To think medicine at university is unlikely with these GCSE results?

[Beaubeagle]

My DS has just entered 6th form to study A levels in two sciences and English. He is wanting to study medicine and hasn’t got a back up plan, but I’m worried he wouldn’t have a chance because of his GCSE results. He got 1 x 9, 1 x A*, 2 x 8, 2 x7 and 4x 6. Unfortunately all his sciences were 6’s, although we are looking at having them re-marked (handwriting issues). I’m really worried he won’t stand a chance applying to medical school, even if he does get AAA in A levels. I don’t want to upset him by saying this to him but I need him to be realistic. Aibu in this? I really don’t know what to say to him.

[AnnaMagnani]

Readable writing is a big issue in medicine - there is a lot of handwriting of stuff - obviously more and more electronic note keeping is coming in but there are always places you have to handwrite. I've had a dyslexic doctor struggle as they were making prescribing errors.

But medicine is science, science and carries on being science. He would struggle.

[Wheresthel1ght]

Op if he has a formal diagnosis and the suspicion is handwriting being the issue on the grades I would be asking why he was not offered a scribe for the exam.

Ask the school of resits are possible and ask them to make sure a scribe is used if his handwriting is the issue!

[Beaubeagle]

DS is dead set on medicine. He did a clinical skills day at a local hospital during the summer and absolutely loved it. He is in the process of applying to volunteer at the local children’s hospital as a ward visitor.

I feel so sad for him. He’s so young and very bright, but I feel like his entire future is in doubt because of three grade 6’s, which to anyone else might be fantastic. I don’t think resits are an option atvjis school either.

[TeenTimesTwo]

Can the science papers be remarked?

Or at least you get copies so you can see whether marks were lost due to examiner not being able to read handwriting (can he read his own handwriting?)? or lost due to incorrect answers?

[Ionacat]

There are other routes into medicine, so perhaps take stock in year 12 and see how he gets on with the A-Levels. My sister did a biomedical sciences degree (after not getting high enough predicted grades to apply for medicine.) Whilst doing that she did various volunteering, including a stint in Indian plus did part time care work around her degree (excellent training in being hands on care and not being squeamish) and did a 4 year graduate medicine course. Now a very successful doctor.

[Beaubeagle]

I have asked the question about re marking but school are not being very helpful.

That’s really good to hear Ionacat, thank you for the positive response.

[partystress]

I heard a science teacher this week say that a lot of what he taught at A level has moved down to GCSE. That coupled with shockingly low rates for 5+ in science GCSEs might mean those 6s he got should be viewed more like 7s or even 8s in anything else. If School would accept those grades to enrol on A level, might not be out of the question.

[1981fishgut]

Is their a reason why he can’t be a nurse or a lab tech

Medicine like law is highly competive

Bad grades from a bit very good uni will not do him any favours and it’s unlikely he would be able to keep up it’s very demanding tbh I think he would even struggle with nursing

[Rebe90]

At most schools, 6 in the GCSE is the minimum requirement to get onto the A Level Course. It's therefore unlikely (but not impossible) that your son will manage to get As in Bio and Chem. However, if he is set on medicine there's nothing stopping him (expect larger student loans) doing a general science undergrad degree first e.g. biomed (which will have lower entry requirements such as BCC) then converting to medicine when he has an undergrad degree. So there are ways around it!

[jayritchie]

I think the problem is not so much the GCSE grades in themselves, but whether he has had the right preparation (and ability?) for science A levels. If it was a bad day during the exams probably no issue - the other grades are excellent.

[Witchend]

My personal view is those grades would be fine, if the top grades were in Science and maths.

I think he will struggle to find places that will look at the science grade and say he's capable of getting an A at A-level from that unless he has mitigating circumstances that will change at A-level.

Yes, we may all know someone who has done this but they are the exception rather than the rule. More common is the A grade GCSE who struggles at A-level.

The universities have plenty of people applying for medicine who won't be in that situation, so I think it's unlikely they'll take a punt on him.

Could he look at one of the biochemistry type degrees where he might be able to convert to medicine, perhaps? I think in your situation I might drop that casually into the conversation a few times that that might be an option so that if he ends up in the situation where the school is saying don't, or he has no offers, then it's already been raised.

[CherryPavlova]

If he struggled with science at GCSE then Chemistry A level, in particular may be a challenge but not an insurmountable one. He needs to work his socks off, possibly with tutoring and aim for 3As.

He also needs to practice UKCAT as although they say you can’t practice it isn’t true. There’s a company does online courses - Kumon maybe. I can’t remember.

Then he needs to think carefully about not only work experience- ask local GP practices - but also about the amount of science based studying and whether he’s prepared to do 5/6 years hard, hard study then go into a job with appalling working hours and limited choice about where he does that job. He perhaps needs to think why he ants medicine.

He could take humanities and a pre U but that’s hard to get into. Or he could look to doing post graduate medicine. Some medical schools like Brighton allow ab5% of biomedical sciences pupils to transfer after first year but it has to be top performers.

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

WOuld he consider allied health services as a backup? Radiography, podiatry, physiotherapy etc? Has he researched these as a possibility? There are specialised jobs in the NHS which need a degree, just not medicine, and salaries can be pretty good. I bet he doesn’t even realise the range of roles available.

[trulybadlydeeply]

If he has his heart set on medicine as a career there's no reason why he can't pursue this, but he may have to look at slightly different routes. As the PP said he can look at a more general, related degree topic that he is more likely to get into, and then study medicine from that. Alternatively he could train as a nurse, which would give him the focus and setting that he loves, and valuable experience. He may decide after that that he wishes to remain within nursing, or he can still then train as a doctor. I know several doctors who initially trained as nurses, and, IMHO, it made them empathetic and skilled clinicians.

Either way, no need to give up his dreams, he may just need to look at a variety of routes into it.

[SweatyFretty]

I would just encourage him to do post-grad entry medicine and do a bio undergrad. Probably make more money that way.

[Travelledtheworld]

Friends daughter got into Manchester to do Medicine with BBB last year, lots of passion and some good hospital based work experience.

[AnnaMagnani]

I'll be honest, at my school there were a big cohort with their hearts set on medicine.

That cohort got smaller over the years as people didn't get the grades and some had to go through a painful process of realising it wasn't going to be.

In the end not even everyone with the grades got in to medical school.

Speaking as someone who did, you don't have to look far on Mumsnet for threads full of doctors who don't recommend it so perhaps those who had an early direction into something else did well - personally if I hadn't got into medicine I wouldn't have wanted to do an allied degree as 'second best' and none of my friends at school who didn't get the grades did either. Mostly they did something completely different - one is now a massively successful marine biologist.

[Beaubeagle]

Thank you for all the helpful responses. It’s been really useful. DS has his heart set on becoming a GP eventually, hopefully through the RAF. I’ll gently discuss other options and alternatives with him. I don’t want him to give up on his ambitions but I’m hoping there may be alternative routes somewhere along the line.

[AnnaMagnani]

Really really honest response then - unless something has dramatically changed in the world of GP by the time he has theoretically qualified, he might well have changed his mind.

I work with part-time GPs who work the other days in my specialty because they would break down if they had to do full time GP. I have trainee GPs rotate with me who I supervise - not one intends to do full-time GP as they think it's unsustainable. It's a crazy crazy job right now with a recruitment crisis it has nowhere near figured out how to solve.

But what do I know? My DM tried really hard to put me off medicine (she was right) but at 16 I knew it all and wouldn't be told otherwise.

[TeenTimesTwo]

Surely it depends on whether the 6s for science GCSEs were due to the examiner not being able to read the scripts, or poor answers?

If it was the handwriting, then a personal statement explaining this plus great A level results could overcome the 6s.

Whereas if it was due to poor quality answers, then statistics are not on his side for getting top A level grades.

[lljkk]

Would he consider a Physician Associate's degree? A lot of the best parts of being a GP, but without the difficulty even getting on the course, 5 yrs of MedSchool + 7 extra yrs of training.

[cunningartificer]

If he has a real passion for it then he will have a chance. You need a lot of commitment to be a doctor, so that initial passion is essential. My son didn’t have classic A*gcses but is now a successful doctor. Work experience, possibly a route through biomedical sciences as a backup, but excellent a level predictions and reference and cracking personal statement will get him an interview. He’ll need school backup for support for those predictions and perhaps remarks or explanation of the handwriting. Doctors traditionally have terrible handwriting so that’s a sign! 😃

[cunningartificer]

Also, there’s a great shortage of GPs, so saying that’s his aim may help.

[MedSchoolRat]

I am part of (possibly 100+) people who interview candidates for our MBBS course. My med school is supposed to be a 'GP factory'. (but we aren't, really, when you look at FY placements etc.)

There's nowhere on my scoring sheet to say "wow they really want to be a GP!" It wasn't in my training session to give applicants extra points for that... maybe someone else would be impressed, tbf. If it is part of the decision tree, we will have declared as much very transparently.

If you check Freedom of Info requests, there are people who got on Medicine courses who got worse GCSEs than OP described. The occasional D & C, even.

Keep in mind the GCSE reqs are just a hurdle. Once they are over each hurdle, they can usually go on to next hurdle, and (importantly) it's a level field for the next hurdle(s).
Here is Sheffield GCSE reqs for instance, I think (?) OP's son would meet these.

[ZanyMobster]

I am not sure, my friend got 2 As and 8 Bs at GCSE, not great A level results but had always wanted to be a doctor, she likely has undiagnosed dyslexia so that was possibly an issue.

She ended up doing a degree in a related sort of subject as she couldn't get straight into medical school, predicted grade 2:2 so no med school accepted her, she ended up getting the highest 2:1 in her Uni for that degree but it was too late as she had no offers, she then did her masters and was finally accepted and has had an amazing career so far. She has moved up at every opportunity and is extremely well respected in her specialist field.

There are always ways, especially as he does have good GCSEs, like some others have said he will need dedication and hard work!