‘We experienced a lot of inter-generational learning and teaching, a really unique experience’

‘Very relevant as we’ll be treating older patients in the future’

‘There may be other ways of treating people in addition to the traditional way, but might be just as effective’

‘This could be so useful for preventative medicine’

These are just some of the positive feedback comments we had from the year 2 medical students at University of Bristol who have finished their 3-week student choice placements with National Centre for Integrative Medicine last week.

Inspired by the teaching of Atul Gawande, it was themed around Optimum Health in Later Life and the students were joined by elders from the local community who shared their knowledge and life experiences with the medical students. The combination was truly fantastic with the young and older generations speaking and learning from each other.

During their placements, the students learn about a range of integrative, functional and holistic approaches that they can use alongside conventional medicine when they become doctors in the future.

We included a series of wellbeing workshops that both elders and students could take part in, including:

Cooking for wellbeing
Yoga for wellbeing
Breathe for wellbeing
Herbal Teas for wellbeing
Sleep for wellbeing
Qi Cong for wellbeing

It’s been such a joy to have these students learning with us and from the elders over the last 3 weeks, supporting them to expand their knowledge and understanding of integrative medicine. These students are the future of healthcare, it’s so important that they are part of the movement for change to a more holistic, integrated healthcare system.

If you are interested in learning more about Optimum Health in Later Life – we have two fantastic webinars you can listen to for free on our membership site. Join The Society for Integrative Healthcare and watch all our back catalogue of webinars. More information can be found here: https://bit.ly/3XVy1pm