Medicine text books?

[Brooomhilda]

I always wanted to study medicine but life got in the way. Almost at the point where having babies and setting my life up are done and I want to consider retraining. I have the money saved to support further education.

Can anyone suggest a medicine text book for me to read through before applying, to get an idea of if it's right for me? I have 5A* or As at A level, including biology, maths and chemistry.

You might be better off going to a university open day and visiting the medical school to talk through your options and what the course would involve

I second doing the research regarding what being a medic would involve. There is also the UCAT to consider.

A text book isn’t going to help you. You need some work experience.

The standard clinical medicine textbook is Kumar & Clark (you can get it much cheaper second-hand as long as you don't want the online access, which the previous owner will have activated). However, previous posters are correct that it won't tell you much about the experience of being a doctor or medical student, especially as it's an American book. Davidson is a UK book but it still won't tell you about the experience.
It would be worth signing up for an online work-experience programme, e.g. Brighton & Sussex Medical School's virtual work experience or the Royal College of General Practitioners Observe GP programme. But it really would be valuable to have some experience of working directly with people who require care or support (not your own children), e.g. in a voluntary role or part-time job in a care or public-facing role. Most medical schools don't require you to have specific work experience but (a) it is likely to contribute to what you can talk about at interview and (b) it will give you more of an idea about whether you will find a patient-care role rewarding rather than just a gruelling slog.
And do talk to medical schools about whether your qualifications will be accepted: they might have additional GCSE requirements or need A-Levels to have been completed within the past 3-5 years. You will also need to look closely at UCAT, because nowhere will consider you without this and many medical schools require high scores.
Application deadline for medicine is in October, so you would have to do UCAT this summer and apply in October for entry in 2026, assuming your conversations with medical schools indicate some chance of success.