I was delighted to attend the RCPsych in Wales’ Summer School, by Cerys Allen

I recently attended the 2026 RCPsych in Wales Summer School for Year 11 students who are interested in a future career in healthcare. I was delighted to gain a place as there are relatively few opportunities for super-curricular events in more rural parts of Wales such as where I live in Pembrokeshire.

Day One (30 June) started in the RCPsych in Wales office in Cardiff city centre. Firstly, we heard from Joshna Patel who gave us an informative talk on university admissions, medical school entry requirements and education in general.

Next, Dr Darren Cousins gave an interesting presentation on Sexual Health and AI which started with an intriguing PowerPoint on syphilis and its stigma in a historical context. He developed the conversation around stigma further with regards to HIV and making sure the right people get access to PrEP.

After the morning break, Dr Kim Kendall introduced her role and her clinical research. She spoke about her fascinating work on the genomic basis of severe mental illnesses. Her clinic is the first of its kind in the UK. Dr Kendall also spoke about careers in psychiatry and the importance of gaining work experience. Since leaving the Summer School, I have looked up Dr Kendall’s publications and attempted to read my first academic article!

We then had an engaging and interactive session with Dr Sunil Palapaka where we were able to respond to his questions by using our mobile devices via a QR code. This formed our subsequent debate on adolescent issues such as sleep, screentime and its effect on mental health and neurodivergence. 

Our next speaker of the day was Professor Elen Jones who shared some invaluable information on how pharmacy is developing in Wales and also the development of bilingualism in the field. It was interesting to hear about the exciting developments in prescribing by pharmacists.

Professor Ben Thomas then shared his moving story of how he first got into mental health nursing. We had an interesting discussion on the emergency services’ response to those in moments of mental health crises.

Dr Gulesh Kumar spoke about his career in psychiatry. He had a really interesting way of speaking about the human mind which I found intriguing. We spoke of brain simulation and ECT.

Day two (1 July) started with a tour of the Senedd. We learned about the significance of the architecture of the building and how conducive the design of the Siambr is to respectful debate. We then got to sit in the viewing gallery and could ask questions. We also walked around Y Farchnad - a market style event in the Senedd.

Natasha Asghar MS then met with us and spoke about how she got into politics as a career and again shared the importance of work experience.

We then moved to the Urdd Centre where we painted a mural which is a collaborative project for the Dyfodol programme.

Later we took part in a very interesting workshop with Dafydd Huw. We had to design and present our own hypothetical policy. It was an eye-opening experience in policy making where we had to consider the target groups, budget restraints and other factors.

Closing remarks were made by Professor Alka Ahuja. On behalf of all the attendees, I would thank Professor Ahuja and Dafydd Huw along with all the professionals who gave their time to the Summer School. It really was an invaluable experience and a real insight into psychiatry and other healthcare professions. Diolch yn fawr!

Cerys Allen, Year 11 student, Pembrokeshire, Wales