From scrubs to strides: The medical students that made their mark at their local jogscotland group

By George Findlay, Anster Allsorts Jog Leader

At the end of an Anster Allsorts Thursday session in Crail in October 2022, a 6ft 5in bearded ex-rugby player approached our chatting running group to ask where and when we met. Daniel Martin had made his first contact with the Allsorts and little did we know the impact it would have.

Dan attended his first session in Anstruther the following Tuesday and became almost evangelical in bringing along more than a dozen of his fellow medical students from the University of St Andrews. The group were all completing their ScotGEM (Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine) programme, a four-year course for graduates of any discipline run in collaboration with NHS Scotland which focuses on rural medicine, community-based practice and developing medical generalists.

The students became regular attendees and having come from all over the UK, this diversity added a new dimension to the group, as well as definitely reducing the average age of the Allsorts!

One of the students, Kirstin Winter said:

“As a student who was far away from home, having a place to go and move my body with some friendly faces was a source of stability and comfort”.

Another, Alisha McColl, added:

“The group was very welcoming, and I got to know people of all ages and backgrounds. I really like the social aspect of the group and there is an emphasis on celebrating personal achievement”.

The medics embraced the Anster Allsorts ethos, taking part in a variety of sessions, parkruns, charity events, the jogscotland Tagalong initiative in January 2023, and our Bertie Bassett Challenge runs. For some it was their first time running, while for others it was a restart. Kirstin has now run two marathons; Dan has run over 100 parkruns, and several have run half marathons.

A social highlight was a highly successful joint ceilidh organised by Dan, his partner Heather, and two of the Allsorts, Morag and Audrey. Despite coming from Peterborough, Dan loves a ceilidh! Such was their impact that Dan was voted Allsort of the Year and Heather Goodsort of the Year by fellow Allsort members in 2023.

The ScotGEM course involves several clinical placements for students in rural areas such as in Orkney, Highlands, Dumfries and Galloway, Tayside and Fife over their four-year course. Although the Allsort medics were spread throughout the country, contact was kept when they were back in Fife for inductions, exams and placement, and several came along whenever possible over the years.

Alisha commented:

“One of the difficult parts of medicine is having to move to different areas and hospitals. Each time starting over with new colleagues and trying to make new friends. For me, the Allsorts have been something constant”.

The medical students graduated at St Andrews in July 2026 and Bertie Bassett, the Allsorts mascot, was there to celebrate the new doctors’ success with them. Dan organised a Graduation Night Ceilidh on the beach at the St Andrews West Sands, fittingly the location of the famous scene from the film “Chariots of Fire”. The Allsorts were all invited, and it was a truly joyous occasion with the Allsorts mixing and dancing with the graduates and their parents.

The contact continues although the medics are now doctors in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as several of the current fourth year students, who attended in their third year (encouraged by Dan) will hopefully attend the Allsorts when possible. The relationship has been one of enrichment and benefits for everyone.

The final words go to the doctors.

Alisha: “We really appreciate how welcoming the Allsorts have been and will continue to encourage other medical students to engage with the group”.

Kirstin: “The Allsorts are made up of people of all ages, abilities and walks of life. This diversity brings a richness to conversation. In a society that sometimes feels divided, engaging in these communities of all ages is more important than ever”.

Dan: “As a medical student, it’s great to mix with and chat to people of all ages as community members and not just patients. It’s an invaluable experience in empathy”.

The students eloquently embrace the ethos of the jogscotland groups throughout the country. Whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever your background or ability, we have a place for you and you are welcome here.