Medical registrar who graduated with distinction: UCAT/Interviews/Exam prep for current med students/Postgrad CV/MRCP prep

Find out more about Richard

• 1) When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I have incorporated teaching throughout medical school in my own revision group as I believe it is one of the best ways to learn and solidify one's own knowledge, whilst teaching others.
  
  I find teaching immensely rewarding and empowering to help students to navigate through their academic journeys and help to achieve their goals.

• 2) Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach basic sciences, UCAT, I assist with the university admissions process including help with personal statements, interview preparation and selecting the right universities/medical schools. I can also help with undergraduate and postgraduate medical exams and research proposals/academic writing/medical statistics.
  
  Applying to university/medical school can be a daunting task which I can help with as someone who has already been through the process.
  
  Regarding exam revision I like to make this as structured as possible by designing a bespoke revision timetable with you and focusing on your weakest areas to make them your strongest topics and boost your exam average scores.

• 3) Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I think the best role models are those that have achieved great things in their career, and they leave a lasting impression on you that inspires you want to replicate their strong work ethic to be successful.
  
  In my own experience, a professor that lectured us at university instilled an attitude in me to be better than the average student. This can only be achieved through working harder and smarter than those around us to achieve our goals.

• 4) What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  A good tutor knows how their students tick, they recognise the students' weaker areas, and give praise where appropriate when their students excel. They encourage the student to reflect on the extent of their progress throughout their tuition to instil a sense of reward and satisfaction as their students' knowledge base and confidence improve.
  
  Tutors must be respectful, insightful, punctual and patient and I believe I possess all of these attributes.

• 5) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  One of the doctors that previously taught me at medical school went to Cambridge University. He recalled when he was sitting his medical finals and all the students were stressing about the exams which were imminent. The day before the final BM exam whilst most students were cramming in the library, one of his friends was instead relaxing by punting on a boat down the River Cam. This friend scored the highest grade in the year on the exam the next day.
  
  The shows the importance of maintaining your cool even in the face of a very pressurised exam environment and of preparing for an exam properly well in advance. I try to instil the same attitudes and preparation in my students.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  We all have topics within our chosen subject that we struggle with or do not enjoy. These are the subjects that we most dread revising as they take us a significant amount of time to comprehend and memorise. Often these are the more academically challenging topics which frequently tend to be assessed as they are a good distinguisher between different students.
  
  The volume of knowledge required to learn within medicine is so vast, that these topics can be extremely challenging to cover and memorise. Maintaining motivation to cover these topics is also a real challenge but the techniques I will show you will break these down into more manageable chunks and turn your weakest subjects into your strongest ones.

• 7) Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I like to incorporate nomination and quizzing around the topic as much as possible in my teaching. This ensures my students really understand the content they are revising, rather than just memorising information and concepts that they do not fully understand. This makes the process of assimilating vast quantities of information much easier and allows my students to retain information for a much longer period of time.
  
  I believe in the concept that a healthy body maintains a healthy mind and building revision breaks into your schedule (preferably with light exercise) is really important to be as efficient as possible when revising.
  
  Personally I am passionate about sport - rugby, football, tennis and jogging which I use to decompress from work. I'm also a self confessed coffee snob and caffeine has certainly helped with many late night revision sessions whilst at university!

• 8) What makes you a Superprof

  Prior to university I had a very poor work ethic and I had to resit exams at college in order to get into medical school. During this time, I was working a part-time, minimum wage job washing dishes at a pub.
  
  This process and period in my life engrained a strong work ethic within me and taught me that only hard work and determination can bring you success and this is solely up to you. Following this period I worked as hard as I could during university as I felt so lucky to have obtained a place to study medicine. This hard work paid off as I was one of 8 students to achieve an honours in the overall medical degree.
  
  My aim is to instil this same sense of determination in my students and hopefully inspire them that anyone can achieve their goals if they are motivated and dedicated enough.