Any advice from current students/medics?

**thevegetarian** · 06-11-2009, 05:36 AM

I've got a few questions about being a doctor that nobody seems to be answering!

I'm choosing my A-Levels at the minute, and have wanted to do medicine for about four years. However, recently I have been thinking about maybe an English degree instead, but still really want to do medicine. My main problem is that I don't really enjoy Chemistry, despite achieving good marks in it - I already have an A*, as I took the 3 sciences a year early. I think I could cope with the course, but I'm not sure about doing it, as I want to do four other A-Levels - Biology, English Lit, History and Politics. Five A-Levels is a heavy work load, but I would, if I took 5, almost certainly be dropping politics for A2.

I have done work experience, been on courses etc already, so am quite prepared in that respect for applying for medicine, but I am worried that maybe I will get lower marks because of doing five, and then not achieve the academic standard. I am predicted all A* and an A at GCSE, and already have the A* from last year, so hopefully will achieve the right grades at GCSE, if everything goes alright.

Another thing, is that I have never enjoyed labwork at school, and I don't know how much of a medicine degree is mollecular studies/biochemistry. However, every time I see doctors, hospitals, the NHS etc on television or in the papers, I immediately think 'I really want to do that'. I have never imagined myself working in an office, and love interacting with people - I have volunteered in my local hospital for over a year, and love it.

Another thing, is that I definitely do not want to be taking physics or maths, and I wondered how much this will hinder me for the BMAT and UKCAT. My school provides extra maths help if you take chemistry and not maths, but maths has always been one of my worse subjects. I really want to do politics and history, but lots of people say that they are pointless for medicine. However, if I do change my mind, they would be good for other careers.

I am not squeamish or averse to working with the general public, which is useful, I expect! I know that the hours for junior doctors are less now then they used to be, but what are realistically average weekly hours now? That would be a big thing for me to consider, as I do not cope massively well with little sleep.

A final thing - I'm sorry this is so long! - is that all my careers stuff at school has been centred around doing a medicine degree, and if I change my mind, I might find myself a bit lost. If I don't do chemistry, my least favourite of the five, then I would be committing myself to not doing medicine, which I definitely do not want to be doing.

Thankyou so much for reading all of this, and I really hope that you can help me!

**Chwirkytheappleboy** · 06-11-2009, 06:07 AM

If you're considering Medicine, do Chemistry. It is absolutely essential and if you don't do it, you'll write yourself off completely and will be unable to apply for Medicine (at least until you graduate from University, at which point a few Universities will allow you apply without it).

Most Universities require you to study at least two sciences at A level (one of which should be Chemistry), so if you're doing Biology then you'll survive without Physics or Maths. You'll be better off with them, but as long as you get good grades (A or A*) in Chemistry and Biology, you should be ok. Both Physics and Maths will be helpful for the BMAT, and Maths will be useful for the UKCAT, but neither are essential because you can just learn the necessary material independently.

Here's the most important bit though: I think, really, your main problem is your lack of interest in science and Medicine as a subject. I think you need to seriously ask yourself: are you considering Medicine because you actually want to do it, or are you idealising the image of a doctor? Grey's Anatomy, ER, House, Scrubs etc are really entertaining (and sometimes educational) but they don't give a particularly realistic view of life as a doctor - it's not all about heroic life-saving procedures and endless opportunities for sex with nurses/doctors/grateful patients.

It's more like lots of paperwork, explaining to hospital managers why particular patients have "breached" the 4 hour A&E limit, giving drunk homeless people a bed for the night, getting abused/sworn at when you accidentally administer Naloxone too quickly and your druggie comes crashing down off his high, making grovelling apologies to middle-class parents who "know their rights" and want their child's cough seen by a consultant immediately, avoiding lawsuits from no-win-no-fee lawyers, begging Radiologists to do your essential X-Rays (but they would rather wait until 9am because they don't want to come in at 3), fighting a seemingly relentless battle against homeopathic remedies, and still taking exams at the age of 40.

Ok, it's not all bad, but it's also not what you've seen on TV. What I'm saying is don't put the career of a doctor on a pedestal; think very carefully about whether it's the right thing for you to do.

**Gazz** · 06-11-2009, 04:42 PM

^ That is better than any careers advise you will ever get from school.

The reality is, you're just going to have to commit to something, regardless of what it is. But unfortunately, you will struggle to find an undergrad medicine course (apart from those with foundation year courses) without an A in chemistry (probably an A* now, with the new syllabus).

The only thing I can really help with is that not doing maths or physics definitely wont be a problem with the UKCAT (I did neither and came out with enough), and as for the BMAT, you seem like a bit of a brain anyway with your year early A*s, so i wouldn't lose sleep over it.

**flarestar** · 06-11-2009, 08:08 PM

Yeah BMAT only requires that you have enough knowledge and understanding of GCSE science to take. The A-levels do help but are not necessary as long as you have the understanding for them and were not just memorising it.

Oh about a lack in chemistry when I took it at high school I didn't like it whatsoever, however when i took it at A-level it was easily my favorite subject so don't write it off just yet.

I agree with you don't take 5 A-levels unless you are sure you can completely cope with it.

And yeah i agree with Chwirkytheappleboy about your reasons for considering medicine, if you aren't 100% for it, don't bother. The media really hypes up everything to do with the NHS and medicine more then it actually is in reality. You say you've done work experience, how did you find taking care of people and observing doctor's at work? If you haven't done work experience in a hospital and that's what's motivating you then go do some experience and see what a doctor actually does. It's the best way to find out if you really want to do medicine. That's why uni's stres about having work experience. It's to see if you really do want to do medicine and you understand what you're committing yourself to. Also if you're considering english what do you plan on doing with the degree and try and sort out work experience for that field and then compare which you would enjoy more. Honestly medicine is not something to take light-heartedly, if you are going into medicine you need to be 100% sure that's what you want to commit to for teh rest of your life and not something you're going to regret. Srtiously do some work experience and really see what a doctor does and decide for yourself is that what you want to do? then you'll have your answer.

**thevegetarian** · 07-11-2009, 12:51 AM

thanks for all the advice, it really helps!

**Kinkerz** · 16-11-2009, 01:10 AM

Don't worry about not liking chemistry, a fair portion of the people in my year only did it so that they could do medicine. Providing you get a B (at least!), you'd be OK. There are some that demand As - Liverpool, Leicester and Nottingham spring to mind - though, which I'm pretty sure you'd be capable of anyway. The point is, don't be worried if you don't like it, most don't and just put up with it so that they'll be eligible for medicine. There's hardly any chemistry in the course anyway; biology makes up 95% of the science. That said, I'm only in year one, and I'm not certain how that % will change over the next half-decade (I suspect very little) and I'm not sure about other medical schools (though they all have to cover virtually the same stuff anyway).

**letthesunshinein** · 20-11-2009, 04:03 AM

I have to say I think Chwirkytheappleboy is a couple of miles off the mark here... I don't see anything to suggest you have a lack of interest in medicine, i think you show more interest than a lot of prospective applicants on the site with your year of volunteering and courses and such. There's nothing wrong with getting a glimpse of a medical environment, however false and glammed over for telly, and getting a bit of a rush of excitement because you know its what you want to do.

Chemistry is unfortunately a necessary evil for getting into the majority of medical schools, but I certainly haven't needed any of it since 1st year, and even then its usefulness was minimal at best. As for the 5 ASs, if its what you want to do, don't let people put you off saying its too much: that depends on the individual (i did 5 and i did fine with them). you do have to be honest with yourself though, because at the end of the day, you need your grades to get into medicine, so if you begin to struggle, drop one.

good luck!

**fortysixandtwo** · 24-11-2009, 06:38 PM

It's more like lots of paperwork, explaining to hospital managers why particular patients have "breached" the 4 hour A&E limit, giving drunk homeless people a bed for the night, getting abused/sworn at when you accidentally administer Naloxone too quickly and your druggie comes crashing down off his high, making grovelling apologies to middle-class parents who "know their rights" and want their child's cough seen by a consultant immediately, avoiding lawsuits from no-win-no-fee lawyers, begging Radiologists to do your essential X-Rays (but they would rather wait until 9am because they don't want to come in at 3), fighting a seemingly relentless battle against homeopathic remedies, and still taking exams at the age of 40.

Did you get this info from Max Pemberton's book? :P

**Chwirkytheappleboy** · 26-11-2009, 12:42 AM

Max Pemberton, Michael Foxton, Nick Edwards, Raymond Tallis etc...

**__keyahh** · 28-11-2009, 04:19 PM

Best thing to do is take the a-level chemistry so that you're not ruling medicine out, then try and get as much work experience as possible to see whether its the right career path for you! and don't just get work experience in hospitals and gp's try and get a volunteer job somewhere less glamourous like an old people's home!!