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TSR Med Students' Society Part VI

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Original post by Helenia
One of my consultants was a street preacher on the weekends, and gave me a book about Jesus as a thank you when I finished the rotation, but never mentioned religion to his patients. The level of pushing that you describe is totally inappropriate.


While that's not really okay, I think it's one of those things you can write off as a nice gesture, that they really wanted well for you and put it on your shelf and wish it were a cake.

The more I reflect on it the more I think if I were a cancer patient and I'm come to a person of science to try and cure me, with science and medicines, I'd lose all trust in someone that thought they could cure me with hands on my shoulders and a plea to their imaginary friend.

I really want to see it as the doctor being super-empathetic, but I can't help wondering if a vulnerable person should really be cornered like that.
Original post by Helenia
One of my consultants was a street preacher on the weekends, and gave me a book about Jesus as a thank you when I finished the rotation, but never mentioned religion to his patients. The level of pushing that you describe is totally inappropriate.


I never got the book!

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Original post by Anonymous
While that's not really okay, I think it's one of those things you can write off as a nice gesture, that they really wanted well for you and put it on your shelf and wish it were a cake.

The more I reflect on it the more I think if I were a cancer patient and I'm come to a person of science to try and cure me, with science and medicines, I'd lose all trust in someone that thought they could cure me with hands on my shoulders and a plea to their imaginary friend.

I really want to see it as the doctor being super-empathetic, but I can't help wondering if a vulnerable person should really be cornered like that.


Completely agree - I thought it was a very nice gesture from him actually, as nobody else has ever given me an end-of-rotation present! The point was that despite him obviously being deeply religious, he never mentioned it to patients. I don't think there's any place for "faith healing" within medicine, though I do appreciate that religious pastoral care can be very helpful for some patients, that's for the chaplaincy not the doctors.
Original post by Mushi_master
I never got the book!

Posted from TSR Mobile


Did you work for the same boss? (at Maydie)

Maybe he thought I was more in need of divine intervention... The other SHO (a scarily competent CMT1 while I was an F2) got a fancy renal physiology textbook instead.
Original post by Helenia
Did you work for the same boss? (at Maydie)

Maybe he thought I was more in need of divine intervention... The other SHO (a scarily competent CMT1 while I was an F2) got a fancy renal physiology textbook instead.


Indeed I did! Nah the others got one on their last day - I just happened to miss my last day as a zero day.

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Yesterday was eventful. Had eye trouble so off to the walk-in; on the way to the walk-in, have my first stop and assist for an elderly lady who fell and gashed her head quite badly on the pavement. Ultimately got to walk-in, referred to A&E, but thankfully all turned out OK. Anyway I managed to check if the lady was brought in by ambulance, which see was and was currently in minors, so I went to visit since I was around in any case. She and her daughter were quite pleased to see me (she originally took my name and address and was going to write a letter).

Times like that really make you appreciate the career path you've chosen. It's not just about respect, but that difference you can make to someone even in a simple situation (for us) is priceless. Happy :smile:
How many of you guys think you would have gotten in to med school if you had applied today?

I think I would still have a chance on the current cycle, but since I didn't get any A*s at A level, my UKCAT was distinctly average, and with the push towards MMIs, I think pretty soon I will be below the standard for a medical student. Kind of weird to think about
Original post by Ghotay
How many of you guys think you would have gotten in to med school if you had applied today?

I think I would still have a chance on the current cycle, but since I didn't get any A*s at A level, my UKCAT was distinctly average, and with the push towards MMIs, I think pretty soon I will be below the standard for a medical student. Kind of weird to think about


I think I'd have stood a reasonable chance of getting in somewhere though maybe not where I actually went for medical school, as nowadays they want a higher UKCAT score and have introduced some rather silly tick box-y entry requirements.

Getting in has become crazy over the years, I'm sure we aren't the only ones who feel "below the standard" - I know of consultants who got in through clearing or with all Cs at A levels. And all the "grade inflation" in the world doesn't change the fact that the process has just become way more competitive over the years.
Original post by Democracy
I think I'd have stood a reasonable chance of getting in somewhere though maybe not where I actually went for medical school, as nowadays they want a higher UKCAT score and have introduced some rather silly tick box-y entry requirements.

Getting in has become crazy over the years, I'm sure we aren't the only ones who feel "below the standard" - I know of consultants who got in through clearing or with all Cs at A levels. And all the "grade inflation" in the world doesn't change the fact that the process has just become way more competitive over the years.


Indeed. When I applied (many, many years ago) the standard med school offer was ABB, UKCAT and BMAT didn't exist, and neither did A* grades.
Original post by Ghotay
How many of you guys think you would have gotten in to med school if you had applied today?

I think I would still have a chance on the current cycle, but since I didn't get any A*s at A level, my UKCAT was distinctly average, and with the push towards MMIs, I think pretty soon I will be below the standard for a medical student. Kind of weird to think about


I reckon I'd have a chance, but as I never took the UKCAT I don't know how well I'd have done on it. My grades are still acceptable (didn't have A*s at the time but I think I'd have got A*A*A*A in new money) and I did well on the MVAT (Oxbridge's precursor to the BMAT) but my work experience and PS wasn't all that, looking back on it. And I paid zero attention to applying to my strengths, I just went for where I liked the look of. Standard offer at the time was ABB-AAB except Oxbridge. My dad applied around 1970 and got CCC offers (which he missed :facepalm: )
(edited 7 years ago)
Two of my offers were AAB and two were ABB. *How times have changed. *I also did A-levels when there were no A* grades (and no AS and A2 either). *I think this actually went in my favour as I did linear A-levels and my end of lower sixth (school-set) exams did not go very well but I pulled things up quite significantly in upper sixth. *So I probably wouldn't have got very good AS grades had I had to do it as AS and A2. *I went to Birmingham and had very respectable GCSEs but certainly wouldn't have met their criteria of 3000 A* these days. *No idea how I would have done at UKCAT. *I think I come across quite well at interview, but certainly not sure that I would have got as many interviews applying now rather than when I did (16 yeara ago! *Eep.) *I think the other bits of my application were reasonable but certainly not perfect. *So overall, I'd like to think that I'd have still got an offer somewhere, but probably wouldn't have got one at Birmingham and I certainly don't think I'd have got the 4 offers that I actually managed to get. *
guys- in the first year of foundation training, how does it work? like do you have to apply to different jobs every three months?
and I heard you can do three rotations every year- how does that work or organised? like do you choose the three and apply seperatley for each?
Original post by lavaman
guys- in the first year of foundation training, how does it work? like do you have to apply to different jobs every three months?
and I heard you can do three rotations every year- how does that work or organised? like do you choose the three and apply seperatley for each?


You apply to the foundation programme and preference rotations and hospitals. The rotations are all linked so you don't get to pick and chose e.g.

1) Guy's and St Thomas' General Medicine, General Surgery, Microbiology
2) Guy's and St Thomas' Obstetrics, Anaesthetics, Immunology
3) Lewisham Medicine, Vascular surgery, Orthopaedics
etc.

You rank as many jobs as you like. Most FY1 posts will be linked to trusts for FY2 but you won't get to preference FY2 jobs until later on during your FY1 year.*
Original post by lavaman
guys- in the first year of foundation training, how does it work? like do you have to apply to different jobs every three months?
and I heard you can do three rotations every year- how does that work or organised? like do you choose the three and apply seperatley for each?


You apply via FPAS in your final year of med school. You first get into a foundation school (or whatever they're calling themselves this week) and then you rank all the jobs within that foundation school. Some foundation schools will provide both FY1 and FY2 rotations, so you know which six you're getting and can rank accordingly. Others only give details of FY1 so you only get details of three rotations per job. You then apply for FY2 jobs in the same deanery in the middle of FY1 year, on the basis of ePortfolio etc.

The system is stressful enough as it is, if you had to reapply every four months it would be absolutely intolerable.


Original post by Helenia
I reckon I'd have a chance, but as I never took the UKCAT I don't know how well I'd have done on it. My grades are still acceptable (didn't have A*s at the time but I think I'd have got A*A*A*A in new money) and I did well on the MVAT (Oxbridge's precursor to the BMAT) but my work experience and PS wasn't all that, looking back on it. And I paid zero attention to applying to my strengths, I just went for where I liked the look of. Standard offer at the time was ABB-AAB except Oxbridge. My dad applied around 1970 and got CCC offers (which he missed :facepalm: )


Which is really how it ought to be...
Original post by Democracy


Which is really how it ought to be...


Agreed - it's such a shame so many people are limited by random preferences at different unis. To be fair, I had a completely free choice because I met the grade requirements for pretty much everywhere, so once I had ruled out London/Belfast/PBL unis/brand new unis (UEA, HYMS etc at the time - I'd have been in their second ever intake and wasn't keen to be experimental!) which left only about 15 to choose between.

I also think I probably wouldn't have done so well at MMI - I do better with more time to open up to people a bit more, and would have found the constant on-the-go-ness of MMI quite draining so might not have given a great impression.
Original post by Spencer Wells
You apply to the foundation programme and preference rotations and hospitals. The rotations are all linked so you don't get to pick and chose e.g.

1) Guy's and St Thomas' General Medicine, General Surgery, Microbiology
2) Guy's and St Thomas' Obstetrics, Anaesthetics, Immunology
3) Lewisham Medicine, Vascular surgery, Orthopaedics
etc.

You rank as many jobs as you like. Most FY1 posts will be linked to trusts for FY2 but you won't get to preference FY2 jobs until later on during your FY1 year.*


That latter bit is only true in some places. In my deanery and others nearby, the jobs we ranked contained all six foundation jobs, so we got to know where we'd be and what we'd be doing throughout FY2 as well. I've got friends in Scotland and the south of England though who, as you say, only know for definite what jobs they're doing for FY1.*
Original post by Helenia
My dad applied around 1970 and got CCC offers (which he missed :facepalm: )


Haha wow, that's amazing. Different times eh.
Does anyone know if failing a first year med school exam will hinder you in your career/applying for intercerlated degrees?
Original post by Anonymous
Does anyone know if failing a first year med school exam will hinder you in your career/applying for intercerlated degrees?


(Disclaimer: I have only done one year myself and don't actually know.)

I highly doubt it, not per se. If it's an indication of things to come (i.e. you fail lots of your other exams) it might hinder you if you're applying for things where your academic record is important. But AFAIK lots of universities have precise, specific requirements for intercalation etc. which are unlikely to include a single first year exam.

I would imagine it might indeed look better in the long run to have had a shaky start but learned from it and put the work in to overcome any difficulties and improve year on year. No sane application system would place undue make-or-break weight on one exam so early on. Everyone has bad days and people dealing with these things know that (because they have bad days too).
Original post by Anonymous
Does anyone know if failing a first year med school exam will hinder you in your career/applying for intercerlated degrees?


I'd imagine it'd vary by school policy, and even then not that much. AFAIK some places include 1&2nd years in the EPM, and some don't, and I'd imagine resit marks are capped, so it would have an effect on that end (but the weightings would make it not too drastic even then I'd imagine). Same for iBScs if external and it's uber-competitive, then yeah, but if it's internal, I'd imagine it won't be too bad? And I believe some places don't even let you intercalate if you've failed something?

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