Medicine 2019

[kaykay72]

Hi,

Does anyone here have a DC applying for medicine to start in 2019? It would be nice to meet others as we embark on uni visits, predicted grades, UKCAT etc

We’re in Kent, d is planning to visit kings, UCL, Nottingham, Sheffield and Newcastle at the moment. She really wanted to go look at Belfast but they want three A’s plus an A at AS level but won’t accept her additional qualification in place of this (despite it having a higher UCAS tarriff). We went to an open afternoon at BSMS which she liked more than she thought she would, so is pondering the BMAT.

I have two older kids (well, adults now), one of whom has just finished his masters, the other just completed his first year elsewhere, but medical applications are just so complicated in comparison to their experiences at this stage.

Hope to hear from others in the same boat :-)

Hmmm is HarryTheSteppenwolf from Sheffield?

@nightowl how did it go?

My d came out saying it was really hard to say how it went. She said the interviewers were far less responsive than at Sheffield, their lack of reaction/rapport made her feel more nervous and stumbly. She said it was a strange experience in comparison.

Onwards!

Still nothing from imperial - but noone from her school has heard apart from one person who got an interview last week

Sorry, I did not mean to introduce yourself aa a doctor but as as a doctor would, just to say "Hello, my name is ........ "

I know, but even this depends very much on what the role-play scenario is. It's important to engage with the scenario presented. Our OSCE examiners often complain that students are very good at asking patients the right questions but they don't listen to the answers, which means there was no real point in asking the right questions in the first place. Similarly, if someone goes into an MMI with a very fixed idea about how she/he is going to introduce her/himself it can cause problems if that way is inappropriate for a particular station.

For example, this isn't a real MMI station but it's one I have used for sixth-formers to practice... "You have recently become captain of your sports team. The team hasn't been performing well recently. One long-term player, who you don't know well, doesn't seem to be very fit and is not contributing throughout matches as she seems to run out of energy. You have three or four reserves who have been training very hard and you think they deserve a chance in the team. You have to tell the long-term player that you are going to drop her from the team and explain why. The player's name is Lisa." You can see that it wouldn't be appropriate to introduce yourself formally in this scenario, which is intended to assess tact, empathy and candour (someone who invented a fake reason for dropping the player would score zero) rather than professional manner.

Hostess Trolley - DD also unsure how she did. However she said some of the interviewers were ok and quite friendly and seemed pleased with some of her answers.

She said one particular interviewer, unnerved her and caused her to ramble a bit and repeat stuff she had already said, so she felt less confident about that station. Overall she felt it wasnt too bad, but it is her first interview so unable to compare to others like your DD can.

Tinkobell- I understand what you are saying , and you were right , as my DD said nothing she tried to prepare for came up anyway.

She is just very happy to have got one of out of the way, now knows what to expect with MMI interviews, and is fee!ing a bit more relaxed about the next ones.

Still waiting for UCL.

@Nightowl - huge relief no doubt to get one MMI out of the way! Dd said the 8 stations literally flew by, I think it’s a bit surreal for them. We have heard that Notts can be a toughey, so DD is a bit edgy for that next week. The university has become such a big machine since I was there....bit worried they may lack the personal / pastoral touch that others can offer. But we will see.....

@Tinkobell - Many medical schools have their own pastoral support in addition to the university's central service, as their students have such full timetables and spend a lot of time off-campus. It might be worth your daughter trying to find out about this on interview days (if there's any opportunity, which there might not be) or offer-holder days.

DD had three MMIs in a week in March, the same week as three sets of course work were due, and just after mocks. Not a good week.

There was not time for preparation. She had read a short book on ethics, and had done enough volunteering/WE to have an idea of hosptial/GP processes.

To help her what I did was print off and put in a folder:

1. Her PS
2. The skills set that the Medical school say they were looking for
3. Everything I could find on the website including: course structure; intercalation options; medics societies

This provided her with an hour or so's calm reading, without her feeling panicked that she was missing something she needed to know. The really good thing was that by looking through the details of each course she was able to spot things she really liked, so was able to respond enthusiatically when asked a varient of "why do you want to come here". when actually things were such a blur she was not really sure where she was

The only other tip would be for the weaker mathematicians to practice percentages, stats and graphs. Not in a big way, but so any data is quickly understood.

She got two out of the three, so something must have worked. And actually it was all such a whirr that she had no time to get nervous and seemed to enjoy them. (And the one that she thought she did best in was the one that rejected her.)

Yes. Good and fair advice @Harry, it's not my decision anyway, it's hers. Notts do a post MMI tour, so hopefully that will provide more information.Med school drop out seems to at the lower end on the whole (thanks to those probing MMI's). Getting onto the course is one thing but being happy and having support over 5/6 years through the tough times has got to be important. No good if you end up dropping out or being miserable but with the kudos of a highly prestigious uni.....I think we'd sacrifice that.

Tinkobell my DD is a first year medic at Notts and loving it. There is lots of pastoral help if they need it and they are assigned a hospital Dr tutor and a GP tutor from day 1. Lots and lots of stuff to learn (as everywhere) but no pressure yet as formatives don't count. It went from last of my DDs choices to first after interview and the tour - the facilities are amazing and med school is in the hospital (2nd largest in country according to DD). Her walk to lectures is across the beautiful campus (although the free bus is also used). She insured Sheffield which she also loved but no campus. Turned down Liverpool (no patient contact in first year) and Southampton (no dedicated medical school and hospital a bus ride from campus - she's a bit lazy !). But really would have been happy at any of them I'm sure.
Good luck to everyone. DDs advice for MMIs is to smile, be you and expect at least one person to be mean (they do it to everyone I think).

My DD is also in first year at Notts and says the pastoral care is amazing. One student got whisked away by pastoral care team when he turned up at lectures with a black eye apparently! She says she feels she has a good support network from medics in the years above too, with the parent/grandparent network they have. And on the offer holder day they were told if they had to leave the course for mental health reasons or whatever, their place would be held for them.The admissions lady said the drop out rate is very low which is reassuring.

Wow thank you @specialted and @mumsneedwine ....high praise for Notts pastoral care then. V V good to hear, I shall pass this to DD, thank you! The campus is just gorgeous though I suppose after first year most medics are mainly commuting from Lenton to QMC each day in reality. I'm looking forward to seeing it again next week! My DH and I met at the medics ball in Portland Building 1989!

My DD has a house next year that is almost in the hospital car park. Said it will mean a few more minutes in bed !

Leeds have started sending invitations to interview out today.

Newcastle say that all interview invitations will be out before Christmas.

I am sure this is quicker than last year!

Dd had her Cardiff interview on Wednesday. Again, not especially communicative on how it went (apart from 'ok, I think'). Just sheffield to go and it's all out the way. Just a waiting game then. It's hard with all her friends getting offers left, right and centre for non medical courses.

Sheffield yesterday for my DD. She feels it went much less well than St Andrew's last week - she gabbled nervously. One of the interviewees didn't turn up, which meant that the station ahead of hers was empty. She let it get to her that the next person she was going to see might be listening to what she was saying just the other side of the curtain. So many ways to lose your cool! Luckily, she's keener on St A's anyway, so not too down - but it'll be interesting to see if her instincts as to what went well or badly have any link to whether she gets an offer or not.

Fingers crossed hoodiemum . You only need one offer and then achieve the grades at A level if sitting next Summer . Between stations with the barriers up you usually can't make out what people are saying anyway and would be more likely to be thinking if there's an extra gap hurrah another 6 minutes or so for me as the examiner to chill .

So was St A not deliberately tough as the person on TSR said they are?

Very unlucky to get spooked by a blank slot in front of her, but everyone says it is really difficult for interviewees to get a real feel for how they have done and that may happen often enough for the interviewers to understand and factor in the extra stress.

@hoodiemum.....my DD found the noise of other interviewees at Sheffield distracting too! Some people have foghorn voices and I think towards the later stages when concentration can start to wander, that is hard going.

Thanks, all.
Yes, Bengalcat, I think she knows it's more likely the examiners were chilling in their free minutes, but that irrational little voice in your head's a bugger!
Monkey, St A's MMI stations were very task based - had almost nothing in terms of personal questions, but then they take a holistic approach after interviews, weighing up PS, grades etc as well as interview performance, so perhaps they depend more on PS for the personal stuff. But there wasn't any rudeness or meanness like the TSR person had experienced. DD felt it went quite well, and LOVED her tour of the med school.
Tinkobell, yes, it's a long time to be top of your game in terms of concentration, isn't it, esp after a long drive, night in strange bedroom, etc. But all good experience if nothing else.

This is slightly off tangent but I hope of interest.....been looking a funding / fees a little. We are planning tuition loans x 4 years. But am I correct in thinking that NHS (England..... not sure Scot, Wales or NI) pay tuition for year 5? Does anyone know if this is unconditional or repayable .....any more knowledge around this appreciated please. What happens if you intercalate I wonder .....are fees payable then?.....what if the student isn't using uni facilities during intercalation year? Any info on this greatly valued particularly from those parents who are already progressed into courses or the Uni tutor interviewer lurkers - thanks!

Yes, NHS covers fees from 5th year whether they intercalate or not. Still need maintenance loan, but you may be entitled to an NHS bursary in addition to any student bursary. This is from the workbook DS got from medic mentors event at the beginning of this journey.

Good news on NHS fees yr 5! Told DD and she that students are more or less on full work placement in year 5 - unpaid, so the £9.2k staffing benefit to the NHS is good value (for them). I'm still pleased, makes it no worse than any 4 year degree financially speaking.....although I'm guessing books might be £££?

Hi, gap year applicant mum here. Just wanted to ask about that NHS funding- did I understand right that fees are funded from year 5 onwards so that if you are on a five year course then add an intercalation year so in year 5 you still have 2 more years to do before you are onto FY1, then you still only pay fees for 4 years? Many thanks for the clarification. Also is any NHS bursary 100% means tested?

Yes, that is right. Graduates have funding issues if they do A100, but if it is your first degree that is how it works for english students. Yes, NHS bursary is means tested.

Well that's good news! So it doesn't cost any more to intercalate and it does seem to be quite advantageous to get a BSc along the way for FY1 allocations altho' I am a bit confused as to how a couple of extra points make so much difference relative to the massive 50% from the SJT.