Student Societies - Lessons learned from experience
In supporting the Medical Student Societies over the last year, we have learned a number of lessons
which we thought would be useful to pass on, particularly as society committees usually change year
on year. Passing on a few tips might help to prevent similar mistakes being made repeatedly.

Register with the students union
Registering with the students’ Union will allow you access to important training, support and a
student union account. Because this is so important, Manchester Medical School will not
consider financial support to societies that are not registered.
Be aware that legally the Students Union, and registered societies, are separate from the
University of Manchester. This means that if your society runs into legal difficulties, it will be the
Students Union lawyers you will need to turn to.

Never use copyright images in promotional leaflets or websites
Only ever use images you have taken or created yourself or you have downloaded from a site
that clearly states the images are free to use. Images on journal sites are copyright even if you
reference the source. The only exceptions to this are where you are acknowledging sponsors by
adding a thank you and a logo on your materials, such as “With thanks to Manchester Medical
School for their support”.

Remember to consider the risks
Societies’ activities will not be covered by University insurance should someone be injured.
Sports, bouncy castles, tug of war, inflatable sumo suits, suturing or blood tests all carry a
potential (albeit small) risk. Make sure you could demonstrate that you have considered this,
tried to minimise the risk and made participants aware of it. For example have a short “briefing”
for participants; ensure first aid equipment is on hand; have a plan for disposing of sharps if used
and have a named individual to act as leader / emergency co-ordinator for each event.
If you are undertaking any activities that in a clinical setting would require indemnity (insurance)
cover, such as finger prick blood tests during health checks, then you must be sure that you have
the indemnity (insurance) cover that would be expected in any other clinical setting. Student
membership of defense unions generally provides advice only, not insurance.

Help to avoid duplication of activities and advertise your events at the same time
Medsoc has developed a google calendar that societies can feed into. You need an ical app (So I
am told). If the major societies events are listed on one overarching calendar (as far in advance
as possible) we should avoid
- Diary clashes between big events
- Too much duplication (such as talks on similar topics)
This means you will have better attendance at the events you put on.
 Find a simple accounting system and stick to it
Where ever your funding comes from, it is essential that all societies can show clearly where all
their money was spent. Remember: Starting balance + income – expenditure = Current balance
 Keep a tally of attendance at events and think about a simple evaluation
A record of attendance and the views of those attending your events will help you when it
comes to applying for future funding, and will also help you to recognise what worked well and
what needs to be changed or avoided next time. A simple evaluation form is attached.
 Make sure your educational messages are sound
Remember that you might be held responsible by students who fail their exams if you put on a
teaching day and advise them that “if you do it this way, you will pass” or “you can ignore that
bit of the curriculum as it is never tested”. You need to be very careful about your advice. There
is a difference between saying you found a particular book useful and saying that it is the only
book a student will need to use. Similarly there is a difference between saying that your
assessment contained few questions about a topic and saying that the topic is never assessed.
Make sure you (and any students or FY doctors speaking for at your society events) always give
balanced advice and always advise students to refer back to the official information or to their
tutors to check information is up to date.
 Boost your audience by recording educational events
Remember some students may not be able to attend in person but may still wish to hear what
your speakers have to say. Media Services will loan video equipment for free but you will need
to have a staff member to act as guarantor. Contact me (pip.fisher@manchester.ac.uk) if you
wish to use this option.

Raising funds for charity
If you are having a charitable fundraiser you may already have a specific charity in mind. If not
you may wish to support the villages in Nepal that were hit by an earthquake in 2015. A
Manchester graduate, Dr Kanccha Sherpa, whose home village was hit by the earthquake has
suggested raising money for one of the following charities
http://nepalesechildrenstrust.co.uk
http://www.canepal.org.uk
http://www.ketaketi.be
 Finally, if in doubt – ask!
Good luck
Pip
Dr Pip Fisher
Director of Student Experience.
Pip.fisher@manchester.ac.uk
Thanks for giving us your views.
We will use these to help us design future events.
Which event did you attend?
Topic…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Date…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Which year of the programme are you in?.................................................................
On a scale of 1 – 5:
How interesting was this event?
Not at all interesting
1
2
3
4
Very interesting
5
How useful was the event for you?
Not at all useful
1
2
3
4
Very useful
5
How well organised was the event?
Badly organised
1
2
3
4
Very well organised
5
Would you recommend this event to other students in future?
Not worth recommending
1
2
3
4
Definitely worth recommending
5
What was the best part of the event for you?
Is there anything we should change in future?
Are there other topics you would like covered in the optional extra events?