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do all medical students pass uni and graduate as a doctor?

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Reply 20
Original post by Booyah
So just to ask what are the exams like for people who are in medical school? For example in anatomy do you have to write down each functioning muscle and what did does and things like that?

Would love to know :smile:


It really depends on the university.
At Barts in first year its all multiple choice for anatomy exams. So they'll give you a picture of something. If its a muscle you might have to choose the correct name, or its nerve/blood supply or its function. There's also quite a few matching questions, so it might give a picture of the skull and you have to match up the foramen with the correct names, that sort of thing. There's also some 'situation-based' questions. So it might show a picture of someone with a dislocated hip/shoulder and ask what structures are likely to be damaged and that sort of thing. Our anatomy is also mixed in with micro anatomy, so there's lots of nice pictures of cells and tissues to name etc!
I'm guessing that in later years the way we're examined on anatomy might change. Not entirely sure though!
Original post by Le Masquerador.
Are you talking about Emili Sandé? I remember seeing her on and interview with Sir David Frost and I don't think she went back. Her musics actually quite decent!


Yes. Oh ok, hadn't kept up with her story
Original post by Le Masquerador.
Are you talking about Emili Sandé? I remember seeing her on and interview with Sir David Frost and I don't think she went back. Her musics actually quite decent!


I don't think she was even doing medicine was she?
Reply 23
Original post by Hippokrates
I don't think she was even doing medicine was she?


Yeah she did an intercalated degree in Neuroscience but she completed 4 years of medicine in the end.
Reply 24
I believe the drop out rate for medicine is actually relatively low compared with other courses, and certainly compared with other healthcare courses like nursing. Those who do drop out usually do so because they either failed an exam + resit, or because they decided medicine wasn't for them. The number who quit to become pop stars/actors is vanishingly small, but I guess they still come under "decided medicine wasn't for them."

Although individual universities will have a few idiosyncracies, the general rule is that if you fail an exam you get 1 resit (some places make you resit ALL your exams, most just the one(s) you failed). If you fail that, with no extenuating circumstances, then you are out. Sometimes you may be allowed to appeal and either get a 2nd resit or repeat a year, but this isn't always allowed. And some places, like Cambridge, will pull you out before exams if they/you think you will do really badly, and get you to repeat that year anyway.

From my cohort I can only think of a handful who didn't complete due to failing. One or two left very early on, and a couple didn't continue to clinical school, but the vast majority got through one way or another.
I think we lose about 10 people each year from dropping out/failing (though a number of these will be allowed to resit a year) although we tend to get a few from the year above resitting the year (extenuating circumstances) so the numbers don't drop that much. There were about 170 of us to begin with and now I think we have about 155 (in 3rd year) although there will probably be fewer after people fail 3rd year exams.

There's no point worrying about it. I can promise you that in medical school almost everyone will doubt their abilities (in my case it is constant) but if it matters to you then you just need to push through all that and remember that it will be worth it in the end. The vast majority of people will graduate from medical school so chances are you will be one of them. Just try your best :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 26
Original post by GdotL
It's multiple choice lolz.


LOOOOOOOOOL how can someone say that :/
Original post by No Future
2) Fitness to practice issue. Your conduct and behaviour as a med student is taken very seriously, you are expected to behave as a doctor and if you did something really bad, that was incompatible with practicing medicine, you could be kicked out. GMC regulations etc. I guess you'd have to do something pretty bad.


Like what?
Reply 28
Original post by Happydude
Like what?


It would usually have to be something very serious, i.e. criminal, to definitely get you kicked out. However, it is far from uncommon for students to be called to Fitness to Practice hearings for what might be perceived as relatively minor misdemeanours which might call your honesty, judgement or respect for authority into question. Stuff like cheating on exams, breaching patient confidentiality, being caught involved in drunken antics (not just an average night out but something like this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382668/Caesarian-Sunday-Cambridge-students-strip-vomit-fight-Bank-Holiday-party.html), drug or alcohol problems including drink-driving... I have even heard of some London students being cautioned after being caught having not swiped their Oyster card on a bus! You don't have to be a total angel the whole time, but you are expected to behave as a reasonable adult and act professionally towards your work.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 29
Original post by tpxvs
i always hear how solid it is etc.... just wondered, does anyone actually fail and get forced to leave any stage? if so, how often does this happen?

i suppose iv just got to that stage where im on my gap year, firmed an offer, waiting to go to uni in sept.. and BOOM, suddenly totally doubting my ability!!


I'm at BSMS and it does get happen, people do get asked to leave but the percentage is small, and they are generally repeat offenders of not passing stuff! don't doubt your ability, they've picked you because they think you've got the ability to do it!
All depends on the university...

Sheffield UNiversity oversubscribe immensly so have an exam in the first year that 'weeds' out individuals not fit

I know of an instance at Bristol university where around 35 students failed the first year retakes and dropped out
Reply 31
Original post by Booyah
So just to ask what are the exams like for people who are in medical school? For example in anatomy do you have to write down each functioning muscle and what did does and things like that?

Would love to know :smile:


At Birmingham our anatomy is pretty well integrated into the modules on our course but we have a first year module that pretty covers everything head to toe, so we're tested by a good mix of MCQ's and Short answer questions (10 marks). Cadaver tests in second year.
Original post by Helenia
It would usually have to be something very serious, i.e. criminal, to definitely get you kicked out. However, it is far from uncommon for students to be called to Fitness to Practice hearings for what might be perceived as relatively minor misdemeanours which might call your honesty, judgement or respect for authority into question. Stuff like cheating on exams, breaching patient confidentiality, being caught involved in drunken antics (not just an average night out but something like this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382668/Caesarian-Sunday-Cambridge-students-strip-vomit-fight-Bank-Holiday-party.html), drug or alcohol problems including drink-driving... I have even heard of some London students being cautioned after being caught having not swiped their Oyster card on a bus! You don't have to be a total angel the whole time, but you are expected to behave as a reasonable adult and act professionally towards your work.


Fair enough. That sounds ok, I was just a bit worried about the extent of how anal they would be. Cheers!
Original post by Waterstorm
I think it's got like the highest drop out rate. I know a few people who failed/dropped out.


Medicine has one of the lowest drop out rates (when people leave voluntarily), but it may have one of the highest rates for people being asked to leave after failing.
Original post by Waterstorm
I think it's got like the highest drop out rate. I know a few people who failed/dropped out.


It's actually got one of the lowest drop out rates of all courses.
Original post by flopsy89
The singer from Dry The River dropped out of Medicine because he got a record deal


He was in my tutorial group in 1st year :wink:
Reply 36
Original post by GdotL
Say what? It's true...


Really?nahhhh no way?
Reply 37
Original post by rival_
Really?nahhhh no way?


Sarcasm? It's what people mean by 'MCQ' - multiple choice questions.
Reply 38
Original post by GdotL
Sarcasm? It's what people mean by 'MCQ' - multiple choice questions.


No no don't get me wrong i ain't being sarcastic.And apologies for not knowing :smile:
Reply 39
Original post by Helenia
I believe the drop out rate for medicine is actually relatively low compared with other courses, and certainly compared with other healthcare courses like nursing. Those who do drop out usually do so because they either failed an exam + resit, or because they decided medicine wasn't for them. The number who quit to become pop stars/actors is vanishingly small, but I guess they still come under "decided medicine wasn't for them."

Although individual universities will have a few idiosyncracies, the general rule is that if you fail an exam you get 1 resit (some places make you resit ALL your exams, most just the one(s) you failed). If you fail that, with no extenuating circumstances, then you are out. Sometimes you may be allowed to appeal and either get a 2nd resit or repeat a year, but this isn't always allowed. And some places, like Cambridge, will pull you out before exams if they/you think you will do really badly, and get you to repeat that year anyway.

From my cohort I can only think of a handful who didn't complete due to failing. One or two left very early on, and a couple didn't continue to clinical school, but the vast majority got through one way or another.


Oh geeeee, so if you failed an exam and got told to resit, did better but still not quite passed it, you're forced to leave? What about if you've passed all the other exams, but there's one you're just finding really difficult, but if you fail it twice - you're out? now i'm worried!! even if this happens in the later years, so youve done 4 years but somehow really struggling at the last hurdle and they throw you out for failing twice?

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