The Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) held its first open day on Saturday 6 April with hundreds of potential students, parents and other key stakeholders in attendance.
The event took place at the University of Kent’s Canterbury campus, with staff from Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University and KMMS all involved in welcoming and talking to prospective students throughout the day.
Visitors were given a tour of the campus and its facilities as well as hearing from the Founding Dean of KMMS, Professor Chris Holland. There was also a student-led plenary to learn more about what it is like living and studying in the region, as well as the opportunity to visit the campus at Canterbury Christ Church University.
The open day was the first held by KMMS as it prepares to welcome its first cohort of students in September 2020. A second open day will take place on at Canterbury Christ Church University on Saturday 29 June. Those interested in attending can register online on the KMMS website.
Commentating on the event Founding Dean of KMMS, Professor Chris Holland said: ‘It was fantastic to see so many people interested in learning more about the new medical school and to meet some of the people who could potentially become our founding students. I met people from across Kent and Medway and beyond all considering studying medicine at KMMS – it was really exciting for me and the KMMS team to start to see the interest it is creating.’
The open day took place just a few days after KMMS held a celebration day on Wednesday 3 April to mark a year since its approval by the government and the progress that has been made since then.
Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, and Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Kent, Professor Karen Cox, both spoke at the celebration day event, thanking all the partners involved for their work developing KMMS over the last 12 months.
Both stressed the importance of the partnerships being formed around KMMS, both between the Universities, but additionally with a range of partners in Kent and Medway and beyond, such as NHS Trusts, General Practice, and Community and Mental Health services, and other medical schools, chiefly our contingency school, the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).
Professor Holland also spoke at the event, outlining the focus for KMMS in providing students with a holistic programme offering experience in a range of healthcare services. This will ensure they are best placed to work in the NHS on graduation with the potential to specialise in any of the 66 recognised medical specialties in their post-graduate careers.
‘We are well on track to welcome our first students in September 2020 and this is due to the excellent collaboration between all the partners involved. KMMS will help provide the public with the resilient, flexible healthcare professionals needed for Kent and Medway and beyond.’
He noted too that KMMS recently achieved Stage 3 accreditation from the General Medical Council, as well as validation by both Universities jointly, and that work is underway to develop new buildings where students will be taught during their time on the course on both universities’ campuses.