Stafford College Access to Medicine

**Laura12** · 09-09-2011, 08:54 PM

Well turns out Manchester won't accept Stafford Access to Med for their 5 year course :/

**Shelleylu** · 09-09-2011, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by Laura12

Well turns out Manchester won't accept Stafford Access to Med for their 5 year course :/

Oh no!

Is it on the list Dawn gave us? Would you relocate?

**Richtosh** · 10-09-2011, 12:40 AM

Laura,

I would have a word with Dawn, although it's not on the list, I'm sure she would try to see what she could do. The Keele degree was actually awarded by Manchester up until this year so there may still be hope.

Lancaster does accept it, is that any good?

Fingers crossed,
Rich

**Shelleylu** · 10-09-2011, 01:01 AM

I remember Dawn saying to have a word with her if the uni you wanted wasn't on the list - so it may well be fine.

Have a good wknd everyone :O)

**Laura12** · 12-09-2011, 03:19 PM

Rich would you say Ukcat Practice Online was the best resource you used? Are there any as good that are free?

**Richtosh** · 12-09-2011, 10:56 PM

I used both of the books suggested by Dawn in her email. Both seemed okay if a little tough, the effect being that I got rather dismayed when I could only get 3 out of 5 on most questions and 2 out of 5 guessing on others!

I only used the 2 books, so I can't recommend books beyond that, sorry. The abstract reasoning in the books was way harder than the exam, whilst verbal reasoning in the exam was way harder than the books! Some you win some you lose.

The best tool for me was the UKcat practice online website both in ease of use and also getting it into my head. The BMJ has one on it's site, but that seemed too easy and didn't really help. I could average 80% on most questions which seems unrealistic.

The closest to the actual exam seems to be UKcat practice online, but that is just an opinion.

Rich

**clifford0584** · 09-04-2012, 05:11 AM

Hi All,
This is my first post.

As way of background, I am 27 years old, from Norwich and have a degree (high 2.1) in International Relations and Politics and Master's (borderline merit/distinction) in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Over the last six years, I have been working for NGOs, World Bank and most recently (for 5 of 6 years) with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Asia-Pacific (Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu) and Africa (Somalia). The focus of my work has been on improving the oversight and management of security institutions and putting in place national security policies; supporting women's leadership in peacebuilding and; primary prevention of gender-based violence in post-conflict situations.

It is the latter work that has meant my work has increasingly focused on the intersection of health and development, in particular using public health approaches to improve the social determinants of health.

There is no doubt that the experiences over the last six years have been enjoyable, particularly living in different countries with diverse cultures, meeting and becoming friends with a variety of people, and dealing with complex social problems. However, over the last couple of years, I have felt like the impact of my work is too long term in nature (not enough focus on the individual) and the stimulation and intellectual challenge are too intermittent. At a crossroad in life, I have decided to embark on a new journey and re-train as a medical doctor. I believe this will allow me to make a difference in people’s lives and the wider community, by treating disease and improving health and well-being. It is clear from my experiences (shadowing and volunteering) that this rewarding vocation also offers the life-long responsibility, stimulation, and intellectual challenge that I am looking for.

I intend to return to England in July and have been offered places on Access to Medicine courses, including at Stafford College to start in September.

I am interested to find out how people are finding the Access to HE (Medicine and Health Professions) course at Stafford College.

In particular:

- How are you finding the course in terms of content - is it really related mainly to medicine; structure; pace and; difficulty - knowledge required and passing assessments?
- What is the student progression rate to medical school? How many people on the course have received offers? Do you know the breakdown between GEM and 5 year course offers?
- Are you living in Stafford? If yes, how do you find it?
- Can you please confirm that the course contact is three days a week?
- Do you recommend any particular textbooks to read as good preparation for the course?
- If you could start again is there anything you would have liked to know before starting the course?
- How many people have taken the GAMSAT and UKCAT?

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Best regards,
Thomas