How to prepare Y9 child who wants to study medicine

[Thisismynewname123]

My DD has known for a couple of years that this is what she wants to do. How do we start preparing her now, at 14? She is determined, but I'm concerned she'll miss out if I haven't pushed her.
Are all 8s/9s needed at GCSE? What are their chances if they're more 7s, with a smattering of 8s? She can probably push herself towards more 8s, but i think it's too soon to know yet what's realistic. She's bright, works hard and does well, but is no genius. What age should internships be done? I feel as though 14 is too young for internships, but don't want to leave it too late. Should we be trying to organise these for this summer, or leave it another year?
Any advice on how I can help her? We have no medical background in my family. Only useless social science type degrees!

Calm down. Seriously. Let her do things at her own pace, find her own placements and look at which unis she thinks would suit her best.

That was the approach I took with my own DS who wanted to be a doctor for an early age/ with no family medics. These kids need initiative.

In fact 'approach' sounds too active. I was entirely passive. He wanted to be a doctor - he got on with it.

I disagree, I think parental support makes the world of difference. I'm sorry that I can't help as have no medical background but I've helped many children, with work experience/help choosing A levels/supporting them with work experience

There is an organisation called the debate chamber which put on taster courses across a range of subjects in the summer, if you are within reach of London. Some local hospitals and community healthcare providers offer work experience, or some local charities affiliated to hospitals or care. Might be worth compiling a list of what is offered, any limitations such as age and application windows for future reference if she wants to pursue it.

I have taught dozens of students that have got into medical school. GCSEs are important but not as important as A Level grades where straight As are needed. She shouldn't put too much pressure on herself at this early stage. What she can do now is extra curricular activities and volunteering which will build her confidence, leadership skills, communication skills etc and look good on the application. Examples are science clubs, st John's ambulance, D of E, debating, charity work, being a perfect or head girl etc. But like I said she has plenty of time to fit all that in.

This is a good place to start:

www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine

Some med schools do use GCSE grades as one of the factors in selecting who to interview but you don't need all 8/9s. She can easily find that information online.

14 is too young for internships. They usually have a minimum age of 16 at least. Work experience doesn't have to be in a hospital or GP. Things like St John's ambulance, helping with riding for the disabled, volunteering in a care home or special school are all good, even helping a neighbour or family member with healthcare. She could do some of those things now. Apart from St George's (off the top of my head), most med schools don't expect a huge amount of experience, just that you understand relevant issues and can relate your experience to relevant skills. If she wants to be a doctor, she should probably be able to research and sort things out for herself by the time it matters in the sixth form. TBH, at the moment, opportunities are very difficult to arrange and med schools recognise that. Even medical students were pulled from clinical placements during the first lockdown.

Maybe encourage her by buying some medical "popular science" books?

Remember a 7 is still an old A grade. She’s year 9. You need to chill a bit.

MedicMentor are brilliant ! Don’t do the paid summer school, but once she’s old enough do the medical society and book club (both free). They do a one day conference explaining how they do things, and your school can get a free code (find out who the “Careers Leader” Is, and ask them). That will explain all the practicalities of applying. You prob don’t need that yet. But do look at their reading lists - Do no Harm , etc.

Also there are some excellent virtual medical work experience offerings. Observe GP, medic mentor, Brighton & Hove. Some you need to be 16, but worth knowing they exist so that you can keep an eye out. Also nhs careers website aimed at students : www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/work-experience

Didn’t mean to do wexp link. This is main site : www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/

My dd is in year 10 and also wants to study medicine.
She participates in a youth STEMM award at school. Perhaps this is something your dd would be interested in.
Dd plans to join st John’s ambulance.

She doesn't need all 8s and 9s but she needs to be aware that some medical schools score GCSE grades very highly so she needs to look at them strategically when she gets to sixth form and rule out some (eg currently Cardiff and likely Birmingham) which wouldn't have interviewed her this year if she had mostly 7s. But there are loads that would have done so it's not a big deal - just important to be aware and not to waste UCAS slots.
We offer work experience from 16 but much prefer 17 and we won't offer to very local students so it requires a bit of effort on the part of the student to arrange. Most hospitals have a central application form for work experience.
Work experience is useful but only really to get a glimpse of the rigour of a medical career not to learn very much about it.
It's much more useful to get work (either paid or voluntary) in a care home - and not just the bare minimum to tick a box but proper time spent doing it. It's useful for two reasons - you can see whether you actually have the patience to cope with sick patients and also you develop empathy for those care workers who are going to be doing that job for their whole lives at that pay. I think it's easy to tell which medical students and juniors have actually spent time in those environments and understand the challenges. However one of our local care homes won't take volunteers or employ under-18s - others are way more flexible.
Volunteering in other roles is helpful too and some of those can start younger.
I think at 14 she's too young to think about most things (and still a lot of children change their minds about careers after this age) but looking at volunteering would be a good option.

Thank you to those of you with practical advice. It's all new to me at the moment, so this helpful.

@goodbyestranger She will do things herself, but she needs my guidance, and suggestions. She has managed to register for Duke of Edinburgh, and arranged a first aid course through St John's ambulance, without my pushing her. She did ask them about volunteering, but she's too young and opportunities are limited at the moment.

@orangenasturtium thanks for the medschools website. That's very helpful, as is medic mentor and Step into the NHS @PortHills

@Chilldonaldchill we're going to look into the Care home volunteering route. There are a couple very near us. I will find out what their minimum age requirement is, and will assume she'll be 15 by the time that kind of interaction is allowed again.

6 x at least 7 at GCSE is a good minimum to aim for. Higher is better but not always essential. High GCSEs tend to be how kids are selected for interview (but every programme has its own scoring system). Obviously plenty kids with some low GCSEs get to interview every year.

You can see the actual GCSE results of kids actually accepted onto medicine courses (freedom of info requests), there are some low grades in every group.

St John's Ambul is perfect. I doubt a care home will let her in before 16. Most admission selection processes don't require a lot of work experience -- the med schools know volunteering places are hard to get, so emphasising work experience in the selection process would discriminate heavily in favour of rich kids. Med Schools are very worried about not doing that. tbh, I despair a little when I interview Primrose talking about her week in a Tanzania children's hospital . "Great, you have supportive parents, and an awakening to your privilege!" is what I learn. "But I don't know if you can talk respectfully to Daphne who hasn't left Cumbria in the last 70 years and rummages in her own nappy every morning." is what I'm thinking.

Make sure she does triple science GCSEs, OP. The most common A-levels are biology-chemistry-maths; most med schools require A-levels in chemistry or biology or maybe both.

There are lot of expensive courses for prospective medic students, but most aren't value for money, can get the same info online for free.

It isn't correct that a young person wanting to be a doctor needs a mother's guidance or suggestions. It seems to be really quite helpful if they go about things their own way. I appreciate that MN gives a wholly false impression of what is essential, but that's what you get if you read MN medical threads with no prior knowledge. They should actually come with a health warning all of their own :)

Of course some people on the threads are grounded but there are some old hands who are super emotional about the whole thing, egg up the difficulty of the process and generally put the fear of God into all parents who don't know any better.

Does her school actually offer triple science as an option? It isn't necessary to have done it for A level sciences, as not all schools do and moving schools for year 10 (or year 9, since a lot of schools start to cover the GCSE curriculum early) is nigh on impossible in a lot of places.

If a medical school currently requires triple science to have been taken at GCSE, it will be listed here
www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/making-an-application/entry-requirements?type=standard-entry-medicine

@MarchingFrogs yes, she is taking triple science.

My ds always wanted to do vetmed, got all A and A* at GCSEs. He focused totally on this goal and we supported him. However he got to A level and found it hard, he also discovered wine, women and song! He did not get the grades he needed and it was a massive wake up call. He also realised that the level and intensity of the study involved would not be for him. He did well but not well enough, even with the years of work experience. My thoughts are, encourage, offer opportunities but also make sure she has other options and makes time for softer subjects and activities. It is to be applauded that she is so focused now but things do change and medicine is very competitive.

@mumonthehill thank you. I am very aware of this, especially as I say, she isn't likely to get all 9s at GCSEs (although, with hard work I'd hope she could pull of a couple of 9s). Wd have spoken about how difficult it is to get into, and not focusing all of her eggs in one very difficult basket. But I figure, if the goal is motivating and pushing her without me needing to do it, then I should encourage her as much as I can. As I said, she's only in year 9 so we'll know closer to taking her GCSEs if it's a reasonable goal for her or not. In the meantime, doing things like DoE, and St John's ambulance first aid, can't hurt her whatever route she ends up going down

It's also worth looking at a plan B. I know someone who wanted to be a doctor since he was little, and didn't quite make the grades, and tried again and didn't make the grades again. He had a few years of depression and it was not nice to watch.

He is now an outstanding ultrasound technician and absolutely loves it. So speak to her about different options, keep the door open, and don't put all your eggs in one basket.

She can also do online first aid training, and advanced first aid training once things open again.

doing things like DoE.......can't hurt her whatever route she ends up going down

Sorry, that bit made me smile - I'm not sure that DD wasn't scarred for life by the encounters with cows that DofE involved (her group did get just a little bit lost on one of their expeditions, which didn't help).

i'd echo the PP about plan B. I think the allied healthcare professionals are really interesting for those students who won't quite hit the high grades required for medicine.

I would have loved to do Operating Department Practitioner (available as degree apprenticeship also), or Diagnostic Radiography...

Plus at the moment many of them have £5k bursaries for studying them.

www.england.nhs.uk/ahp/

Actually joining St John Ambulance as a cadet, if they have spaces, rather than doing a first aid course, would be immeasurably useful, for a bunch of reasons:

• would give her first aid skills for life;
• she would, after a certain level of training, be involved in providing first aid services at real world events, not just practices;
• would give her a taster, eg is she frightened of blood? Of the responsibility? Of the unpredictability of treating strangers?

Cadets treat real people at events from 14 onwards. By the time she applies to university she could have a hundred hours of real world experience, which will help her stand out from someone who has just done a few weeks' shadowing.

The usual commitment is one night a week, and then, when you are ready, you sign up (if you want) for providing first aid cover at events in the weekends and holidays. These could be sporting events, fairs, school events, anything.