"More than just a medical student”: a mixed methods exploration of a structured volunteering programme for undergraduate medical students

Background As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic Imperial College School of Medicine developed a structured volunteering programme involving 398 medical students, across eight teaching hospitals. This case study aims to illuminate the experiences of volunteers, mechanisms of learning and draw lessons for future emergencies and curriculum improvements. Methods Using an illuminative approach to evaluation we invited all volunteers and supervisors to complete a mixed-methods survey. This gathered nominal demographic information and qualitative data related to motivations, experiences, insights into learning, processual and contextual factors. Qualitative responses were coded, thematically organised, and categorised into an overarching framework. Mann-Whitney U tests determined whether volunteers’ overall rating of the experience varied according to demographic features and modulating factors. Spearman’s rank correlation assessed the relationship between aspects of induction and supervision, and overall volunteering rating. Follow up interviews were carried out with students to check back findings and co-create conclusions. Results Modulating factors identified through thematic analysis include altruistic motivation, engaged induction and supervision, feeling valued, having responsibility and freedom from the formal curriculum. Statistically significant positive correlations are identified between volunteers overall rating and being a year 1 or 2 student, ability to discuss role and ask questions during induction, being male, and having regular meetings and role support from supervisors. Qualitatively reported impacts include improved wellbeing, valuable contribution to service and transformative learning. Transformative learning effects included reframing of role within the multidisciplinary team, view of effective learning and view of themselves as competent clinicians. The number of weeks, number of shifts per week, and the role the volunteers performed, did not significantly impact experiences. Conclusions While acknowledging the uniqueness of the situation presented by the first wave COVID-19, we suggest the features of a successful service-learning programme include: a learner-centred induction, engaged and appreciative supervisors, and the entrustment of students with meaningful work with reciprocal benefits to services. Programmes in similar settings may find that 1) volunteering is best appreciated in years 1 or 2, 2) students with altruistic motivations and meaningful work may flourish without formal outcomes and assessments, and 3) that female volunteers may experience emergency learning differently to men

Twelve tips for surgeons to maximise medical student learning in the operating theatre

Theatre-based learning is an essential component of undergraduate surgical education and offers a wide range of learning opportunities. However, studies have demonstrated that medical students have not always benefited from this holistic learning environment due to many reasons, including intimidation, hierarchies within the surgical environment and fear of making mistakes. The lead surgical educator's approach is an important influence on the experience and learning of their medical students. These twelve tips are aimed at surgical educators with undergraduate teaching responsibilities. This guidance is based upon evidence from literature and established theories of teaching and learning, supplemented by qualitative interviews with surgeons and medical students. The resulting tips were checked and refined by surgical teaching fellows. These learner-centred tips provide guidance on thorough induction, managing mutual expectations and approaches that optimise teaching and learning in the operating theatre. They are designed to support surgical educators in improving their students' engagement and learning experiences in this setting

Multi-antenna, Multi-node, Multi-RAT Architectures to Provide an Immersive Experience to the Early 5G Adopters

This paper discusses transceiver radio architectures for the 5G immersive experience and for three extended use cases that will be studied in the WP5 of the EU funded mmMAGIC project. The need to provide multi-antenna and multi-node solutions in the mm-wave spectrum is emphasized, as well as the need to encompass legacy and other complementary RATs in this 5G system. The hardware imperfections that should be tackled or worked around in these challenging radio systems are also highlighted

Massive Multiple Input Massive Multiple Output for 5G Wireless Backhauling

In this paper, we propose a new technique for the future fifth generation (5G) cellular network wireless backhauling. We show that hundreds of data streams can be spatially multiplexed through a short range and line of sight "massive multiple input massive multiple output" (MMIMMO) propagation channel thanks to a new low complexity spatial multiplexing scheme, called "block discrete Fourier transform based spatial multiplexing with maximum ratio transmission" (B-DFT-SM-MRT). Its performance in real and existing environments is assessed using ray-tracing tools and advanced antenna models. 1.6 kbits/s/Hz of spectral efficiency is attained, corresponding to 80% of Singular Value Decomposition performance, with a transmitter and a receiver that are 200 and 10,000 times less complex, respectively.Peer reviewe

5G systems: The mmMAGIC project perspective on use cases and challenges between 6-100 GHz

mmMAGIC (Millimetre-Wave Based Mobile Radio Access Network for Fifth Generation Integrated Communications) is an EU funded 5G-PPP project, whose overall objective is to design and pre-develop a mobile radio access technology (RAT) operating in the 6-100 GHz range, capable of impacting standards and other relevant fora. The focus of the project is on extreme Mobile Broadband, which is expected to drive the 5G requirements for massive increase in capacity and data-rates. This paper elaborates on some 5G key research areas such as: identification of the most compelling use-cases and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for future 5G systems, advantages and challenges of millimeter-wave (mmWave) technologies, channel measurements and channel modeling, network architecture; and the design of a new mobile radio interface including multi-node and multi-Antenna transceiver architecture

Use case characterization, KPIs and preferred suitable frequency ranges for future 5G systems between 6 GHz and 100 GHz

In this deliverable use cases and KPIs of interest for mmMAGIC are characterized. Eight usecases suitable for 5G systems operating in the range 6-100GHz are identified in terms ofrequirements. In particular, the following use cases are analyzed: Media on demand; Cloudservices; Dense urban society with distributed crowds; Smart offices; Immersive 5G earlyexperience in targeting hot spots; 50+Mbps everywhere; Moving hot spots; Tactileinternet/video augmented robotic control and remote-robot manipulation surgery. For each ofthe use cases, the more critical KPIs are identified and the gap from the current technologyis also described.An analysis of frequency ranges for future 5G systems between 6 GHz and 100 GHz is reported. A frequency assessment study is conducted in order to compare the frequency ranges for the suitability of delivering key KPIs

Initial multi-node and antenna transmitter and receiver architectures and schemes; Deliverable D5.1

This deliverable provides the initial concepts and solutions from the technical work related to multi-antenna and multi-node transceiver schemes in millimetre wave (denoted as 6-100GHz) spectrum. It also briefly presents the use cases on which the work will be based and categorises the solutions in terms of their applicability to access, backhaul and relay deployments. Another important contribution from this report is the modelling of the hardware impairments in millimetre wave transceivers and the analysis of their impact on system performance