What Outreach and Widening Participation Activities Does BSMS Offer for Aspiring Medics and Schools?

Updated

BSMS runs a widening participation programme aimed at aspiring medics, schools, parents and carers, plus outreach activities and resources for schools, colleges and the wider public. The site groups these under an "Information for aspiring medics, schools and parents/carers" area, with separate pages for school and college outreach and for resources open to everyone. Use this guide if you are a student considering medicine, a teacher arranging outreach, or a parent or carer looking for reliable information.

Who the outreach is for

The BSMS website names three audiences for its widening participation work:

  • Aspiring medics — students thinking about a medical career who want information and activities to help them prepare.
  • Schools and colleges — staff who want to arrange outreach activities for their students.
  • Parents and carers — family members supporting a young person considering medicine.

Widening participation to medicine is listed as a distinct area of the school's work, alongside outreach activities for schools and colleges and outreach activities and resources for all.

What is on offer

Area What it covers Who it is for
Widening participation to medicine The school's programme for broadening access to medicine Aspiring medics, schools, parents and carers
Outreach activities for schools and colleges Activities arranged for school and college groups Teachers and school/college staff
Outreach activities and resources for all Open activities and resources Anyone interested in medicine
Anatomy Facility A named facility within the school's resources Visitors and outreach participants

The site does not publish detailed eligibility criteria, activity dates or booking steps in the material available here. To confirm what is currently running and who qualifies, check the outreach pages directly or contact the school.

How to use the outreach pages

  1. Identify your audience. Decide whether you are a student, a teacher or a parent/carer, because the site separates information along these lines.
  2. Open the relevant section. Start from the "Information for aspiring medics, schools and parents/carers" area and follow the link that matches your role.
  3. Check the activities and resources pages. Schools and colleges should look at the outreach activities page; individuals can use the resources-for-all page.
  4. Verify current details. Confirm dates, eligibility and how to take part with BSMS before planning around a specific activity, since the summary material does not list them.

Expected result: you should end up on the page that matches your role and have a clear next step — either an activity to enquire about or a resource to use.

Practical points to check before you commit

  • Eligibility: widening participation programmes usually have criteria; the site summary does not state them, so ask before assuming you or your students qualify.
  • Booking: no booking process is described in the available material; contact the school to find out how places are allocated.
  • Anatomy Facility access: it is listed as a resource, but access arrangements for outreach groups are not specified here.
  • Fees: the material does not indicate whether outreach activities are free, so confirm this when you enquire.

Common sticking points

  • Assuming all activities are open to everyone. The site distinguishes widening participation work from general outreach, so check which category an activity falls under.
  • Planning around dates from secondary sources. Use the BSMS pages or direct contact as the authoritative source.
  • Overlooking the parent/carer route. Parents and carers have their own information area and can use it to support a young person's application journey.

For the wider picture of what the site covers, including undergraduate and postgraduate study, see the related questions on BSMS as an institution and its course offerings.