hello

ok most if not all of you probably dont remember me, as ive not exactly posted here much.

heres how my route into med school is going, along with several questions i hope people may have experience with.

after studying anatomy & physiology and organic chemistry in my own time (for fun no less - and yes it is fun, hehe), im well on my way to finishing a degree bsc (hons) life sciences (molecular cell biology and disease). needless to say im 99.9% certain thisll be a first.

a few friends (actually quite a lot) from school, etc are now doctors so im obviously pumping them for information too, as their time permits of course needless to say none of them have quite been in the same personal circumstances as myself so theres a limit to how much they can advise me on.

still not working again yet... currently moving from lovely bucks, to gravesend in kent (slightly different atmosphere!) with fingers crossed ill be trying as hard as possible to get a job at darent valley hospital (especially as baby number three is on the way, due november ).

this brings me to a few questions, as much for my partners sake as for mine...

1. how much of a strain has medical school been found by those with families, trying to find a balance? obviously i have my partners support, and im planning my future for their benefit as well as mine, but im curious how much time ill have for family life, on the 4 or 5 year courses.

2. ive been looking into mostly lab based work, obviously being a strong point but clearly i need to leave the comfort zone, so other than the usual hca route, how have people gone about and found work shadowing? any personal experiences here would be greatly appreciated

3. as far as travelling during studies goes, would my family base be taken into account? (for example would i be expected to fly off to timbuktoo for a few months or would there be the opportunity to do most if not all of my study/training nearby or at least in the same region of the country?)

4. is there financial help available for mature students with families? i understand due to the recession there are changes in student funding, so would like to know how others have found this aspect. i have some money put aside (with recessions looming im paying for the course myself, too, just in case), although i sicerely doubt this will support a family for 4 or 5 years when ill hardly have a chance to work full time.

sorry for the long-winded post, and if these questions have been answered elsewhere. and thanks in advance folks

joel