Graduate Medicine application

[HelleboreHeaven]

Has anyone had dc apply for graduate medicine recently and could advise? DD is in the third year of an MChem (currently on placement year) and is likely to get a first, if she keeps up her current marks. She has 3 A stars at A level, including chemistry and biology. She's recently mentioned applying for graduate medicine (entry in Sept 2027) but I'm concerned that it will be insanely competitive and about the additional burden of being a student for 8 years in total, plus taking further exams afterwards. She knows the number of universities offering GM are small, and is interested in the UCAT ones. She's had lots of customer service type part-time work and has volunteered at Cubs and at sports groups, but has no healthcare-related work experience so far. Any views or advice very welcome.

It is very competitive - about 45 applicants per place. But she's as much chance as anyone else so if really wants it then go for it. She can also apply for the 5 year courses but needs to check funding as it's going to be expensive either way. 2nd degrees are not fully funded. Be aware of the current issues facing doctors (strikes are about lack of jobs as much as pay). Exams carry on after qualifying for many years (and for some reason cost doctors £500-£600 a go - still can't work out why !). But if wants to be a doctor I'd suggest going to some open days and talking to current students and newly qualified staff to be sure it's what she thinks it is.

Thank you, @mumsneedwine - that is very helpful! I knew that competition for places for graduate entry was fierce but hadn't realised quite how fierce. Also good to know about the financial implications. She knows a lot of undergrad medical students so should definitely be able gain some insight from them, but probably needs to sort some healthcare work experience or at least some shadowing asap to try to get some real understanding of the realities of working in the NHS. I'm secretly hopeful that may make a career in scientific research sound much more appealing ...

What work experience us she thinking of doing?

She would probably look for a healthcare assistant role in either a hospital or a care home

Does she realise that she won’t be able to get a loan for the entire degree? She will have to pay towards the first year (possibly more if she has already had a loan) and she will only get the full bursary for the final 2 years.

Thanks @PigeonsandSquirrels That is one of my concerns about her applying for GM. She will have had a loan for tuition and maintenance for 4 years already by the time she finishes her undergraduate degree

Ds is currently doing the 5 year undergrad med course after doing an MChem (similar grades and subjects to your DD). He specifically decided not to go for the grad med course as he was unconfident that he had enough biology from his A level days, total lack of health related work experience and he wanted to maximise his chances of getting on a course straight away due to the incredibly competitive nature of grad courses.
He now admits this was probably too cautious and he should at least have put 2 out of his 4 choices as grad med. His UCAT score would have been good enough and he would probably have been able to pull a decent GAMSAT.
Yes, it's very competitive stats-wise but remember a proportion of the 45 to 1 applications are from candidates who couldn't get into medicine the first time round due to lower grades and a good whack are also people who did degrees in non scientific subjects, struggling with the job market and who are now trying their hand getting in to a nice secure well-paid medical career (debatable if you ask resident doctors but that's another thread).
Ds had no health-care work experience at all (applied in 2021 so COVID restrictions) but enough life experience to 'demonstrate transferable skills' ie blag it through interviews.
Having said all that he's loving medicine so far and no regrets about choosing to jump off the chemistry ship.
I've mentioned your thread to him and his message to your DD is go for it. Why not?

Secure and well paid it is not !! Many doctors currently unemployed. Mad but true. And it's set to get much worse unless something changes fast (increased number of students but no increase in jobs).

Thank you for your thoughts, @Haffdonga - that's incredibly useful. I'm really glad to hear that your ds is enjoying his medical degree so far. DD has already changed her mind a few times over the last few years - was originally planning to do a degree in physiotherapy, then started her undergraduate course doing natural sciences and switched to straight chemistry in term 1 of year 1 - she's really enjoying her degree and her industrial placement year, but is wondering if a career in research is for her. She also hasn't done anything biology-related since she made the switch from natsci, so might find some of the pre-clinical content in a medical degree challenging, though she has always been interested in anatomy and physiology from participating in a sport to a fairly high level. I think she's decided to try to get the best undergraduate degree she can and carry on taking medchem modules next year, but also to do as much prep as she can for the UCAT and try to get some work experience and shadowing, then apply for graduate medicine in Autumn 2026. If she isn't successful, she's currently thinking of trying to get a role as a healthcare assistant for a year and reapplying a final time in Autumn 2027.

My cousin is in her 2nd year of graduate medicine in London (undergrad was Biochem). She took a year out after undergrad and worked as a HCA for 9 months before going travelling, and thinks the work experience made the real difference in how her application was viewed, so I'd suggest that is where your daughter should focus your efforts.

How far is she willing to travel?

Medicine is not the secure career that many people think it is. The UK does not apply resident priority for Doctor recruitment, so those finishing the two years Foundation may find themselves competing with hundreds if not thousands of doctors from across the world for entry level jobs. Overseas doctors are offered expedited family settlement so some will be willing to offer a lot of experience/seniority to obtain an entry level job. As a result in August about half of those finishing Foundation this year were without any work. DD only picked up one shift, an hour away from home, in the six weeks. There is now an effective army of underemployed doctors, both UK and overseas trained, who work on a zero hours basis with little chance of progression.

DD has been very lucky. She is now covering an Associate Specialist post in an interesting area which is both demanding and rewarding, though it is slightly grating that she is paid as an F3 rather than the normal rate for the job. (It was interesting attempting a Consultant to Consultant referral to someone who knew her as a F2 last year!) She is learning a huge amount but such experience will not help her get onto training. Probably only 5% of those finishing NHS Foundation in August secured training places. Streeting is offering to help with this, but competition levels will still be high and DD simply does not have the time needed to prepare for an application even if, as a locum, she were able to access NHS data that would allow to carry out worthwhile research.

So it's Australia in the Spring. Slightly frighteningly more of her hard working and competent F1/F2 peers will be working at a single Australian hospital, than she knows who have secured any form of UK training position. Indeed Australia are likely to take 25% from her Deanery year group. The NHS is achieving short term savings by bring in doctors from elsewhere and so keeping entry level pay rates low, but it is a mystery as to why the NHS should think that they can survive in the long term without offering proper career prospects to those the taxpayer has spent to much educating.

In short, medicine is a great career but the NHS is an awful employer who does not value or develop their staff. DD, again, has been lucky enough to pick up a rotational contract in her preferred speciality in the City she wanted. After a year she can apply for training in Australia. So she will probably still be able to have the career she wants, but not in the UK.

Thanks for this @Needmoresleep The employment situation sounds horrendous for newly qualified doctors, and totally bonkers too! How can it be a good long-term strategy to invest in training doctors in the UK but not provide enough roles for them once they qualify, and leave them with little choice but to emigrate? I did know that the recent resident doctor strike was partly about lack of jobs, but hadn't realised quite how bad the situation was, and I'm so sorry that your DD is having to deal with this currently. Thank you for being so open - certainly make medicine much less appealing if this continues.

Good luck to your DD- my DS is applying for 2026 entry after a year out after his science degree. It’s hard but with a strong UCAT definitely doable. He got 4/4 interviews for GEM and is waiting for decisions. Funding becomes more generous in 2027 so it’s a good time to apply. Getting work experience as your DS plans is really sensible. Some courses - Warwick, Cumbria prescribe minimum number of hours which must include some personal care. Others don’t but work experience will provide stronger answers for interviews and demonstrate that you are aware of the challenges as @mumsneedwine says. He has definitely grown up as a result of his volunteering and care work. Follow her - she has so much good advice!