James Cook course opens medical careers to aspiring doctors

James Cook course gives aspiring doctors from low-income backgrounds a week inside the NHS

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More than 30 teenagers spent a week at James Cook learning clinical skills and getting a first-hand look at medical careers through a programme designed to widen access to medicine.

By The Tees · 2 September 2026

A student practises CPR on a training manikin with support from a member of hospital staff at James Cook University Hospital. Image: University Hospitals Tees / South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustImage source

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For more than 30 teenagers considering a future in medicine, a week in Middlesbrough offered something more useful than another prospectus: the chance to see hospital life from the inside.

Students from across the UK spent a week at The James Cook University Hospital in July as part of the I Want to Be a Doctor residential course, which is designed to support high-achieving 16 and 17-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds who hope to medicine.

The programme is delivered by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, part of University Hospitals Tees, in with the Foundation.

Participants worked alongside experienced clinicians and took part in sessions including paediatric resuscitation, anatomical body painting, trauma assessment, cardiac arrest management and radiology. They also received practical help with medical-school applications, including interview communication skills and advice on the admissions process.

The programme has been running at James Cook since 2017. According to the hospital trust, 45% of participants have gone on to medical school.

Louise Campbell, group head of medical education, said the partnership was helping young people explore career routes, build confidence and develop professional skills through meaningful work experience.

For a hospital serving Teesside, the programme also puts widening opportunity alongside development. It gives young people who may face financial or social barriers a clearer view of what a medical career actually involves, and some practical experience to take into the next stage of their education.

: University Hospitals Tees / South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Read the original report on the trust website.