When 16-year-old Laurence Wilson broke his wrist in a fall at school, he didn’t realise he’d set himself on the path to his dream career.

The teen, who attends sixth form at Ilford County High School, had been interested in medicine but wasn’t sure if it was for him. To make his mind up, he asked our surgeon, Philip Mathew, who operated on him for work experience.

Laurence said: “I came back the following summer, once I was fully healed, and it was so useful to see everything that goes on in a hospital.

“It made up my mind on the career I want and I feel really passionately about it. I know it can be difficult to get work experience with doctors, so I was really grateful to Mr Mathew and his team.”

Careers in medicine run in Laurence’s family as his mother is a pharmacist and his grandmother a GP.

He completed his work experience at Queen’s Hospital over this summer and got to observe and shadow the surgeon and his team at work, including watching them operate and attending ward rounds.

Laurence, who is studying for A-levels in physics, biology, chemistry and maths, added: “It was really exciting to observe a surgery but I think I enjoyed the ward rounds the most as I got see what the doctors do day-to-day. They helped me to make sure I didn’t feel like I was intruding and really treated me like one of the team.”

Laurence, of Perrymans Farm Road, Newbury Park, hopes to become an ophthalmology surgeon, treating disorders of the eye.

Pictured is Laurence at Queen’s Hospital.