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Tolani Osena • Medical Student

@tolanimed

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KMMS ‘28
KMMS Medsoc President | AMBOSSador
Advocating for inclusive, patient-centred medicine! 🏥
A peek into my medical school journey 🩺👩🏽‍⚕️🧡

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Hey, welcome to TolaniMed and my first med dump 👩🏽‍⚕️🩷 - as year 1’s resident tiktok doctor I felt it was time to finally make a post on my account!

A little bit about me… I am a first year medical student at Kent and Medway Medical school! I am the first in my family to attend medical school and came straight from A levels!📚I made this account to document my journey through medical school after seeing some other incredible accounts like @sonytene @faithandscrubs_ @mim.medic at my medical school :) I’m really looking forward to posting more here ⭐️ It’s currently exam/essay season so a term 2 post will be coming soon - so far I am really enjoying medical school, that’s not to say it doesn’t come with hardships, but I am so privileged to be here and have the chance to share my journey with you all :)

1. Obligatory placement selfie! At KMMS we attend 6 weeks of GP placement in our first year, this one of the amazing things that drew me to study here, the chance to meet patients and learn from doctors is so incredible 🩺

2. The gorgeous @wags_wfc - a picture before an intense match during Brighton Varsity, I haven’t been able to play as much this term but I’m really looking forward to starting again next term ⚽️🩷

3. Learning respiratory examinations and of course, Nick ensured I had a photo with my new stethoscope 😂

4. Practicing for our first presentation with my placement partners! It went so well and we were all so pleased with the hard work we put into it :) That picture was taken seconds after our AKT results came out 🫢

5. It wouldn’t be KMMS without a year group collage, it’s safe to say we all were very much excited to see all our faces 🧡

6. Our resident medsoc president and I at the winter ball with my new sashes, most likely to be tikok doctor being the most important of course 😉

7. It’s safe to say I never thought I would have the chance to make red blood cells in playdough at medical school 🩸

8. Like @fayebate my love for musical theatre and medicine come hand in hand! I’ve spent this term preparing for a show with some amazing people 🎪

9. A super smiley picture of me and Laura as I always am around her 💐 taken in Kent and Medway Medical School by @tolanimed

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3 years ago

Today we got to spend sometime with @petsastherapy_uk for the @kmmh_nhs mental awareness week 🐾💙 A wonderful end to our @kmmsmedschool psychiatry placement and the last day of Y3 clinical placement at @ekhuft!

@_maisie_fitzgerald_ and I had the best time with the incredible psychiatry teams :) Lots more reflections and experiences to share 👩🏽‍⚕️ but for now, getting through the Y3 AKT & OSCE is the goal✨ - Hope everyone is having a good exam season, I’m sure you will all smash it 🙌🏽

Good news and vlogs to come soon, stay posted…

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#medicalstudentlife #psychiatry #womeninmedicine #kentandmedwaymedicalschool #mentalhealthawarenessweek taken in Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust by @tolanimed

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4 months ago

in my element 🧡🍾 - it was such a pleasure to help host the halfway and spring ball for @kmmsmedsoc @kmmsmedschool this year! A massive thank you to all the incredible people who made these gorgeous events happen @harryjemms @cleoxisabella @kierahackett.x🌟💃🏽 & @timo_kuerten for capturing the night so well 📸
Thank you to everyone who attended, I hope you all had the most beautiful nights, see you next year! 💐🥂🪩 taken in Canterbury Cathedral Lodge by @tolanimed

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6 months ago

State School → Medical School: It’s Possible 🩺✨

Last week I went back to where it all began, @rodingvalleyhs, to deliver a talk to the Medical Society, and it felt so full circle.

As the first in my family to pursue medicine with little no connections within healthcare, I know how daunting the journey can feel coming from a state school background. That’s why it meant so much to come back and speak to students facing the same challenges I once did.

💡The goal?
To provide Years 10-13 with a realistic, inspiring look at life at @kmmsmedschool - from early longitudinal clinical exposure, smaller class sizes, and person-centred learning, to the importance of a supportive community. I also aimed to demystify the medical school application process and share the aspects of the course I enjoy most.

✅ The best part?
Meeting such engaged, inquisitive students - I thoroughly enjoyed addressing their questions during the Q&A session (and the conversations continuing after the talk!). I’m especially excited that I’ll now be mentoring two brilliant RVHS students as they prepare their own applications.

🤷🏽‍♀️ Can you do this too? Absolutely ✨
Stay in touch with those who supported you on your journey. Reach out to your former teachers via email - you never know which aspiring medics might benefit from your guidance. A diverse NHS is a stronger NHS, and widening participation starts with opening doors and sharing knowledge.

A special thank you to Ms Hodges, it was so lovely to see you again 🤍 It meant so much to reflect on how far I’ve come with your support, from helping me with my application to guiding me as I delivered my first talk as a medical student! 👩🏽‍🏫

Representation matters. Support matters. Giving back matters.

#MedicalSchool #StateSchoolProud #WideningParticipation #Mentorship taken in Roding Valley High School by @tolanimed

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7 months ago

An insight into KMMS Year 3 & moving into clinical medicine: a big learning curve and the best part of my medical journey yet 🩺✨

Surgery was a specialty I’d never imagined myself in and at first it felt pretty daunting. Starting at the hospital somewhat swallowed my confidence, and as someone who loves talking to people and asking questions, that really surprised me. I was even scared to bother HCPs for sign-offs at the start - don’t worry, pro now ;)

It took 2–3 weeks to settle in (hang in there if that’s you now!), work out where to go, and feel like I belonged. But with time, lovely patient and clinician interactions, and my amazing placement partner @_maisie_fitzgerald_ , things started to click.

@ekhuft is a wonderful teaching trust and I would definitely recommend it. Experiencing theatres, clinics, and difficult conversations underlined the incredible privilege it is to be a medical student - one I will never take for granted! ⭐️

I am incredibly grateful for the support from Y5 med students and FY1s like @laura.rogersx @amelia_townsend - getting through CBDs, lectures, grand rounds, and supervisor expectations felt a lot less daunting with your support in my first term.

I haven’t decided if surgery is for me - I’d love to experience a general surgery rotation in FY1. I loved the pace and variety of clinical exposure, so we’ll see… not totally off the cards! ⚡

Going from feeling like an imposter at the start to finishing with a commendation in my case-based presentation was a massive highlight. My love for patient care and conversations had its place in this specialty and supported me through my case.

I also spent this block getting my head around the portfolio side of things (post coming 👀) and thinking more about my passions, conferences, and what I enjoy about medicine - there’s no better time than now to figure that out.

And of course I ended the rotation giving everyone cards and small Christmas presents in true tolani fashion 🎁♥️ I don’t believe anyone is too senior for a thoughtful gift! (kindness goes a long way).

Onto my medical rotation, update coming soon - wishing everyone the best in their studies/rotations this term! x taken in Kent, United Kingdom by @tolanimed

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9 months ago

I grew up watching Pointless at the dinner table with my grandparents every Friday, to have the incredible chance in 2023 to take part in the show with my Grandad and then to win, was just the most special experience for both of us & I am beyond grateful that everyone gets to see it now!

A special thanks to @chloelhackett @laura.rogersx, for hosting such a wonderful watch party- I appreciate you both endlessly 🫂 Feeling so loved and so so blessed, thank you to everyone for all the kind messages & for tuning in, my heart is so full! 💐♥️x

You can still catch us on @bbciplayer @bbcone if you missed it :) taken in BBC One by @tolanimed

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2 years ago

6 Lessons from Pre-Clinical Years 🫶🏽

This was honestly a really hard term (Y1, term 2) for me! Lots of winter colds, a pretty bad neck injury, new essay deadlines, an MT show and our first in depth medical module. Overwhelming is not the word ;) But through this I learnt so many lessons about tackling life at medical school soo I thought I would share some. And yes this was definitely written while procrastinating studying for NME (our new module).

1️⃣ Speak to the older students! I’ve been so blessed to get know some amazing KMMS students throughout the years. They have the most valuable insights about life in medical school, what to get involved in and how placements may look. Not only that but in the least cringe way possible, they are living proof that you can make it through this journey.

2️⃣ Having a community outside of medicine will be your saving grace, talking about medicine all day can be exhausting, intense and even emotional. This is especially true for KMMS students as we tend to live with medical students throughout our time at medical school. Choose a society/activity that is relaxing for you, takes your mind off work and allows you to focus on something that you love.

3️⃣ Work-life balance is possible but it is not easy. Some fantastic advice I received was to start working on this as soon as possible. As you progress in your medical career it gets more and more difficult to establish your time, especially when there is always more to do! Try and set boundaries now to figure out what is important to you.

4️⃣ Spending time with friends, family and people that you love is so so important and connecting with those that understand/respect your workload is so valuable.

5️⃣ Put your mental health first always! It is impossible to get better pushing your body to the limit which we as medical students know too well. Self care! Self care! Sometimes you need to nap all day 🤭

6️⃣ If there is an event, society, research opportunity or commitee role - take part now! Especially in your first two years, you will never have this much free time again so make the most of it while you can :)

Ft. my pride and joy - Chihiro 🐈‍⬛❤️ taken in Kent and Medway Medical School by @tolanimed

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2 years ago

13/03/2024 - Attending a London Assembly Health Committee Meeting 💚

Today I went to City Hall to attend the Health Commitee meeting and meet with Deputy Chair @carolinerussell.green, it was such a fantastic opportunity and I really enjoyed the chance to understand more about the work the London Assembly is doing to support public health issues in London, specifically the Mayor’s Health Inequalities strategy!

⭐️I have always had a huge interest in public health and promoting both health equity and equality in the NHS! Currently, as I am in my first year I am looking to explore and understand the different fields of public health and how I will be able to incorporate this interest into my future medical career.

⭐️I hugely recommend to any medical students to reach out and take proactive steps towards fields you are interested in at any point, it can be small like a trip! It is so fulfilling and empowering to see where all your hard work can take you… especially during long exam seasons :)

⭐️ A little bit about Caroline: “Currently, she is the Leader of the City Hall Greens and serves as Chair of Police and Crime Committee, where she is focused on reducing violence and protecting young Londoners. Caroline is also Deputy Chair of Health Committee, where she raises awareness about the lack of public toilets in London, access to everyday healthcare for gender diverse Londoners, and the need to reduce drug harm.” taken in City Hall, London by @tolanimed

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3 years ago