Society provides educational and social activities for students during pandemic

GCU Students’ Association’s Emergency Care Society have been providing students with the theory and fun side of university from home during the coronavirus pandemic.

The society’s committee and members have been working together to give each other academic and personal support in order to help continued development off campus.

Second year Paramedic Science student and committee member Gordon Robertson explained.

He said: “We were scheduled to be on placement but that was obviously cancelled with everything that’s been going on – this left us with a bit of a gap until the next academic year.

As a society we decided to run online CPD sessions and it’s worked really well for us. There’s been about four or five so far and it’s focused on general things like revision but we’ve also had helicopter and search and rescue paramedics host some of them. It’s also been good to have some of our own lecturers involved too!”

Gordon added: “It’s been nice because a lot of our members have been coming to us with their ideas rather than it just being down to the committee.

Running the CPD sessions meant we could keep student interest up, get them thinking and allowed us to bring everyone together.

It’s great to have that dialogue because it’s obviously a strange time but we’re just trying to keep in touch as much as possible.”

The society, which was only launched in September last year, also brought students together through a Zoom quiz.

Gordon gave an insight into the night and some of the prizes on offer. He explained: “We didn’t have a massive number involved, there was probably only between about 10 and 15 but it was good because it meant everyone was participating properly.

It was mainly non-medical questions but we did have a medical themed music round, which was a lot harder than expected!”

Gordon added: “The first place prize was a £30 voucher for Class Professional Publishing, who provide a lot of the textbooks for our programme. In second, we had an ambulance essentials kit, which meant we could give out equipment needed for placement. Finally, third place was a free membership for the society next year.

We obviously wanted to give out relevant prizes, which would encourage them to attend and also give them something to take forward in their studies.

It was a good night getting everyone together and the ideal way to relax after the CPD sessions.”

You can find out more about the society on the GCU Students’ Association website or follow them on Twitter here


By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter