[Funtry]

I've been watching Great Ormond Street etc and I've suddenly become really interested in anaesthetic and all that. I was wondering, is it too late for me to become one?

I'm applying to do chemistry w/a foreign language for 2013 entry, is this going down the wrong path?

I'm doing Chemistry, Maths and Physics as my A2's, after dropping philosophy. Is my knowledge in Biology too poor?

I got full UMS in my GCSE biology (higher tier) but it wasn't what interested me at the beginning of year 12, as I wanted to do physics at Uni.

[chriscpritchard]

You can go for graduate entry medicine, it's very competitive though. Also, Anaesthetics as a speciality can be quite boring (think 3 hours sat around doing nothing except writing numbers down every 5 minutes), but you've got to be ready for anything, as when the patient goes downhill you need to be able to do calculations on the fly.

Basically, it's possible, but expensive and competitive!

[tj hughes]

To be an anaethesist you have to study medicine.

So, GEM is quite a good option like the guy above said. But v. competitive, so get lots of work experience etc.

Also, you could take a gap year and apply for med instead of doing chemistry in 2013

[Funtry]

(Original post by chriscpritchard)
You can go for graduate entry medicine, it's very competitive though. Also, Anaesthetics as a speciality can be quite boring (think 3 hours sat around doing nothing except writing numbers down every 5 minutes), but you've got to be ready for anything, as when the patient goes downhill you need to be able to do calculations on the fly.

Basically, it's possible, but expensive and competitive!

I'm quite good at maths and arithmetics so that would be fine for me, but I don't think I can do medicine due to my lack of biology :|

Money isn't a problem (makes me sound like a douche, I know, but I'm just being honest) and I used to want to be a pilot before I took my colourblindness test, so I'm not worried about the competitiveness!

Thank you very much though

[myyrh]

(Original post by Funtry)
I'm quite good at maths and arithmetics so that would be fine for me, but I don't think I can do medicine due to my lack of biology :|

Money isn't a problem (makes me sound like a douche, I know, but I'm just being honest) and I used to want to be a pilot before I took my colourblindness test, so I'm not worried about the competitiveness!

Thank you very much though

Have you just finished your AS year? If so you could take up Biology AS during your A2 and that would widen your choices a lot. It is possible to get on to a medicine course with just chemistry but only a few medical schools would consider you.

[moonkatt]

(Original post by chriscpritchard)
You can go for graduate entry medicine, it's very competitive though. Also, Anaesthetics as a speciality can be quite boring (think 3 hours sat around doing nothing except writing numbers down every 5 minutes), but you've got to be ready for anything, as when the patient goes downhill you need to be able to do calculations on the fly.

Basically, it's possible, but expensive and competitive!

I disagree in part here, anaesthetics is probably one of the more difficult specialities in medicine to go for. Yes, some of it is long periods of boredom, but the depth of physiological knowledge they need and the length of training involved shows how difficult it is. However as you have said, when the brown stuff hits the fan they have to know what's going on. It may seem like they're just sat there, writing down numbers, but in reality they're spending a lot of their time titrating drugs to keep a patient stable be that a patient having a simple op or a crashing patient with a dissecting AAA.

(They don't have to write down that many obs these days btw, unless the monitor goes tits up, they just print off the trends at the end of the procedure).

[Funtry]

(Original post by tj hughes)
To be an anaethesist you have to study medicine.

So, GEM is quite a good option like the guy above said. But v. competitive, so get lots of work experience etc.

Also, you could take a gap year and apply for med instead of doing chemistry in 2013

Oh I get what GEM is now, just googled it

So if I do modules in biology as a lot of uni's offer (one of my options is chemistry w/biomedicine at Kings) instead of a language, that may help me?

Gap years haven't interested me really, I don't like the idea, but that's just me. Moving abroad I'm fine with though.

[Funtry]

(Original post by myyrh)
Have you just finished your AS year? If so you could take up Biology AS during your A2 and that would widen your choices a lot. It is possible to get on to a medicine course with just chemistry but only a few medical schools would consider you.

yes, but I've started A2 this week :s I was thinking of self teaching myself biology AS, though many people said it wouldn't be worth it :/

[tj hughes]

that would help in getting into GEM, but it's still realy competitive and you'd need work experience/ experience of voluntary care in the health/care sector etc.

if you're doing AS you may aswell apply for medicine this time around... you'll save 3 years and an awful lot of money!

[Funtry]

(Original post by moonkatt)
I disagree in part here, anaesthetics is probably one of the more difficult specialities in medicine to go for. Yes, some of it is long periods of boredom, but the depth of physiological knowledge they need and the length of training involved shows how difficult it is. However as you have said, when the brown stuff hits the fan they have to know what's going on. It may seem like they're just sat there, writing down numbers, but in reality they're spending a lot of their time titrating drugs to keep a patient stable be that a patient having a simple op or a crashing patient with a dissecting AAA.

(They don't have to write down that many obs these days btw, unless the monitor goes tits up, they just print off the trends at the end of the procedure).

I'm fine under pressure; in fact I work better. Periods of boredom don't matter to me, I'd like to know I'm helping a patient through their pain in the end

[chriscpritchard]

(Original post by moonkatt)
I disagree in part here, anaesthetics is probably one of the more difficult specialities in medicine to go for. Yes, some of it is long periods of boredom, but the depth of physiological knowledge they need and the length of training involved shows how difficult it is. However as you have said, when the brown stuff hits the fan they have to know what's going on. It may seem like they're just sat there, writing down numbers, but in reality they're spending a lot of their time titrating drugs to keep a patient stable be that a patient having a simple op or a crashing patient with a dissecting AAA.

(They don't have to write down that many obs these days btw, unless the monitor goes tits up, they just print off the trends at the end of the procedure).

Oh, I know it's difficult, and they need to know a lot (hence being able to act when it goes tits up), but a lot of it, especially in routine operations is sitting down doing not much. I've just done a placement at a hospital, they didn't have fancy printers, so the poor anaesthetists were just writing the numbers down (I'm aware they can print a trend at the end in most hospitals though!)

It's reality, due to the nature of their job that there will be long periods of boredom and that it isn't all massively exciting life saving stuff. It's the fact that the staff know how to act calmly in an emergency that earns them the big money!

[Funtry]

(Original post by tj hughes)
that would help in getting into GEM, but it's still realy competitive and you'd need work experience/ experience of voluntary care in the health/care sector etc.

if you're soing AS you may aswell apply for medicine this time around... you'll save 3 years and an awful lot of money!

I'm doing an EPQ in "caffiene and it's physiological, psychological and sociological effects" next year, so maybe that'll help me slightly?

I'm very interested in volunteering at GOS in my 2nd and 3rd years, as I know many Kings students do, as well as some other UoL uni's

[myyrh]

(Original post by Funtry)
yes, but I've started A2 this week :s I was thinking of self teaching myself biology AS, though many people said it wouldn't be worth it :/

That is such a load of tosh. It is still not too late to try and get onto an AS course of Biology (the A2 stuff you learn now you just end up forgetting during the holiday and they have to go through it again ). In my A2 year I had a classmate who suddenly decided he wanted to do medicine but he didn't have Biology so he took it at AS with his other A2 subjects and he ended up with two offers so it's perfectly doable. Graduate entry should be avoided if possible.

[mucgoo]

You can apply and get into medicine without biology. The problem if you applied this year would be getting work experienced crammed in between now and october.

[Funtry]

(Original post by myyrh)
That is such a load of tosh. It is still not too late to try and get onto an AS course of Biology (the A2 stuff you learn now you just end up forgetting during the holiday and they have to go through it again ). In my A2 year I had a classmate who suddenly decided he wanted to do medicine but he didn't have Biology so he took it at AS with his other A2 subjects and he ended up with two offers so it's perfectly doable. Graduate entry should be avoided if possible.

I'll ask my senior tutor about it, thank you would doing an EPQ, A2 chemistry, maths and physics, as well as AS biology be too much for me though? I know that my school does the WJEC course and this year is the first time they've ever finished the course on time..

[tj hughes]

(Original post by Funtry)
I'm doing an EPQ in "caffiene and it's physiological, psychological and sociological effects" next year, so maybe that'll help me slightly?

I'm very interested in volunteering at GOS in my 2nd and 3rd years, as I know many Kings students do, as well as some other UoL uni's

i've g2g, but please look into applying for medicine! it's defo easier to apply after a levels, so if medicine is what you want to do, you should definitely look into applying.

it's a big life decision, so don't regret it! make sure you do your research!

[tj hughes]

(Original post by Funtry)
I'll ask my senior tutor about it, thank you would doing an EPQ, A2 chemistry, maths and physics, as well as AS biology be too much for me though? I know that my school does the WJEC course and this year is the first time they've ever finished the course on time..

Try and do AS biology in your 2nd year.

Be determined, work really hard and reach your full potential - you may aswell try to acheive your dreams!

[Funtry]

(Original post by tj hughes)
i've g2g, but please look into applying for medicine! it's defo easier to apply after a levels, so if medicine is what you want to do, you should definitely look into applying.

it's a big life decision, so don't regret it! make sure you do your research!

Okay see ya! I will be sure to, it's something I'd love to do, so I'll be researching a lot

I'll try not to, thanks so much for your advice.

[myyrh]

(Original post by Funtry)
I'll ask my senior tutor about it, thank you would doing an EPQ, A2 chemistry, maths and physics, as well as AS biology be too much for me though? I know that my school does the WJEC course and this year is the first time they've ever finished the course on time..

It's difficult but certainly doable. AS Biology is pretty manageable and there aren't many difficult concepts like there are in Chemistry. Its just really down to memorising and exam technique. Chemistry is actually the more important subject when it comes to applying and certain medical schools are satisfied with Biology just being at GCSE.

[themedicalgeek]

I think first of all you should try and speak to an actual anaesthetist as watching a few minutes of edited footage is hardly representative. Also take into account that it takes around 8 years (approx.) after graduation to become one so you have to have a real desire to pursue medicine in order to persevere through to consultant level (the level you are seeing in that tv program)