Widening access to medicine

More students from socially deprived backgrounds will get the chance to study medicine next year.

Following the successful recruitment of students in the first year, Scottish Government funding will see a further 40 students get the experience and qualifications to better prepare them to study medicine at university.

£330,000 for the pre-medical entry programme will be shared equally by the Universities of Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said:

“I want to see a more diverse workforce in the health service and, building on a successful first year, this course will give 40 more young people from deprived backgrounds the chance to pursue a career in medicine.

“We must make sure we have a level playing field and give everyone with the ability and desire to study medicine a fair chance. Applicants from deprived backgrounds can have the academic ability but lack the opportunities to gain experience universities are looking for.

“This course contributes to our commitment to widen access to higher education and enhances the range of medical education already available in Scotland’s five world-leading medical schools.”

Professor Matthew Walters, Head of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing at the University of Glasgow, said: "We believe that classes of medical students should reflect the make up of the wider community whom they will eventually graduate to serve. This belief underpins the University's 'Glasgow Access Programme', which levels the playing field of access to Medicine and provides talented but disadvantaged students from all backgrounds with the opportunity to fulfil their potential and become excellent doctors. We are delighted by the Scottish Government’s ongoing support of this important programme.”

Professor Steven Heys (University of Aberdeen) and Susan Grant (North East Scotland College) said: “We are delighted that Scottish Government has continued to support our innovative partnership to provide a gateway to medicine for people who have suffered disadvantage and would otherwise not have been able to train to be a doctor. G2M will allow our young people, from both urban and rural backgrounds, to become Scotland’s doctors of the future and will help to ensure that our doctors are representative of the society that they seek to serve.”