Academic Planner for Medical Students
Sophie-Rose Ekitok
Recent Enterprise Scholar
Medicine Plus student, Sophie-Rose Ekitok combines a traditional Medical degree with Enterprise. This combination of studies along with first-hand experiences on her GP placement inspired Sophie-Rose to develop an academic planner specifically to support medical students. This idea led to a successful Spark Enterprise Scholarship application and a place at the Spark Enterprise Boot Camp.
During her GP placement, Sophie-Rose quickly discovered there was a lot more to the job of a GP than perhaps she had initially recognised.
“There’s so much more than prescribing medication. GPs are the people speaking to the patients face-to-face, as well as those discussing the details of treatment with hospital managers and staff, such as waiting times and administration of specific drugs”
Sophie-Rose Ekitok
Founder
Academic Planner for Medical Students
Presently, the planner is in an A5 paper format with weekly and monthly view pages. Revision tips have been included throughout, allowing readers to learn as they go. Ultimately, the planner has been designed to improve organisational skills and support learning. A number of initial copies have been printed and distributed to medical students for market research purposes. Sophie-Rose plans to conduct individual interviews with these users to understand their experiences of the planner and seek suggestions for improvement.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed being an active entrepreneur! It has been so rewarding to see my idea come to life and accept the harsh realities of entrepreneurship. In particular, I found the Spark Enterprise Boot Camp very helpful for my professional and interpersonal development. It was refreshing to meeting other entrepreneurs because I have few opportunities to discuss my idea with like-minded people. Moreover, Bootcamp helped improve my social skills by networking with others”
“Mentoring on offer has been integral for the business progress. I have received constructive criticism about the weaknesses of my business model and how to avoid preventable mishaps. I intend to maintain my relationship with SPARK as the business grows because their input is invaluable.”
Sophie-Rose’s chosen method of combined medical and enterprise study has helped her achieve clarity on how practising medicine and creating a business can connect.
“Through my initial enterprise – the academic planner – I can already see how I have the chance to put these ideas into practice. Studying enterprise alongside medicine has also shown me there are many opportunities available to me and given me the tools to progress them. I would like to create other businesses and product ideas to enhance my medical career”.
Over the next year, Sophie-Rose intends to reform the academic planner into a website and app with more organisational and learning features. Currently preparing for launch of the e-academic planner in September 2024 whilst working as a doctor in order to market this product to medical students. Sophie-Rose also intends to work part-time as a doctor to allocate more time to this venture.
“As a Spark scholar, I have learnt that entrepreneurs and their ideas should be adaptable to the needs of customers. I have also learned how to balance my time between medicine and entrepreneurship hence I will transfer this skill when practising as a medical doctor.”
