Final Year Medical Student wins Just CU’s Bursary
A medical student in her final year at university is the winner of a £500 bursary in memory of a long-time Midlands-based credit union supporter.
Emily Bracegirdle-Morais, 22, of Albrighton, who is studying medicine and surgery at the University of Birmingham, says the Just Credit Union bursary will help ease the ‘financial pressures’ of her fifth year.
The award is in memory of Roger Walker who was instrumental in setting up the not-for-profit savings and loans co-operative of which he remained involved until he passed away in 2020.
Steve Barras, Just Credit Union Development Manager, said today: “Education of young people in the region was close to Roger’s heart so this grant is particularly important.
“The £500 grant, now in its fifth year, helps young people to continue in further education and Roger would have fully endorsed the selection of Emily for this award.”
He added: “We are delighted to be able to make another award this year. It has made a huge difference to past recipients who have used the grant to assist with purchasing equipment enabling them to access their course. The grant has also helped pay for specialist accommodation that meets their specific needs and can be used for a variety of purposes, including transport costs, fees or equipment necessary for the individual’s education course.”
Emily said today: “I’m incredibly grateful to receive this bursary, particularly towards the cost of travelling to clinical appointments. It will allow me to focus more fully on my training as I work towards becoming a doctor.”
Emily said she is the first person in her ‘low-income’ family to attend university and throughout her education has worked hard to pursue her ambition of becoming a doctor while managing the financial challenges associated with studying medicine. “Alongside my studies I have also undertaken additional jobs including working as a Basic Life Support Instructor and Assessor allowing me to contribute to healthcare education while developing my own skills and helping me financially alongside my placement. My financial circumstances have become more challenging during my fifth year of medical school. Unlike previous years, student funding arrangements have changed, resulting in a reduced maintenance loan at a stage of my course where my costs have increased significantly. Clinical placements are a major part of fifth-year medical training and require frequent travel to hospitals across the region. These travel costs, alongside essential clinical equipment, study resources, and other expenses required to participate fully in my course, create a substantial financial burden.”
Emily explained about the additional cost of attending placements: “As a medical student, I am required to attend placements in different healthcare settings, often involving additional transport costs compared with a typical university course. These expenses are unavoidable and directly contribute to my ability to complete my training and gain the clinical experience required to become a doctor.”
The Just Credit Union award was open to applicants aged between 17 and 25 and completing a full-time or part-time vocational or academic course at diploma or degree level. A further stipulation was that applicants should currently live in one of Just Credit Union’s common bond areas of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, Herefordshire, Wyre Forest, Malvern Hills, Worcester, Stafford, Newcastle Under Lyme, South Staffordshire or Stoke-on-Trent, but could study anywhere in the UK.
