Being a mature student Doctor
Discussion
aspirated said:
This thread is interesting, I'm currently 16, just left school and looking to pursue a career in medicine 
Stupid question, but you're going to college yeah? What A levels are you going to do? That's a fair bit of shadowing already and you've two years to get more. What's your extracurricular stuff like? sports? musical instruments?. It's good to show you're a well rounded person, some volunteering wouldn't go amiss.
You've loads of time to build a good application. The UCAS adviser at the college where I studied my access course was excellent for pointing out the sorts of things admissions teams expect to see
That is a good amount of work experience already, and definitely enough for an application. Although being in hospital is fun, so I don't blame you for wanting to experience more.
With some clinical exposure under your belt you need to start thinking about what else to add to your armoury of experience. As above, spending time in a care home is a fantastic idea. It will add more to your personal statement than another week in a hospital. Medical schools love you spending time in care homes and stuff like working with disabled children etc. Not only do you actually DO stuff in those environments, it shows it's not the presumed glamour of medicine you're interested in, it's people. If you can show you really care about people then you're a step ahead. I hadn't got a single day of clinical experience but having worked as a carer for a few months and helped disabled children learn to horseride helped me swing a place.
Good on you for thinking ahead and good luck
With some clinical exposure under your belt you need to start thinking about what else to add to your armoury of experience. As above, spending time in a care home is a fantastic idea. It will add more to your personal statement than another week in a hospital. Medical schools love you spending time in care homes and stuff like working with disabled children etc. Not only do you actually DO stuff in those environments, it shows it's not the presumed glamour of medicine you're interested in, it's people. If you can show you really care about people then you're a step ahead. I hadn't got a single day of clinical experience but having worked as a carer for a few months and helped disabled children learn to horseride helped me swing a place.
Good on you for thinking ahead and good luck
matt12023 said:
Stupid question, but you're going to college yeah? What A levels are you going to do?
That's a fair bit of shadowing already and you've two years to get more. What's your extracurricular stuff like? sports? musical instruments?. It's good to show you're a well rounded person, some volunteering wouldn't go amiss.
You've loads of time to build a good application. The UCAS adviser at the college where I studied my access course was excellent for pointing out the sorts of things admissions teams expect to see
Starting college in September, doing Chem, Bio, Maths and Economics, just to keep my options open. (was going to do Physics instead of Economics but swapped over)That's a fair bit of shadowing already and you've two years to get more. What's your extracurricular stuff like? sports? musical instruments?. It's good to show you're a well rounded person, some volunteering wouldn't go amiss.
You've loads of time to build a good application. The UCAS adviser at the college where I studied my access course was excellent for pointing out the sorts of things admissions teams expect to see
I've applied to volunteer for WRV etc, just waiting to hear back, I don't play any instruments but do play sports and have been in teams etc
Cheers for the advice guys and girls, with regards to the care home suggestion I will definitely follow that up, and the overall plan is to become a Pedatrician (I know, thinking quite far ahead) so the disabled children volunteering idea would probably be beneficial, I'll definitely be looking for something like that.
A few thoughts:
Worth investing time to work out if medicine really is the correct choice for you. Try and get as much work experience as possible, and speak to as many folk as possible. Don't just look at the interesting stuff, try and find out about the mundane aspects of the job, thie difficulties... Make sure you have the right motivations (psychometric testing can help with this).
Some positives from a career in medicine:
You make a difference to peoples lives.
You never stop learning, indeed much of what I studied a few years ago is already completely obsolete.
There are so many different career paths to take in medicine so there's something for everyone really.
Despite what the media say people still generally appreciate you.
It is a rewarding job.
The studying is not all that intellectually taxing, just a lot of quantity.
I've seen, done and taught things that I really never invisaged being able to do when I started.
It can become your life.
Some negatives:
You will spend years in training moving around, and it takes a long time to settle in one place.
There are a lot of crap things that happen in life and this can be difficult to deal with.
There are a lot of big egos and bullying t
ts in medicine and the allied professions.
Junior doctor hours and rotas aren't great - in one month you could work 7 nights, 7 long days, early shifts, late shifts, so your body clock can take a hammering.
It is a long road so you are likely to acquire more debt than other degrees, and opportunities for working as you go along are more limited.
The highs are high but the lows are dreadfully low e.g. complaints, unexpected deaths.
Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Appraisal and revalidaiton appeared off the back of the Shipman enquiry and serve little purpose other than ticking a lot of boxes so that someone else can tick a box and say that all the boxes are ticked. It has little relevance to how you work, and detracts from ongoing learning.
Medicine can become your life.
I went into medicine straight from school, 5 years medical school, FY1, FY2 then 3 years of GP training, and I've now been a GP for a year. I'm aged 29, and have yet to settle having lived in 7 different towns in 6 years and that's less than some of my friends. I work in a mix of GP practices, do some A&E work, and a little pre-hospital care. Currently loving the job.
Worth investing time to work out if medicine really is the correct choice for you. Try and get as much work experience as possible, and speak to as many folk as possible. Don't just look at the interesting stuff, try and find out about the mundane aspects of the job, thie difficulties... Make sure you have the right motivations (psychometric testing can help with this).
Some positives from a career in medicine:
You make a difference to peoples lives.
You never stop learning, indeed much of what I studied a few years ago is already completely obsolete.
There are so many different career paths to take in medicine so there's something for everyone really.
Despite what the media say people still generally appreciate you.
It is a rewarding job.
The studying is not all that intellectually taxing, just a lot of quantity.
I've seen, done and taught things that I really never invisaged being able to do when I started.
It can become your life.
Some negatives:
You will spend years in training moving around, and it takes a long time to settle in one place.
There are a lot of crap things that happen in life and this can be difficult to deal with.
There are a lot of big egos and bullying t
ts in medicine and the allied professions.Junior doctor hours and rotas aren't great - in one month you could work 7 nights, 7 long days, early shifts, late shifts, so your body clock can take a hammering.
It is a long road so you are likely to acquire more debt than other degrees, and opportunities for working as you go along are more limited.
The highs are high but the lows are dreadfully low e.g. complaints, unexpected deaths.
Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Appraisal and revalidaiton appeared off the back of the Shipman enquiry and serve little purpose other than ticking a lot of boxes so that someone else can tick a box and say that all the boxes are ticked. It has little relevance to how you work, and detracts from ongoing learning.
Medicine can become your life.
I went into medicine straight from school, 5 years medical school, FY1, FY2 then 3 years of GP training, and I've now been a GP for a year. I'm aged 29, and have yet to settle having lived in 7 different towns in 6 years and that's less than some of my friends. I work in a mix of GP practices, do some A&E work, and a little pre-hospital care. Currently loving the job.
Nothing much to add other than good luck to you.
I'm 35 and resigned my stereotypically PH (Associate) Director position last week to go back to university and do an MSc in the area I want to retrain in and have been thinking about/wanting to do for years and putting off for no other reason than a fear of a period of no/lower income. It is a big leap, but if you can do it, do it as soon as you can. I've been flogging myself in a financially-rewarding (relatively), but time-demanding and unsatisfying job for years and ended up totally burning myself out earlier this year.
I'm 35 and resigned my stereotypically PH (Associate) Director position last week to go back to university and do an MSc in the area I want to retrain in and have been thinking about/wanting to do for years and putting off for no other reason than a fear of a period of no/lower income. It is a big leap, but if you can do it, do it as soon as you can. I've been flogging myself in a financially-rewarding (relatively), but time-demanding and unsatisfying job for years and ended up totally burning myself out earlier this year.
Good luck with your choices. It still is a great profession. It sounds like you've decided in GP. Keep ur options open. I went to med school straight out of school with sole aim of being a family doctor-I ended up a consultant physician in the north west 4 years ago. I know a few post grad in my year and friends since none of them regret it.
Chris
Chris
forgot about this thread some interesting replies!
I am redoing some GCSEs this year to hopefully get accepted on to access course next year! Been in contact with a course leader and got some good information.
I will need 6 months of HC work to even be considered so will be sorting that out. which will be tough as i work stupid hours lol and redoing maths and english and science (even though i don't need too but I want higher grades) if only i could of been bothered at school ^^
ill update in 1 year if i get on course
I am redoing some GCSEs this year to hopefully get accepted on to access course next year! Been in contact with a course leader and got some good information.
I will need 6 months of HC work to even be considered so will be sorting that out. which will be tough as i work stupid hours lol and redoing maths and english and science (even though i don't need too but I want higher grades) if only i could of been bothered at school ^^
ill update in 1 year if i get on course
The instinctive response is to encourage you to follow you dreams. But I actually think medicine is really over-sold.
I looked at doing this as a mature student. I did my MCAT tests, work experience with GI surgeons, charity work, already work in a clinical environment, got interviews, and st myself when I worked out it would cost £250,000 - £300,000 based on my current salary and loss of earnings.
Personally I know I made the right choice by not following it through. I want to contribute to society but consider medicine akin to martyrdom. Just make sure you're not the same.
Best of luck with it.
I looked at doing this as a mature student. I did my MCAT tests, work experience with GI surgeons, charity work, already work in a clinical environment, got interviews, and s
t myself when I worked out it would cost £250,000 - £300,000 based on my current salary and loss of earnings.Personally I know I made the right choice by not following it through. I want to contribute to society but consider medicine akin to martyrdom. Just make sure you're not the same.
Best of luck with it.
Prof Prolapse said:
The instinctive response is to encourage you to follow you dreams. But I actually think medicine is really over-sold.
I looked at doing this as a mature student. I did my MCAT tests, work experience with GI surgeons, charity work, already work in a clinical environment, got interviews, and st myself when I worked out it would cost £250,000 - £300,000 based on my current salary and loss of earnings.
Personally I know I made the right choice by not following it through. I want to contribute to society but consider medicine akin to martyrdom. Just make sure you're not the same.
Best of luck with it.
cheersI looked at doing this as a mature student. I did my MCAT tests, work experience with GI surgeons, charity work, already work in a clinical environment, got interviews, and s
t myself when I worked out it would cost £250,000 - £300,000 based on my current salary and loss of earnings.Personally I know I made the right choice by not following it through. I want to contribute to society but consider medicine akin to martyrdom. Just make sure you're not the same.
Best of luck with it.
I am going to be having a good think about it this weekend as it will cost me a lot time wise and financially. But on the other hand it is something I have always wanted. :/
SirSamuelBuca said:
I am going to be having a good think about it this weekend as it will cost me a lot time wise and financially. But on the other hand it is something I have always wanted. :/
More so than money, I think the point I'm trying to make is you need to do more than think about it. Your expectations of the job need to match reality. Unless you've got a family with cash. This is a big decision you're making.You also need to be honest with yourself about whether student life is for you. Medicine isn't massively complicated, but it is massive. You need to be very very good at remembering lots of information. In my opinion it's one of the hardest degrees you can do for this reason. Especially for the likes of you and I who aren't born academics. Also if you want to be GP, remember this never stops.
If you've not already done so, have a chat to the students during open days (bearing in mind only those who are most positive will be there) and get work experience organised. Medics are very good at giving time to students.
To be honest you'll need to do that to be considered anyway, along with a long track record of teamwork and work in a caring environment (such as a charity work).
That said mate, it's a cracking vocation. I remember how excited I was at applying for the various stages and learning about it.
aspirated said:
This thread is interesting, I'm currently 16, just left school and looking to pursue a career in medicine
Might be a long shot but it's worth a try, if there's any doctors etc. around the North West who could possibly be able to help with work experience placements I'd be really grateful, I've been searching for ages but cant seem to find any, had a 2 week placement in a Cardiology department last year and have a 5 day placement coming up in October, just trying to squeeze in as much as I can!
The upper GI team at Chester hospital used to make time for work experience in surgery. The consultants are Mr. Monk and Mr. Evans. Their specialist nurse is Mrs Lizzy Pearce. If she's the one I think she is I would try and contact her via email or via the switchboard. She's a very nice woman, and if they can squeeze you in, she'd be the one to ask to ask the consultants. A very pleasant group.Might be a long shot but it's worth a try, if there's any doctors etc. around the North West who could possibly be able to help with work experience placements I'd be really grateful, I've been searching for ages but cant seem to find any, had a 2 week placement in a Cardiology department last year and have a 5 day placement coming up in October, just trying to squeeze in as much as I can!
Obviously surgery is the work experience you want if you want to see some interesting stuff! There's nothing quite like seeing a guy being opened up, and then have a chat to him after it. You'll get to see some "pharmacology in action as well", as the anaesthetists like to say.
Prof Prolapse said:
More so than money, I think the point I'm trying to make is you need to do more than think about it. Your expectations of the job need to match reality. Unless you've got a family with cash. This is a big decision you're making.
You also need to be honest with yourself about whether student life is for you. Medicine isn't massively complicated, but it is massive. You need to be very very good at remembering lots of information. In my opinion it's one of the hardest degrees you can do for this reason. Especially for the likes of you and I who aren't born academics. Also if you want to be GP, remember this never stops.
If you've not already done so, have a chat to the students during open days (bearing in mind only those who are most positive will be there) and get work experience organised. Medics are very good at giving time to students.
To be honest you'll need to do that to be considered anyway, along with a long track record of teamwork and work in a caring environment (such as a charity work).
That said mate, it's a cracking vocation. I remember how excited I was at applying for the various stages and learning about it.
Thank you for taking the time to do this. I am self employed so my other half and parents have all offered to support me which is amazing. I am lucky enough to have family who work in the NHS and it is something even after talking about I know I want to do. You also need to be honest with yourself about whether student life is for you. Medicine isn't massively complicated, but it is massive. You need to be very very good at remembering lots of information. In my opinion it's one of the hardest degrees you can do for this reason. Especially for the likes of you and I who aren't born academics. Also if you want to be GP, remember this never stops.
If you've not already done so, have a chat to the students during open days (bearing in mind only those who are most positive will be there) and get work experience organised. Medics are very good at giving time to students.
To be honest you'll need to do that to be considered anyway, along with a long track record of teamwork and work in a caring environment (such as a charity work).
That said mate, it's a cracking vocation. I remember how excited I was at applying for the various stages and learning about it.
I will retake a few GCSE's and apply to the access course this year which gives me until next summer to really make sure it is what I want to do.
The essay writing does scare me but my OH is a teacher and extremely academic so I have a wealth of help when it comes to that aspect. As for remembering things I have no doubt I will be fine at that
for some reason I am great at reciting information and have a very logical problem solving brain which I think should help lol. Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff