Clinical experience and patient contact?

[alexnesbitt18]

Hi I'm planning for entrance to med school in 2007. I'm in the first year of the IB. When i first looked at the oxford leaflet i noticed that there would be a delay in regular patient contact until the fourth year. I also noted the possibility of transferring to another school for my clinical training. As a person who is not the most self-confident unless they know what they're doing or talking about, would it disadvantage me working with other students who have had more patient contact and clinical experience if i have only had limited exposure and have transferred from oxford to london for example?

[elles]

I'm in the first year of the IB. When i first looked at the oxford leaflet i noticed that there would be a delay in regular patient contact until the fourth year.

not sure i would call it a "delay" really - it's just that the course is preclinical & clinically divided up!

but if you're looked at the prospectus then you probably would have seen the info about the patient contact there is during the first 3 years? doctor-patient course probably the key feature.
& then in my 1st/2nd years we had some ward tutorials, watched video link up surgery & plenty of the practicals are in clinical-esque skills (e.g. in physiology ECGs, blood pressures of each other; in pathology, lab medicine type diagnostic techniques; in anatomy the focus is also on living anatomy & medical imagine etc) & the lectures always emphasize the clinical significance of the science.
& my third year project is very clinically based.

I also noted the possibility of transferring to another school for my clinical training. As a person who is not the most self-confident unless they know what they're doing or talking about, would it disadvantage me working with other students who have had more patient contact and clinical experience if i have only had limited exposure and have transferred from oxford to london for example?

to be honest, i doubt it - plenty of oxbridge students transfer to london every year & don't think the have any major problems. & some colleges (notably ICL) run an introductory course for the oxbridge transferees to make sure they've been covered the same ground before they join the rest of the year.

i think i've found if anything that studying the basic medical science first actually makes me feel quite a bit more self confident about approaching patients, reasonable knowledge base to work from now - so can focus more on relevant technical skills & technique etc.


but the course wouldn't suit everyone.. perhaps come along to an open day in the summer/visit some other medical schools too etc. & see what you think then?