The first cohort of graduate-entry medical students from the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine (PCSM) arrived at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) in December for a one-week introductory clinical placement, marking a milestone in the region’s drive to grow and retain its future medical workforce. 
This initiative underscores the commitment to strengthening healthcare education in Cumbria. The placements give students early, supervised exposure to patient care and multidisciplinary teamwork - core elements of PCSM’s bespoke, community-focused curriculum. The programme is designed to address Cumbria’s longstanding doctor shortages by training new clinicians in the communities they will have the opportunity to go on to serve.
“The placement with North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust at the Cumberland Infirmary was fantastic, I enjoyed it so much” – Safy Irwin, PCSM Student and Academic Rep
“I’ve been thinking back to my placement and remembering the doctor I shadowed. They always carried a detailed patient list, but when we met each patient, the paperwork no longer seemed important- what mattered was the person in front of us. That experience taught me an essential clinical skill, looking beyond the chart to truly understand the patient.” Megha Majumder, PCSM Student and Academic Rep
PCSM was launched to help tackle the area’s workforce gaps and health inequalities by building a pipeline of doctors with strong ties to the county. Its bespoke curriculum has been developed to meet local population needs and prepare students for multi‑professional, place‑based care.
Professor Mary Morrell, Head of School at PCSM, said the start of placements represents exactly the kind of locally embedded learning the new medical school was founded to deliver, linking classroom learning with clinical environments and prevention-focused practice.
Miss Claire Young Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and NCIC Programme Director for PCSM said, “The first clinical placement ran really well. Initial feedback from the students, and faculty delivering the placement, acknowledged how beneficial the students found interaction with doctors and other healthcare professionals and the students really enjoyed the experience”
Dr Louise Buchanan, Medical Director for Professional Standards said, “It was a really exciting week - we are proud to support our doctors of the future as they started their clinical placements. We’re delighted to be working closely with Pears and see it as a key step in addressing recruitment and retention of doctors in the region. I’m looking forward to our first doctors from the school joining us at NCIC when they qualify from 2029.”
PCSM, the first graduate-entry medical school in Cumbria, established with philanthropic support from the Pears Foundation. It welcomed the inaugural cohort in August 2025. The school’s mission aligns with the NHS 10 - Year Health Plan, focusing on expanding medical education in areas with the greatest staff shortfalls and unmet need.
The medical school is based at the University of Cumbria’s Fusehill Street campus in Carlisle, a site with deep roots in local healthcare history. Students study an Imperial-awarded MBBS, with a bespoke curriculum tailored to Cumbria, blending medical science with early patient contact, simulation and research-informed practice.