Is medicine for me? Advice from students please.

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I used to think that medicine was for me! But I did work experience at my dentists and knew that this is what I want to be

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Reply 21

TheNoobyPotato

Original post by smileygirl345

People say you have to be 100% sure but I don't agree. I had many doubts when I applied for medicine, I'm sure everyone does but if you really can't picture yourself doing anything else then go for it! :smile:

As with the issue with wex, I have a friend who applied (for medicine) without any medical related work experience! She did all of them after she applied and still got offers, you just have to word your PS carefully.
Think very carefully before you apply though, the whole process is long and agitating, you won't want to put yourself through it then decide its not for you.
good luck!

Yeah, I agree with the 100% sure thing. It doesn't really make sense to me. :colondollar:

If your friend didn't hae wex, she must have had a lot of voluntary work. What did she have and where did she apply?

Reply 22

TheNoobyPotato

Original post by nexttime

Taking a gap year is very common (and indeed, something i sometimes wish i had done, just for travel opportunities :biggrin:

). If you do decide on medicine, you have loads of time.

Hey, somebody said to me that maybe I only like working with people because I am a friendly person.

How can I really tell whether I would be interested in the communication part/working with people whilst being a doctor? (this may be a bit of a stupid question, something that I would need to search for within myself?)

Reply 23

nexttime

Original post by TheNoobyPotato

Hey, somebody said to me that maybe I only like working with people because I am a friendly person.

I'm not sure there needs to be a difference between the two.

How can I really tell whether I would be interested in the communication part/working with people whilst being a doctor? (this may be a bit of a stupid question, something that I would need to search for within myself?)

Work experience? :tongue:

Reply 24

Hadster

Stop thinking about what courses you want to do at uni.
Start thinking about what job you want to do in the end.
Then find the course that will get you there.

Its no good if you love chemistry, love the uni course, but hate the end product. Because you have enjoyed like 5 years of your life, and thrown away the next 35.

Also, I have never come across someone with a degree in medicine who couldn't find a speciality that he liked...seriously there is ANY type of speciality here.

You might find that the same thing that draws you to chemistry will draw you to research within medicine.

- A 4th year Medic

Reply 25

TheNoobyPotato

Original post by nexttime

I'm not sure there needs to be a difference between the two.

Work experience? :tongue:

Hi again. Lolol.

Do you think that:
- 2 months volunteering
- Summer part time job in retail
- and 1 weeks work experience in a hospital would be enough

I know it's quality, not quantity, but what do you think?

Reply 26

lekky

You are over thinking it. Everyone over thinks it. You already know if you want to do medicine or not.

Flip a coin. Tails you do medicine, heads you don't.
If you get heads and you feel a sense of disappointment you know you want to medicine.
If you get tails and feel a sense of dread then you don't.

This over whelming life-long burning desire people talk about when talking about wanting to do medicine means sweet ****-all when you're actually here,

Go with your gut. Your gut is normally right.

Reply 27

TheNoobyPotato

Original post by lekky

I feel like I should but I can't be sure!

I'm a bit ambitious, my gut is telling me many things, medicine being one of them.

Reply 28

nexttime

Original post by TheNoobyPotato

Volunteering in a medical/care setting? Yeah you could probably push that through.

Original post by lekky

0.53 - 1.37

BSE_saVX_2A

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 29

TheNoobyPotato

Original post by nexttime

Volunteering in a medical/care setting? Yeah you could probably push that through.

No..

Charity shop!

Reply 30

nexttime

Original post by TheNoobyPotato

No..

Charity shop!

Hmm i dunno. The lack of experience of a care setting is a bit of a disadvantage, however much people recite 'quality over quantity'. Its hard to tell though - universities aren't particularly forthcoming with how this info is used. You might be able to spin some aspects of charity shop volunteering... maybe someone else will have something to say on your situation.

Reply 31

TheNoobyPotato

Original post by nexttime

Thanks.

Also, I was talking to my chemistry teacher and she said that there is a fair amount of chemistry in medicine courses (she mentioned Anaesthetics). I think her son does medicine as well.

But others are saying that there really isn't a lot of chemistry?

:confused:

Reply 32

nexttime

Original post by TheNoobyPotato

I think she is perhaps a little biased. If you were doing any kind of pharmacological research then yes... the preclinical course has some rudimentary chemistry in it... but overall, not much no. An anaesthetist need only have a very basic knowledge of chemistry really. As long as they know the specific things they need to know.

Reply 33

Griyu

Original post by TheNoobyPotato

Yeah, I agree with the 100% sure thing. It doesn't really make sense to me. :colondollar:

If your friend didn't hae wex, she must have had a lot of voluntary work. What did she have and where did she apply?

Ok Doctor Bhalla

Reply 34

TheNoobyPotato

Original post by Griyu

Ok Doctor Bhalla

Reply 35

DCMed96

I think it is more of a combination of biology and chemistry.

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Reply 36

DCMed96

What about biomedical sciences? :smile:

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Reply 37

Priya_Biju

Is biomedical material science, biomedical genetics...and courses like that ....the same as biomedical sciences.
I have ABB predicted grade and want to apply for biomedical sciences.
Nottingham, leicester and some other uni seems to have other types of biomedcal science. are they the same?

also any good uni i can apply to?
Currently applying to:
st george
southampton

Reply 38

DCMed96

Imperial college has biomedical sciences.. :smile:

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Reply 39

pacific4130

Original post by TheNoobyPotato

3) I haven't got work experience yet.

This is the first issue you need to address. The rest of it is pointless if you don't actually want to do the job.

Hadster said...
Stop thinking about what courses you want to do at uni.
Start thinking about what job you want to do in the end.
Then find the course that will get you there.

As a mature student coming back into full-time ed, I can say that this is great advice. Uni is not like the real world - for any course. Not to mention it's 5 years versus the rest of your working life. It's a means to an end.

I know of several docs who loved being med students but hated/struggled being F1/F2s. Some people even leave medicine at that point. This is why med school places such a huge emphasis on making sure you know what you're getting into. Think about it - most of the interview is based on this.

So get out there and get some work experience. Go talk to to professionals. Not just medicine but everyone who you can get a chance to talk to. Remember, there is absolutely no shame in not knowing what you want to do with your life.

I know of only one person (my fiancee) who is truly 100% enamoured with their job, and incapable of thinking up anything else they could ever be. The rest all fall into varying degrees of satisfaction. The trick is to choose a path which will give you the best balance of satisfaction/money/pension/security etc...

The worst place to be is way down a career path with no option to change, so think long and hard before you jump into medicine. I was lucky that I had built in some options which helped me to change careers but very few people have that luxury. You don't want to be a final year med student dropping out because your heart isn't in it, or a miserable foundation year doc who dreads the alarm clock on a morning....