To consider training to become a GP?

[Inpersuitofhappiness]

I can't believe I'm posting this, I have pretty low confidence in myself, and this is something I've always thought was beyond me, but I have always had an interest in all things medical.

I've just turned 30, and a few times I've been told that I should consider getting into the medical profession. I've always shrugged it off, because I don't view myself as smart enough. One person who recommended it was a GP himself and said that its just hard work to get there.

Is it really doable for the fairly average person if they work hard?

Is it too late?

Is it a career even worth having? I know there are so many GPs leaving the profession with the way the NHS has been over the past several years atleast.

There's part of me that feels like I could really help people.

I already have a career that I don't mind, its genuinely the interest in helping people a bit more thats making me want the change.

I'm hoping I might be able to speak to people who have maybe done it, or know people who have. What do people do if they fail their training?

Is it really doable for the fairly average person if they work hard?

No. It's doable for the fairly bright academically person if they work hard. Most med students don't pick their speciality till they've done their degree, and foundation years either.

If you have some caring experience, and very very good A level grades (or are able to get them, or distinctions on a specific Access course) then give it a go - you're certainly not too old!

Or if you're not top academically think about other healthcare careers - there are plenty!

You do realise you don't just train to be a gp?
You need to go to medical school, train to be a doctor, then do two yrs as foundation doctor, then 3-4 more years gp training.
So at least 10yrs from starting medical school. Can you afford to be a student for five yrs?
Plus it really is not about "helping" people.
Being a good doctor is about having a curiosity, a strong work ethic, an interest in science, health, biology, engineering, sociology and a very good sense of personal boundaries and an ability to work under stress, manage risk, compartmentalise work and home and buckets of resilience.
If you like the idea because your seen as kind, caring, empathic and you like the way helping people makes you feel I'd urge you away from medicine.
Often you can't help, you don't do what people want... You do what is right for their health, you are often constrained by external factors you don't control but you shoulder the blame.
A lot of the time your patients don't like you.
Its not claps every week.
That said.. I am a doctor, and I love my job. But I am resilient, strong, work well with stress and don't want everyone to like me

You’ll need to be very strong in science, do you have a degree? If you do you can take a 4 year medical degree. I considered taking another degree (to get out of healthcare though!) and the loss of earnings for 4 years just wasn’t possible for me, as a junior doctor you’ll need to do shift work and long hours so also depends on family commitments. What is it about medicine that attracts you?

How's your scientific understanding? There are plenty of jobs that will allow you to 'help people', but doctors are scientists, first and foremost.

I’m not a GP but I am a medic and have a large number of friends who are GPs. I’m approaching my mid 30s. I’d never say don’t do it but do be aware:

• Most GPs I know do not enjoy their jobs. Every day is relentless, and no matter how hard they work they cannot their job as well as they feel it needs doing. The public perception of them is poor and as a result a lot of their patients have zero respect for them. Lots of demands for unnecessary referrals etc. Most of my friends have 50+ consults a day plus mountains of results and hospital letters to go though. Staggering numbers of home visit requests - not possible to do them all, and if you don’t go and they deteriorate or anything happens to them you are in their/their family’s firing line. These are bright, relatively young and ambitious people who have just been ground down and down. They generally work 3 days a week as it takes them so much more time than their contracted hours to get the job done.
• I personally would struggle being a junior doctor at my age now doing all those hours and high stress shifts again. I feel like I just wouldn’t have the energy even though I am only mid 30s. Having said that, maybe it’s the years of really hard shifts with no toilet breaks and the occasional ward chocolate for sustenance which has led to a bit of burn out? Would be worth talking to people that went into medicine at your age to see how they found it. Remember that to become a GP you have to do about 4 years of ward work or a and e after you qualify.

Do you have 10 years of your life to dedicate to this? It'll be difficult to take a break for maternity or caring, and you'll have several years of training and rotations (in specialties you might not be at all interested in) before you get to be a full time GP.

Is it possible- sure. Will it fit with your plans for the future? Maybe, maybe not.

Another role you could consider is A Physician Associate? We have these working with our GPs, doing a great job and seeing their own patients.

What qualifications do you currently have? Don’t forget there are also lots of other HCP roles to consider IF medicine isn’t for you e.g. Speech and Language Therapy, Dietician, Nurse, Dentist, Dental Nurse, Occupational Therapist......

I do know a few people who have done medicine in their 30s, it’s definitely possible. I don’t think they accept people who aren’t academically strong enough to pass. None of them had a family. Some HCP are now available as a degree level apprenticeship. There are work experiences packages in normal times for young people considering medicine and other HCP. I think it would be great for you but obviously won’t be running until at least next year

Why GP OP? There are a lot of medical jobs - many of them require less training than GP or other doctor, especially if you already have a degree. Here’s a useful link?

I would encourage anyone to follow their dream (with eyes open!), you’re 30, you’ve got at least 38 years of your career left. It’s always the things that you didn’t do that you regret... I do think you need to do a fair bit more research first though

I do realise that training to become a GP is a good 10-11 years training.
Maybe I'm viewing it wrong, but I view medical issues like problems to be solved, in that way I'd help people. I understand how GPs (and many other medical professionals) are treated, often there's an us vs them attitude from patients. That's not something I haven't had to deal with in my career so far. I'm not involved in the medical sector at all, but I do use quite a few of the skills listed you use day to day. I'm not a stranger to high stress situations.

I know how hard, and stressful the job is, and have nothing but the most respect for people in the medical profession.

I have an interest in all things medical, I'm curious. I've always been interested in most things medical. I read a lot of things that I probably shouldn't be interested in, not working in the medical field.

Scientific understanding is fairly good, not that I've given myself the best opportunities to learn huge amounts. I don't work in a scientific field currently

What qualifications do you have currently?

Do you have science a levels? It’s possible to get on the degree with a 1st/2:1 in another subject but I don’t know anyone who has done it without already having science a levels/ related degree. I imagine it would be extremely hard to do. Could you take biology/ chemistry as distance learning, or an access course?

There's lots to consider, I had a child very young, so now at 30, I'm actually in a position where my caring commitments are lessening. My DD is 13, so I'm not hoping to have to take time out if I do change career.

I've got quite a lot to consider obviously, as the thought of potentially starting a degree that I'm not even sure I could get through is scary to me. Maybe I'd need to lower my expectations.

Tbh if I was looking to change to something medical at this point in my 30s, I'd look at radiology/imaging/audiology related careers instead... especially with a good science background.

It's 13 years training isn't it? 5 degree, 2 foundation, 2 ward, 4 GP training.

Seriously though you know nothing of the reality of the specialism compare to other specialisms - that's what your degree and training is for!

The main thing is are you academically able enough and do you have the entry qualifications? If not that'll add another couple of years to the process.

What A levels do you have and what grades?

Do you have GCSE’s/a levels?

If not to start you’re going to need at least those, or some sort of access course. So straight off you won’t even get on a medicine degree for another 2-3 years minimum. You’ll be late 30’s when you graduate, nearer 40.

Plus alevels, a child, and a job will be a lot of work. A degree maybe less so as you won’t be working, but for medicine there are a lot of placements, not always at your nearest hospital.

Do you have good support for your child if you are late home from the hospital, or need to be in early or overnight?

Can you afford to lose 5 years of wages and pension contributions, and start your 40’s with a big student debt?

I don't even have A levels, my highest qualification is L6 in management.
I didn't stay at school after 16, I completed training as and when to get where I needed to.
I was intending on starting with an access course first because I know my paper qualifications are lacking. So far in life I've not followed the normal routes.

I was hoping to make up for that in my 30s to be honest.

As with a PP, I would look at an Allied Health Professional career of which there are many: radiographer, physio, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, audiologist and many more

Training is faster, you are still making your own decisions and many of these professions actually enjoy their jobs.

FWIW I am a doctor and considered a sideways move into GP - and got advised no way. Plus those shifts are OK in your 20s, less so in your late 30s, early 40s.

Ok so it's not impossible but break it down and see how far you go.

Firstly do your a-levels. That should give you a good indicator of how you will fair academically. Be aware that med school is far more difficult than a levels and full
Time dedication for 5 years. You can't get past that. There aren't any credits, workarounds etc.

While you are doing your a levels try and either get some experience or a job in the healthcare sector to get an idea of possible alternatives should medicine not work out.

I went to a grad med school in the UK, current foundation trainee. The oldest person in my cohort was 55! I was in my mid 20s when starting but there were plenty of late 20/early 30 year olds.

In all honesty, I've been saying this for a while, but medicine needs fewer extremely clever people and more grafters.

It is a long road, and you need to have the capacity (AND motivation) to learn a lot and RETAIN in order to be a safe doctor. There's 4 years medical school min followed by 2 years foundation year where most people don't actually get to do what they want and then 3 years as a GP trainee.

The experience is highly subjective - totally agree with the negative aspects by Lastnamefirst but other people love those things. And also they aren't purely related to GP - hospital consultants have mountains of GP referrals to get through for clinics too, for example, and also get bollocked if a patient deteriorates on their watch. There is a LOT of negatives generally working as a doctor, whichever speciality you choose, and they often overlap. As a counter argument to Lastnamefirst, my friends who have started GP training say it was the best decision they ever made and the work/like balance outweighed the negatives. It doesn't mean either of us are right or wrong, but just depends on what's right for you.

This is why I like to think of the positives. My previous registrar who's about to become a GIM (hospital consultant) said the happiest people he knew were the GP trainees, but he just prefers being a bit more academic. I previously worked in a creative/corporate job and it was exciting and fun but it had its negatives of being overworked and high work demand - and for me the fundamental thing was that it wasn't fulfilling.

Don't get me wrong, being a medic you don't always feel like you've had that much of an impact on someone's life (that's what surgery is for). But sometimes I come home beaming that I've done something good (othertimes I go straight to bed).

I'm not going to sugar coat it, its tough, and not something to do on a whim. I've often thought I could cause more societal change if I did politics or worked at a think tank or for a non-profit.

Anyway, that's my rant over. If you are properly interested, I'd read nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/gp#HowToBecome
as a decent starting point

@Inpersuitofhappiness

I don't even have A levels, my highest qualification is L6 in management. I didn't stay at school after 16, I completed training as and when to get where I needed to. I was intending on starting with an access course first because I know my paper qualifications are lacking. So far in life I've not followed the normal routes.

I was hoping to make up for that in my 30s to be honest.

Not impossible but you have a very long way to go. I would get started with the A levels ASAP.

You don't even have GCSE's!

At least sit your English Language, Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology and get an A / 8/9 before thinking of becoming a doctor.

THEN do your A Levels in maths, physics chemistry or biology - you need 3 - if you get A's THEN you've got a chance and even then there is a lot of competition.

My brother is a junior doctor, he previously studied a non medical degree at Oxford University, he didn't have to do 7 years but a 4 year degree.

There was a 50 year old on his course - that man was previously a City Banker.

You have to be very intelligent / academic.

The fact you don't have GCSE's surprises me that people have encouraged you take this route.