qs for current peninsula students

**Aneknamin** · 16-02-2010, 03:51 AM

OK, well technically all UK Medical Schools offer a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree and you could go to any UK Medical School and become a surgeon or a medic. If you enjoy anatomy then the more traditional courses cover this in more detail and give you the opportunity to experience dissection, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and Imperial are supposed to have good anatomy courses and they would be good places to have a look at.

**Yixian** · 16-02-2010, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by _avfc00013

How am i antagonising anyone?!

It's your use of terms like "brainwashed"..

Originally Posted by iceman_jondoe

Im relieved i dont have to bother learning detailed anatomy..i find surgery so boring..its all about be a proper physician

I love the line in Trust Me I'm a Junior Doctor: "Surgeons like to think that they're doing something incredibly clever, when in actual fact,it's rather straightforward: something's wrong, so we'll cut you open, cut it out and sew your back together again. If we can't cut it out, we can't help you."

Lmao xD But yeah, obviously surgeons are as smart and talented as any other kind of doctor, their speciality is just more based on the wrote-learned rather than clinical reasoning, and Peninsula could not place more emphasis on clinical reasoning.

It's like the different between anatomy and physiology, physiology is cascading and logical, anatomy is a series of latin names connected to different latin names at various levels of the body. It's tough learning both but they're very different.

**_avfc00013** · 16-02-2010, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Yixian

It's your use of terms like "brainwashed"..

I only said that because i couldn't think of a better word and i'm not going to use a bloody thesaurus on a forum post.

**iceman_jondoe** · 17-02-2010, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by _avfc00013

I only said that because i couldn't think of a better word and i'm not going to use a bloody thesaurus on a forum post.

Deary me you have a short temper for someone who wants to be a doc....chill dude....then again you ARE a brummie so i understand

joke.

**Adchurch** · 17-02-2010, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by iceman_jondoe

And if you want to be a surgeon dont come to PMS! your more likely to be a GP when youve graduated from here!

I had a strong feeling about this, and it really is THE ONLY issue I have with peninsula. I am not really sure what I would like to do yet, and I was hoping to find out during my time at medical school. I think though that a lot of these newer 'PBL' medical schools (not just peninsula) tend to produce GPs as opposed to any other specialty; and indeed a lot of these newer medical schools were opened when there was a shortage of GPs - the idea that they are 'GP workhouses' kind of annoys me i guess.

What to do.. where should i choose to go? - I realize that my above comment about the newer PBL schools is kind of hypocritical, considering 3 of the 4 slots on my application for medical school was taken up by them lol. But also taking into account my personal statement, grades and other circumstances, I felt i was most likely to gain offers from them (and I have).

I have also been out of education for a little while now (it will be 2 years since I finished my A2s by the time i start medicine). If peninsula IS as self-directed as they say it is, i might find myself struggling in the first year maybe. And we wouldn't want that now... would we! - Yes i know what i need to do, its just a case of doing it.

Ahh deciding where to go...decisions.... decisions... and i thought having the opportunity to decide between more than one medical school would be a luxury? - jokes

**Adchurch** · 17-02-2010, 03:44 PM

By the way _avfc00013, peace and love. I can see what you are trying to ask dude, I think they were just annoyed by the way in which you asked it. They are important questions that you asked, as going to medicial school is a big decision... and getting some feedback from current students, for me anyway, will help me see whether peninsula is the right medical school for me.

Good luck! peace and love!

**ilovehotchoclate** · 17-02-2010, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Adchurch

I had a strong feeling about this, and it really is THE ONLY issue I have with peninsula. I am not really sure what I would like to do yet, and I was hoping to find out during my time at medical school. I think though that a lot of these newer 'PBL' medical schools (not just peninsula) tend to produce GPs as opposed to any other specialty; and indeed a lot of these newer medical schools were opened when there was a shortage of GPs - the idea that they are 'GP workhouses' kind of annoys me i guess.

What to do.. where should i choose to go? - I realize that my above comment about the newer PBL schools is kind of hypocritical, considering 3 of the 4 slots on my application for medical school was taken up by them lol. But also taking into account my personal statement, grades and other circumstances, I felt i was most likely to gain offers from them (and I have).

I have also been out of education for a little while now (it will be 2 years since I finished my A2s by the time i start medicine). If peninsula IS as self-directed as they say it is, i might find myself struggling in the first year maybe. And we wouldn't want that now... would we! - Yes i know what i need to do, its just a case of doing it.

Ahh deciding where to go...decisions.... decisions... and i thought having the opportunity to decide between more than one medical school would be a luxury? - jokes

I think that prob, if you are prepared to put the work in, you will be able to be whatever you want to be, no matter where you go. The skills you will learn through PBL could help you be a A+E or trauma or paeds specialist as much as it could turn you into a GP. Lots of places have PBL aspects, even if they aren't fully PBL because they recognise that finding things out for yourself is the best way for some people to learn. It's also important to remember that it isn't just PBL sessions you will be having, there are lectures and group work too. Any degree you take up, not necessarily med, you will need to be able to read around subjects and teach yourself. This is a big step up between A Level and degree for everyone. It just requires a bit of passion for what you study and disipline to actually sit down and do it. Lectures are supposed to be spring boards and introductions to the topic, you won't get more than a 3rd if you only use info given to you in lectures in your exams. If you want to be a surgeon, or anything in fact, while you are at med school bug people to shadow them in your spare time, make contacts, see what's for you. You can do anything if you try

Good luck with the decision.

**Yixian** · 17-02-2010, 03:55 PM

I know surgeons who have qualified here so it's not that it's not possible, it's just probably a steep learning curve when you start specialising as there's so little anatomy teaching here.

Even if the course is particularly well suited for hospital physicians and GPs, pretty much the same % of graduates choose to do surgery as anywhere else anyway - if you really do a lot of anatomy revision in your own time and maybe a crash course weekend or two, I suppose you'd be on the same level as anyone else.

We have surgeons here who can arrange full body dissections for groups of students too if that interests you.

What this means is that if you know 100% you want to be a surgeon then Peninsula isn't the ideal school for you - coming here wouldn't mean you couldn't be a surgeon but the course wouldn't be as suited for you as say.. Imperial.

**vertigo.0012** · 17-02-2010, 05:21 PM

Away from the anatomy topic...with all the attachments, how much do you tend to spend on travel to these places? And do you have a car, use a bus/train/taxi etc?

**Yixian** · 17-02-2010, 07:22 PM

Personally I've spent about... £12 in 2 years and had all that refunded. It can be a pain if in year 2 you're placed with a GP a long way out of town, but they offer compensation. I was placed 10 mins down the road luckily hehe.