Medicine - 2024 Entry

[LaMereDuChat]

Just thought I'd start a thread for anyone else who feels like me... Dd has just announced that she'd really like to apply for medicine. It seems pretty much impossible to get into and I'm dreading the process as the odds are stacked against her - private schooled, grades a bit iffy as she's chosen a language as an A-Level and it's hard, though she loves it. Anyone want to join the pity party 😬?

@Iwantroplayanothergame can you tell me more about what your daughter has been doing? Mine has pivoted from biomedical science to medicine. I wonder if it is the right thing for her…

100% agree with you @mumsneedwine - the NHS isn’t the only route for a doctor. Private practice for starters or otherwise going abroad.
I tried steering my son to biodmedicine but he’s having none of it and there’s only so much you can do to try and put them off!
We’ve just tried to support him as much as we can. It’s completely outside anything either of us do. We are both lawyers and I would never encourage either of my boys to do that. 😅

@Mumofboys2006 I'm a teacher, so you can imagine how I feel about that !

If it's any consolation my F1 has had a good week of induction and a v well supported first 'proper' day. It's almost like the government's idiocy has caused all the staff to pull together. Lots of coffee being bought for the juniors.

In my dept in a teaching hospital consultants only treat patients privately that are straight forward cases. Interesting cases are done in NHS.
Not sure what point I'm wanting to make though.

@W0tnow When my daughter finished her degree she spent some time working for Public Health England as she didn't want to work in a laboratory every day. She enjoyed this but offered little challenge to her. She applied to the Police Now scheme and has now been a detective for a couple of years. The discipline of investigation from her Bio-Med degree has paid dividends. She is working in a specialist dept and the variety keeps her interested. She is definitely a 'scientist' but has amazing people skills and empathy for victims and those who have found themselves in extremely difficult circumstances through no fault of their own.

Can anyone remember what the cutoff for notts was in the latest round score wise? It went up from 129 the year before I think. Asking for a friend. I am locked out of my tsr account otherwise I would search it up.

Thanks @Iwantroplayanothergame - that's interesting. My dd is counting on her French to help with an escape route from the NHS (Canada or EU) if necessary.

@Thethingswedoforlove I think it settled on 129 this year. Offers were still coming in until a few weeks ago.

@mumsneedwine thank you

@ la mere du chat - how can a European language help an « escape from the NHS »? Having left the EU, a UK medical qualification is not mutually recognised within the EU nor is there the right to work. Am I missing something?

Just because the UK welcomes overseas recruits into the NHS does not mean EU countries do the same. Compare the % of overseas qualified staff within the NHS with the equivalent statistic for most EU countries as to where their medical staff qualified. You will find most paediatricians, intensive care doctors, GPs in France qualified in France. It is totally different from the UK. At our local GPs and hospital, we are rarely ever seen by staff who originally qualified in the UK.

@pellicano - apologies, she has a French grandparent so thankfully has some CAP rights to be there.

It seems everywhere id currently short of doctors. Loads of countries are now advertising to our youngsters, enticing them with better conditions, guaranteed training and much more money. Including some in Europe. Right to work is sorted out for you too.
Great for the doctors. Absolutely devastating for the future of healthcare in the UK. I do wonder if the government has any clue who trains private doctors in this country.

Which EU countries are advertising to UK doctors to go and work there?

@pellicano Germany, Finland, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Greece that I know of. Was very surprised myself but spoke to a German friend and they told me the world always wants British trained doctors. They are cheaper than training your own. Do need to speak German for there though (& he said there's an exam to sit).

Obviously many more are heading to Aus and NZ, with Canada also making it easier to now go and work there. The government need to wake up v soon if they want any medical staff left. Can have as many students as you like but if no one is around to train them it's pointless.
I'd opt for Finland myself - sounds like a great place to live.

Ok. I looked at Finland, as an example, https://www.valvira.fi/web/en/healthcare/professional_practice_rights/qualified_outside_the_eu_eea_member_state/doctor
You need to speak Finnish, do an internship of at least six months (in Finnish) irrespective of level of seniority, then take their medical practice exam. I am really not sure how realistic the above idea is of being able to work in the EU.
Whereas, if you have an EU medical degree, there is some level of mutual recognition.

Can always go study in Europe if it's better . All I know us what 5th years and F1, F2 and ST/CT1 s have told me recently. They have had approaches from various places offering v nice deals. One is now in Finland in ED. And loves it (does speak Finnish - learned it in a year before going).

Whatever, they need to sort out our Healy service so we have some doctors left to train the new ones. And look after me in my old age 👵

Hm, but we have still Europeans coming to the UK for a "better" job. Especially from Greece and Spain

We still have Australians and New Zealanders. It's an international market. Doctors can pretty much go where they like these days.

Indeed, the possibility of working anywhere is one of the(many?) Good things about going to medical school...

@MTistheDB any ideas why the government might be proposing the 4 year degree 🤔.