Park Academy students can try to emulate their front-line health heroes through Medical Sciences diploma offered

Teenagers inspired by the selfless hard work of frontline health workers during lockdown and medical scientists searching for a Covid-19 cure can now follow in their footsteps at one Hillingdon school.

Park Academy is offering students the opportunity to study for a diploma in Medical Sciences. It is believed to be only the second borough school offering the post-16 qualification and it launches this September.

The Level 3 Applied Diploma in Medical Science focuses on the diagnosis of disease, determining the effectiveness of treatments and searching for new cures. It combines scientific knowledge with practical skills such as learning how to use an ECG or Ultrasound.

Students on the course will also have contact with outside health organisations such as doctors, consultants and nurses so that they can understand the role of the professionals working in the NHS.

Student Anjie Akin, 16, has signed up for the course at the Park View Road school and told the Hillingdon Times: ‘’This will be a new experience for me as we have never done anything like this before and it will open up a lot of potential jobs for me.

‘’I am interested in healthcare and the normal science subjects don’t focus on the body or the practical side of healthcare. We will also look at diseases in detail which will be interesting.

‘’I’ve seen all that the NHS has done in recent months and I would like to be a part of that and help to save lives.’’

Students will also take part in a day where organisations such as Medical Mavericks attend school and allow the students to use devices such as an ECG or Ultrasound machine. In both Y12 and Y13 students will have to run 2 big projects and collect data to present to other members of the Science Department.

Umer Mohammad, head of sixth form at Park, said the diploma has proved to be the most popular science subject for post-16 students.

He said: ‘’It’s the flexibility and wide variety of the course that has made it so popular. Many of the students who have taken the course are interested in the health care sector. The course is hands-on and there is also coursework.

‘’Students can use the qualification to take a vocational route or they can go on to study at university.’’