Is medical school hard?

[RaiderGirl94]

I mean hard to pass & hard to get in?

What did you need to get your place?

Basically I am 26 I would need to do A levels first, so it’s going to be a lot of work just to apply but I’m determined to earn a better life.

Thanks in advance x

M DH went to medical school via a really unusual route in his late twenties and is now a speciality trainee so everything is possible.

He did his Highers (Scottish equivalents of A-levels) as a mature student in a local college having been a school dropout and subsequently home schooled. From memory he got a mixture of As, Bs and Cs. He then did a humanities degree at a uni, started the degree aged 21 with zero intention of going to do medicine later. He got a first for that degree (from a Russel group uni) which is pretty amazing considering that he had been a school dropout.

A few things in life happened and he discovered he really wanted to do medicine. Having no science background he gained places in three universities in courses that included a pre-medical year to catch up on basic science. So he started a 6-year long course in his late twenties. He had worked with children & adults with learning disabilities for a number of years and had also worked in a care home so these things really boosted his personal statement. He also had the first class humanities degree & volunteering experience from a hospital.

He is very bright but not great at rope learning (which a lot of medicine is), but he did just fine (despite also being dyslexic). He did not particularly enjoy medical school but it all went smoothly enough in the end. He much preferred F1 & F2 years and actual work to medical school though. He didn't find medical school overly difficult or competitive but did not enjoy being treated like a school leaver when he was nearly 30.

In comparison to his humanities degree he found medicine very un-academic and much more like vocational training. A lot of stuff to learn, no critical thinking involved.

Wow! Thank you for all your comments. The truth is I didn’t have the best childhood and was never pushed to achieve anything. So I didn’t achieve anything I’m very hard working on the plus side but I’m confused as what are the best routes in especially given my age. Apologies to all of the people pointing out my spelling mistake I guess that rules out my dreams

To the people that have said do an access course, I would rather redo GCSEs & A levels to give myself the best chance at getting into medical school as everyone has said it’s very competitive I honestly don’t think I’d get given a place without going the extra mile & proving I’m willing to work hard. By the time I apply I could well be nearly 30 & given the seven years to qualify I don’t have a lot of time to waste

OP what expert career advice have you taken?

You really can’t make this sort of decision based on ‘everyone has said’.

I won’t be using other people’s advice to determine what I do. I wanted to know what to expect by asking people of their experiences. I’m in the early stages so I’m just doing some research

OP

PLEASE contact a uni, I totally understand your reasoning for wanting GCSEs and A Levels but this may not be the best route for YOU.

A university expects top grade GCSEs and A Levels from teenagers, but you are not a teenager so you will be assessed differently. It would be a shame to spend 3 years doing assessments/ exams that the uni may not be interested in.

You are exactly the person Access courses were designed for.

Very hard, very gruelling, and worth pointing out that the medical degree is only the beginning. After that you have two years of foundation training, plus further for any speciality. The shortest route is into general practice but this is by no means an easy career. Even so, you’re going to be in training for 10 years until you get a job, and more for a hospital consultant.

I think it would be a great thing to start your education now, fantastic to want to do better, but I’m not convinced that medicine is the right thing. There are lots of other degrees that would help you earn more faster, e.g. any STEM degree should help you onto a graduate scheme with good pay. My engineer friends outearn most of my medical friends (though possibly won’t forever). I handle recruitment of scientists into our project and the engineers are generally paid more than the scientists (a combination of asking for more and being able to get more elsewhere). The allied health professions might also be a good option (physio, podiatry, speech therapy, pharmacy etc). These are all shorter courses and give you good levels of pay in a shorter space of time (not consultant level though).

I agree that you need to speak to a careers advisor, and even attend some uni open days (in September) and have a good look at a range of options.

I think it would be detrimental to go back and redo GCSEs and A levels. As pp have said, they are grades expected of teenagers. I know a few doctors who started training as mature students. Two did an access course to get in. Another two had degrees in other subjects. Yet another one redid some A levels- already had top notch science A levels but they were deemed too long ago and they needed more recent ones.

Im.in scotland and thees a huge issue with lack of drs because of the hugh drop put rate at medical school.
why not think about a carrer as a phlebotomist or as an AHP

I quit medicine and am starting new non medical job next month.

I would recommend working as HCA while you do your gcse and a level studies as that is what you would have to do in medicine when you graduate. You have to sit post graduate royal college exams (paid for out of your own pocket) while working on wards.

I think to do medicine you have to be a very resilient person and not too anxious. Good physical stamina and ways of coping with stress. I personally found the exams and academic stuff fine in general but wasn’t good with anxiety and stress. Things get harder if you want a family too. They do have ways of going part time but you are still on a rota and would have to organise childcare for weekends and nights. Seriously consider if you want to do this as it would result in a lot of debt etc. Working conditions are not great as hospitals are underfunded (govt entered into PPI schemes which are v expensive, rising old age population) - there are rota gaps and it is hard to get training opportunities (to do procedures like lumbar puncture, chest drain) because everyone is understaffed. Medico legal stuff plays on your mind as Drs have had criminal prosecutions for mistakes. There is a Facebook group of alternative careers for doctors. But good luck if you want to do this! PM me if any questions.

Op my local college does a access to science course which is the equivalent of 3 a levels. Following this a lot of students go on to do degrees that include the nhs grant. Not necessarily drs but medical related jobs within the Nhs. Radiography, podiatry, physiotherapy ext

I think people are quick to mention education first time round, but not everyone's ready first time round. We all develop at our own pace. That doesn't mean your not capable.

Once you have your GCSEs/A-levels worlds your oyster. You might not fancy being a dr but you'll have a lot more choices and options.

Best of luck

I did A levels at 25 and started a degree at 27. I found it very hard doing A levels with 16 year olds messing about at college and I wanted to succeed. Plus I had a job ( my own business) to support my life. I think this is the big thing how do you pay to live whilst doing all this studying?

I coped and achieved top marks for my A levels. (I had left school after GCSE before,but had ok grades. )

Degree I struggled with work life balance and the costs. I couldn't live on just student loans, run a car which I needed to get to uni etc. I didn't do medicine, but I did an intense course and came out with a third class degree 😐 and masses of debt.

Do I regret it? Yes and no, but I wanted to try. I couldn't go onto to do what I wanted in the end due to my poor degree grade. I think you need to try, but without parent funding I think it's very hard.

As an academic tutor at one of the country’s top med schools, we have a number of top performing students who can’t handle the pressure and change in the way of learning. It is excruciatingly tough and requires a lot of self-reflection, resilience, and flexibility.

Depends on the route. If you go into medicine from a nursing or paramedic degree and background it does tend to be a lot easier and faster. That’s the route one of my relatives took - they where working while doing the conversion course and because of their experience tended to get offered placements after completion without applying for them. They also tended to get a lot of revision support etc from colleagues who were doctors during exams.

But at 26 it may be too late for you to take this route - if you’re going down the straight academic route then it can be harder.

If you go into medicine from a nursing or paramedic degree and background it does tend to be a lot easier and faster. That’s the route one of my relatives took - they where working while doing the conversion course and because of their experience tended to get offered placements after completion without applying for them

Are you sure you’ve got that right? Four year graduate entry courses are open to pretty much all graduates. As far as I know, other “conversion courses” don’t exist in this country. Jobs post qualification are managed by deaneries so there wouldn’t be an advantage to ex nurses/paramedics in the way you’ve suggested.

One of my school friends was a fairly middling and unmotivated student at school. She went on to study a BTEC in health and social care. While doing it, she decided she’d like to study medicine, and everyone laughed at how ridiculous she was being. We all knew you needed to be a glowing student etc. She proved us all wrk g. She got lots of work experience and applied for a foundation year. She just scraped through and went to medical school. It wasn’t plain sailing. She struggled with the work and had to resist a few exams, but she made it. Even at specialism, she wanted to do A&E, but after her first placement was advised that she might be more suited to general practice. Despite all of this, she has remained determined and is now very happy as a GP..

If you really want to do it, and you really are determined, why not give it a try.

Also, I believe there may be medical access courses about. This might be a better option that A Levels, or a good complement to a smaller number.

Good luck.

I have to laugh at the mis-spelling of ‘haematology’ comment.
In fact most international articles and organisations use the ‘hematology’ spelling.
The UK is alone in using ‘ae’. Similarly with words like leukaemia versus leukemia.

OP I have ‘t read through the whole thread but agree with one step at a time starting with GCSEs. Also exploring other NHS careers that will do similar work to doctors, especially in the future.
For example with the shortage of doctors, specialist nurses in the the areas you are interested in will be doing their own clinics and many practical procedures that used to be done only by doctors.

This may also help

www.bsms.ac.uk/_pdf/undergraduate/access-to-medicine-msc-guidelines.pdf

Yes it is hard but no you don't have to be any kind of genius to get in, pass, or be successful afterwards. Hard work and motivation can make up for a lot.

26 isn't too old to be thinking about going to medical school. I've met doctors who had previous careers as a nurse, paramedic, teacher, vicar, scientist, accountant, dentist, jet fighter pilot, and BA cabin crew! They were all - obviously - coming to medical school a lot later than most school leavers - the oldest student at medical school with me was in his mid- to late-50s.

I would look into access courses before starting out on the GCSE / A-level route. They might not be easier but some will lead you directly into medical school rather than having to compete in open competition with the AAA* school-leaver crowd. See link.

Look into other healthcare careers as well - there are many that you might not even be aware of and some will tick a lot of your boxes if you look carefully. There are medical schools that take students from other healthcare professions so you could re-visit this ambition later if that's still what you wanted. Don't be put off by naysayers here, though - only you know whether you are able/willing to put in the work.

OP, your generation will be working into their 70s. Most people will have 2 or 3 careers if not more.
Plenty of people retrain in their 20s, 30s and older.
Make sure you do your research. There are medical schools that offer fast track training for graduates, even for non science degrees.

Why don't you have a look at the UKCAT test practice papers? It's one of the tests used by some medical schools for selection. It's an aptitude test so no need for academic knowledge, unlike the BMAT which has some papers which test scientific knowledge, although it might be worth giving the BMAT aptitude paper a go too. Obviously you can improve your score in an aptitude test to a certain degree by practicing but it might give you an idea of whether you stand a chance if you do the prep and see how you score. Good luck!

Op, I know you have had lots of replies already, but have you looked into access courses? That may be a faster way for you to get into the medicine degree.

Have you looked at biomedical science? Maybe something like that leading into lab work or research would tie in with the parts you’re particularly interested in? Best of luck with whatever you choose to do!