Maureen Malivert
Anticipated Graduation Date: June 2026
I was overwhelmed with emotions when I decided to come to the United Kingdom to start my core rotations. I was concerned but excited and eager for hands-on experience. After a seven hour flight and a one-hour taxi ride, I was at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, UK.
Aylesbury is a quiet, warm, small town with a hospital known worldwide for its spinal unit. There are many perks when rotating at Stoke. The hospital accepts SGU, Oxford, and Buckingham medical students. The students can exchange ideas, learn from each other, and participate in clinical sessions together. I am assigned an SGU student partner for my internal medicine and surgical rotations at Stoke. We work as a team and support each other.
My first day at Stoke started with a meeting with the student coordinator. She gave me a hospital tour, was open to questions, and quickly responded to emails. The team here believes in work/life balance. We have weekly teaching sessions for clinical approach to patient care, student/professional doctor case presentations, skill sessions, radiology teachings, and fun events to de-stress. On the wards, we work with junior doctors to take patient blood, prep charts, present the patient to the physician, and sometimes complete an entire patient encounter. The physicians I have encountered thus far are approachable. They are willing to teach and guide, and most importantly, they are proficient in their respective fields. At Stoke, I am treated as a trainee junior doctor and have supervised hands-on experience. My confidence as a future doctor has been strengthened through this experience. I am grateful to everyone who ensures I have a good experience at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
'My confidence as a future doctor has been strengthened through this experience'