Education Intern
Laura's Blog
After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, I knew I wanted to take a break from academics, get work experience, and learn more about the people around me and myself. When the RCPE offered me an internship, I realised I had the opportunity to develop practical skills to complement the more theoretical work I had done in university.
Working with the Education team, I was involved in evaluating transcription and captioning solutions for the College’s digital resources, reviewing delegates’ feedback for EMUs and Symposia, and gaining expertise in podcast editing. For the Marketing team, I helped create a social media content calendar and moonlighted as an actor in a promotional Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills (PACES) video. I had the chance to deepen my understanding of medical education and assessments in the UK through helping the Examinations team with running PACES exams and disseminating updates to medical trainees and examiners.
The past five months were full of highlights, from editing an impressive 18 Clinical and Careers Conversations podcast episodes, to being in the thick of PACES exam operations on-site at the Clinical Skills Assessment Centre (CSAC). I appreciated having a voice in discussing the College’s future activities and producing work that members of the College would directly access. One thing I will miss greatly are the friendly and supportive people at the RCPE; I enjoyed meeting College staff from all departments during lunches and socials (and fire alarm evacuations!).
My RCPE internship has given me countless lessons I will be bringing with me wherever I go next. I have experienced what it means to be part of a team and how to work with others to achieve shared goals. I have also developed a huge appreciation for the supporting roles that underpin events, products, and projects. Finally, I come away with an understanding of organisational structures and the networks that form within a team, no matter how big or small.
Going forwards, I will be finding new and productive ways of implementing all the valuable experiences I gained with the RCPE. Thank you to the College for making this an unforgettable internship!