City runners prepare to hit the streets for students’ futures

Staff from the University of Sunderland are lacing up their trainers for one of the biggest running events in the north-east to ensure students can take advantage of every opportunity available to them.

Once again, staff, students and friends of the University are raising money for the Futures Fund through the Sunderland City Runs which takes place on 17 May.

Starting outside of City Hall, the 10km will take runners across Sunderland including Roker Park, the city centre and the University’s St Peter’s Campus.

The Futures Fund offers a selection of scholarships which support students in developing their careers and aspirations.

One of those students is 23-year-old Sara Khattab from Sunderland.

Sara is in the final year of her  MBChB Medicine degree, and recently spent a day at Great Ormond Street Hospital, learning more about paediatric medicine as part of her studies.

Sara was first inspired to take up the challenge of studying medicine when she was a pupil at St Anthony’s Catholic Academy in Sunderland and did her year 12 work experience at a local hospital.

“My work experience confirmed that medicine is for me,” Sara said.

“It was really rewarding seeing young patients get well. One young girl with Down’s Syndrome came in struggling to breath due to a heart defect. The next time I saw her she was on the ward running around and laughing, and I knew then I wanted to make that kind of impact on young people.”

Though her work experience inspired Sara to think about a career in medicine, she had no history of any her family going into this challenging career and was hesitant about taking the next step.

Sara said: “I knew how demanding medicine would be - the working hours, the amount that you have to study, and the emotional challenges. But an open day at the University of Sunderland really made me see it was the right path for me.

“The students I spoke to were very happy to be studying at Sunderland. They showed me the anatomage table (for virtual dissection), and ultrasound machines we use to learn anatomy. It was very inspiring, and a really warm, friendly environment.”

When an opportunity came up to have a day’s experience of specialist paediatric care at Great Ormond Street Hospital Sara approached the University’s Philanthropy Team for support. They secured her funding through the Futures Fund.

Sara spent the day at Great Ormond Street Hospital with other trainee doctors from throughout the country, and learnt about everything from consent, specialist medical equipment, and the core skills of being an effective paediatric doctor.

“The teaching was so well delivered,” Sara said.

“I love that side of medicine, where you try to piece the puzzle pieces together and understand what you are looking at.”

Throughout the day Sara took part in specialist workshops for paediatric care, including how to give newborn babies nutrition through the umbilical cord stump; testing for meningitis through lumber puncture; and how to test a newborn babies blood.

Sara said: “I never knew that in paediatric you don’t do classic blood tests from veins but instead you take blood from the baby’s heal. We had some experienced nurses teaching us the skill and tips for how to do it effectively.

“Overall, we learnt that paediatrics as a specialty is very hands on, and that really drew me to it. Placing a UVC (umbilical venous catheter) a couple of millimetres too far in or out can cause complications. As someone who does embroidery in my free time, I do enjoy tasks that requires so much precision.

“Now I know that paediatrics is the specialty I see myself doing in the future. It would be an honour to be involved in the care of children in the future and work with some of the lovely people who shared their experiences with me.

“I really appreciate all the support I received from the University of Sunderland for this enjoyable event and the valuable learning experience at Great Ormond Street Hospital.”

If you would like to run for the University of Sunderland you can sign up for the run for £10 here and must pledge to raise at least £50 for the Futures Fund.

If you’re not a runner but would still like to support the University's Futures Fund you can find out more at our Enthuse page.

You can find out more about scholarships and bursaries available at the University of Sunderland here.