1. What makes Widening Participation Students successful?
Louis Ttofa-Roberts MMedEd
Final Year Medical Student
Dr Richard Price
Dissertation Supervisor

2. Contents Introduction and Background Methodology Results and Findings
Strengths and Limitations
Discussion and Implications
References
Questions

3. Introduction and Background
Widening Participation as a personal interest
Widening Participation as a national interest
Proportionally fewer students from WP backgrounds entering medical school
WP experience of applying to medical school explored, but none of the medical school experience
Concerning the students which WP programmes aim to serve

4. Methodology Four final year medical students Newcastle University
Entered through a WP Programme
Semi-structured interviews
Hermeneutic phenomenology (interpretivism)
Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis
Findings based around three main themes

5. Table of Findings Making sense of their background
Theme
Subtheme
Codes
Making sense of their background
Experience of upbringing and surroundings
Family job type
Connections to medicine
Friends and aspirations
Extracurricular activities
Feelings and attitudes- self and family
View of own background
Family and motivation
Family values towards education
Wanting to make proud
Navigating the processes
Experience at school
School type
School attainment
Working harder than others
Bullying
Working independently
Experience during application process
School's knowledge about process
Careers help and guidance
Own knowledge of application process
Work experience/ voluntary work
Experience of PARTNERS/GATEWAY
Feelings and attitudes- school and application process
Being different at school
School encouragement of grades
Predicted grades
School motivation and encouragement
Back-up plan
Impressions of competition
Prior impressions of University
Approach to application process
Work experience
Feelings during PARTNERS/Gateway
WP and opportunities
‘Finding their feet’
Experience at medical school
Experience of starting University
Living at home/away
Experience of exams
Experience of starting clinical work
WP and financial situation
WP and unexpected challenges
Feelings and attitudes at medical school
Feelings of starting medical school
Perceptions of others' backgrounds
Accent and identity
Learning styles
Attitude to working hard
Background and self-efficacy
Imposter syndrome
Feelings about starting clinical
Patient interactions
WP and identity
WP and self-efficacy
Background and understanding
Helping other WP students
WP and social mobility

6. Making sense of their background
Comparing themselves to other students
Extracurricular interests
Medicine as a ‘normal biography’
Bourdieu’s ‘Habitus’

7. Navigating the Processes
Approach to the application process
Help from school and other sources
Opportunities
Relating to others
Family
Peers
Other applicants

8. Finding their feet Expectations vs reality Approach to academic work
Approach to clinical work
Relationships with peers
Relationships with patients
WP students as future doctors

9. Strengths and Limitations
Rigorous approach
Methodologically sound
Small sample size
One cohort at one medical school
Lack of triangulation

10. Discussion and implications
Implications for WP programmes
Implications for careers advisors
Implications for WP students
Continued support throughout the programme?
For how long is one a ‘WP student?’

11. Potential scope for further research
Wider scale study of this nature
Why do some people not get into medical school?
Why do WP students feel like imposters?

12. Questions?