Graduate UKCAT Expectations??

[Angeldelight246]

Hi fellow medical applicants (2010 entry)!
i'm so nervous about the UKCAT...It only just hit me today when i filled out the UCAS forM. I've done the UKCAT before back in 2006 but things didnt go so well, with A Levels and also the UKCAT itself etc...so i changed plans and i'm currently in the middle of my Biochemistry degree, where i heard about the graduate entry into medicine yay! But i heard the UKCAT grade boundaries are higher for graduates... is this true??
hope to hear from you soon!!

[Blue_GS87]

They do tend to use UKCAT scores as a cut-off point for interviews. For example, Kings and Newcastle are well-known for their high (i.e. 670 and above) cut-off points. Warwick doesn't really come right out and say it, but they do tend to favour high UKCAT scores. But at the end of the day, UKCAT isn't the only way to enter GEP programs. You can also do GAMSAT, which would be a huge pain in the ass though

[Angeldelight246]

Thanks Blue_GS87! ah the GAMSAT... I'm staying away from the uni's using this test! i've got a practise paper and let me just say.....(some sort of inappropriate thing!)...hehe... they are really cheeky! heehee.. they entice with their lower grade requirements and pow you right in the face with the GAMSAT...
ah i c... so they use the UKCAT scores as a ranking system... So if a people get results below the cut off point, they will automatically be rejected regardless of how outstanding their personal statements are... (depending on whether the uni is more UKCAT score orientated as opposed to personal statement orientated)... would i be right in saying this?

[latestarter]

Ok, my advice is to practice the UKCAT get to know how to guess when times creeping up and then relax. Your biggest focus should be on getting that 2:1 as then you aren't trapped with the GAMSAT route.

Also, I know you are applying for medicine and as a 3rd time applicant know that persistence can pay off, but... did you know about the clinical scientist route? https://www.nhsclinicalscientists.in...tomLeftChannel
basically you study for an MSc after graduating but with the bonus of being employed by the NHS on a band 6 (~£24k) even during your year at uni! Then you work approx. 3 years to qualify and then can apply to band 7 - the career goal is a consultant level post.

I'm not saying do it, but so many people I speak to don't know about this as an alternative career. The options include:
• Audiology
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Clinical Cytogenetics
• Clinical Embryology
• Clinical Haematology
• Clinical Immunology
• Clinical Molecular Genetics
• Histocompatability & Immunogenetics
• Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering
• Microbiology

It is competitive, but my MSc course had quite a few trainees on it and some more who got jobs whilst on the course.

Sorry for the bit of a diversion here...

[Angeldelight246]

ooohh... i didn't know about this! this could be very useful!

[latestarter]

It's quite competitive but not very widely known - you apply in the Jan-Feb of each year - so after med. So, Feb '10 for a start in Oct '10.
You can apply to 4 places and the interviews are tough (presentations etc.), but at least 5 people on the course got in during the MSc after deciding to self fund the MSc.

[hoonosewot88]

Ok, my advice is to practice the UKCAT get to know how to guess when times creeping up and then relax. Your biggest focus should be on getting that 2:1 as then you aren't trapped with the GAMSAT route.

Also, I know you are applying for medicine and as a 3rd time applicant know that persistence can pay off, but... did you know about the clinical scientist route? https://www.nhsclinicalscientists.in...tomLeftChannel
basically you study for an MSc after graduating but with the bonus of being employed by the NHS on a band 6 (~£24k) even during your year at uni! Then you work approx. 3 years to qualify and then can apply to band 7 - the career goal is a consultant level post.

I'm not saying do it, but so many people I speak to don't know about this as an alternative career. The options include:
• Audiology
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Clinical Cytogenetics
• Clinical Embryology
• Clinical Haematology
• Clinical Immunology
• Clinical Molecular Genetics
• Histocompatability & Immunogenetics
• Medical Physics & Clinical Engineering
• Microbiology

It is competitive, but my MSc course had quite a few trainees on it and some more who got jobs whilst on the course.

Sorry for the bit of a diversion here...

Whilst clin science is a legitimate job don't think for a moment it's similar to becoming a doctor through medicine. I've worked with clinical scientists for months and they are basically glorified biomedical scientists. They do some of the jobs BMS's used to do and some of the jobs doctors used to do (in terms of analysing and basing decisions on test results). They are essentially middlemen between laboratories and clinicians. Their actual patient contact is very minimal.

Still, if you are interested in medicine because of the science side and not so much the human side then it is a good career choice, their jobs were certainly more interesting than the BMS's.

[superted]

I got a place as a trainee clinical scientist in haematology last week but I turned it down as I've got a place in medicine.

I agree mostly with hoonosewot88 plus there are other downsides that are not so obvious. The NHS is currently 'Modernising Scientific Careers' and this has the real possibility that half way through the training your job title changes...and god knows where your career prospects will lie.

I was drawn in by the real prospect of medical consultant equivalency - which is as the title suggests is the same as say a consultant haematologist that went to med school. The only difference being the pay - with scientists limited to 93K. BUT consultant clinical scientists are very few and far between (about 1 for every 5 medical consultants in that specific field) and realistically it would be very difficult to ever achieve this post - and it remains to be seen if the post will even exist in 10/15 years time.

[latestarter]

I never at any time considered it to be equivalent, but when thinking that I might not be able to face yet another round of applications - it was a real alternative. Also, audiology is the exception to the hard science positions in that you are fully involved with patient care together with development of services and research (if you want).
Modernising scientific careers is being developed, but at the moment that is to change undergrad education to enable a haematology/immunology scientist to be created, for example. There are lots of thoughts that just isn't possible as you end up with a generalist instead of a specialist.

Just think what speculation there was with modernising medical careers... and what the result was - and subsequent back-downs and changes...

[Angeldelight246]

I understand that it's not the same as becoming a Dr. but If all fails in the future, then one may consider this as an option... by becoming a clinical scientist. But if one takes this on board, i guess it's the risk they'll have to take...