BioGrad Education's Clinical Skills and Medical Research course is designed and delivered by real doctors and scientists to provide medical school and university applicants with the opportunity to gain hands on experience working in both a realistic clinical setting and using real laboratory equipment in industry standard laboratories. This hybrid clinic and laboratory based course covers crucial techniques in patient assessment and monitoring, disease diagnosis and biomedical research.

This course is designed to give students hands-on experience in both a laboratory and clinical setting under the guidance of our expert tutors, covering a wide range of practical skills including cardiopulmonary examinations, basic life support, patient monitoring, blood typing, bacterial culture, ELISA as a diagnostic assay and more.

The Clinical Skills & Medical Research course runs from 9:30am – 4pm for 5 consecutive days from BioGrad Education’s industry standard laboratories and clinical training facilities in Liverpool. We teach at a low student to tutor ratio (10:1) ensuring that students are closely supervised and encouraged at all times throughout their course. All students receive their own scrubs and stethoscope to use during the week and take home with them!

All our 5-day courses for 16-19 year olds can be used as your Gold DofE Residential! We will also take photos of you during your time in the laboratories and clinics which will be sent to you upon completion, you can use these to begin building your LinkedIn presence and demonstrate your passion for medicine (this is looked upon incredibly favourably by universities and medical schools!). You can opt for a personalised reference written by our senior doctors/scientists to be sent to a member of staff at your school/college, this can be used to support your UCAS application.

This course is perfect for students aged 16-19 who are interested in applying for healthcare related subjects including: Medicine, Nursing and Biomedical Science at university. Experience gained and skills learnt act as highly valuable points of reference during medical school and university applications and interviews.

Prepare to gain confidence, skills, and insights in a challenging yet rewarding environment, where every moment counts. Join us for an unparalleled introduction to clinical and laboratory work!

Day 1 – Clinical Skills I:

Students will learn how to take a patient history and to carry out a head-to-toe patient assessment. Students will learn how to perform basic life support (CPR) on adults, children and infants, as well as how to interpret NEWS charts, take a blood pressure reading using a sphygmomanometer, and measure electrocardiogram (ECG) readings.

Day 2 – Clinical Skills II

Students will be taught about lung anatomy, physiology and pathology. Students will then learn how to carry out peak flow measurements & spirometry for the assessment of lung function and diagnosis of asthma & COPD. Students will learn how to interpret chest X-rays and use patient data to diagnose disease.

Day 3 – Medical Research I

Students are inducted into a research laboratory and are taught how to work safely, how to use a micropipette and to prepare & serially dilute stock solutions using molarity calculations and measuring mass on a balance. During the afternoon session, students learn how to carry out blood typing in the laboratory to match a donor and recipient in a medical emergency.

Day 4 – Medical Research II

Students will gain an in-depth understanding of pathology and immunology and will process a set of clinical samples using ELISA as a diagnostic assay to diagnose patients with an infectious disease. During the afternoon session, students will use all of their clinical & laboratory skills learned on the course to analyse a disease outbreak and will have the opportunity to learn Gram staining of bacteria.

Day 5 – Student Presentations, Career Development Workshop and Certifications:

Student Presentations

At the end of the course students will present one of their experiments to the rest of the group in a formal presentation session. The audience will be able to ask questions and provide an opportunity for students to showcase what they have learned during the course of the week.

Career Development Workshop

Students will attend a networking session with BioGrad scientists where they will have the chance to discuss the many career paths within science and how to gain research experience. This will allow students to build on the experience gained during this course and further their scientific and medical careers.

During this 5-day course, students will learn transferable skills suitable for future medical studies or laboratory work:

• Understanding normal cardiac & pulmonary anatomy and physiology, as well as common diseases.
• Understanding how to take a patient history.
• Performing basic life support on adults, children and infants.
• Interpreting NEWS charts and assessing patient vital signs.
• Taking blood pressure readings using a sphygmomanometer.
• Taking electrocardiogram readings at rest and exertion.
• Using peak flow, spirometry & X-rays to diagnose lung conditions.
• Making stock solutions and explaining how they calculate the concentration to prepare the stocks.
• Using the balance to weigh chemicals and prepare serial dilutions.
• Using different types of pipettes safely, adjusting and measuring the pH of various stock solutions.
• Performing and analysing ELISA results.
• Performing Gram staining of bacteria.
• Carrying out blood typing.

Time is given throughout the course for students to gain a proper understanding of the skills being taught with an opportunity to redo anything that has not been understood at any point.

• Students attending this course are typically on track to apply for medicine, biomedical science or similar life sciences undergraduate programmes with a background studying science subjects.
• A level Biology or equivalent study is recommended to keep up with the course material.
• Students must be between the ages of 16 and 19 at course commencement to be eligible.
Duke of Edinburgh's Award


BioGrad is an Approved Activity Provider for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. This course may be used as your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residential Award, which can be signed off by the course leader on the final day.
Please provide your Duke of Edinburgh Award number on your registration form at the time of booking your course.
Students using this course for their GOLD residential must stay at Quest Aparthotel. Please note course fee does not include accommodation fee.
Accommodation MUST be paid at least 28 days in advance of course commencement.
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