared to their expectations as well as sharing top tips for getting into medical school. Unfortunately, this has not been possible this session, so the committee has been discussing alternative ways to promote the widening participation in medicine initiative using virtual platforms. Work on this is ongoing.

Medical workforce planning

Along with the other Northern Ireland branches of practice, NIMSC will continue to influence the Department of Health and Social Care to produce a comprehensive and effective medical workforce place.

Our people

The committee is made up of two representatives from each year of study. Representatives are elected via an online election. Any future opportunities to stand for election to the NIMSC will be detailed on this page, along with details of how to stand.

The committee has cross-representation with the Northern Ireland consultants, junior doctor, staff and associate specialist, general practitioner and medical academic committees. We also have cross representation with the UK medical students committee.

Chair: Aisling McCarthy

Deputy chair: Victoria Paice

Our meetings

We meet four times a year to discuss the latest issues affecting medical students in Northern Ireland. Only members of the NIMSC may participate in votes; however, medical students who are BMA members are welcome to attend in a non-voting capacity as part of the BMA committee visitor scheme.

Meeting dates:

• Wednesday 13 January 2021
• Wednesday 31 March 2021 at 2pm
• Wednesday 26 May 2021.

All meetings take place from 1.30pm to 5pm either virtually or at:

BMA Northern Ireland
16 Cromac Place
Cromac Wood
Belfast
BT7 2JB

For more information please email us) or call 028 9026 9666.

NIMSC 2021-2022 elections

The next elections will take place in May 2021. More information to follow.

Get in touch

If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the NIMSC, email us or call 028 9026 9666.

The NIMSC is always keen to hear the views of medical students on the work that the committee is doing and what its priorities should be. You can email the chair, Leo Mansel, via our secretariat.