Soldier wants to go to med school

Hey guys, I know this is probably impossible, however, they say nothing is impossible (or something like that?)

I'm a Combat Medical Technician in the British Army and I've recently decided that I want to become a doctor.

Now a Combat Medical Technician specialises in anything from battlefield trauma to giving primary health care. I've worked alongside many doctors and nurses all over the world; Canada, Kenya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Belize, Borneo amongst other places. My skills enable me to perform procedures such as needle decompression to relieve tension pneumothorax or surgical chricothyrotomy, as well as seeing up to 30 patients a day for primary healthcare consultations.

So, here is where it gets tricky. I have average GCSE's including B's/C's in Science, English and Maths. I had an appalling time whilst sitting AS Levels and left college in the october of my second year. Therefore 'achieving' E's in Sport studies, Applied Science's and Psychology at AS Level and ended up a soldier in the army.

Any guidance/support will be gratefully received.

The question'(s) I'm trying to pose are;
1. Is there any methods of applying for med school with my current qualifications?
2. Will my previous experience be considered if I applied for med school
3. What are my chances of being accepted into med school?

Any guidance/support will be gratefully received.
Many thanks,
Dan.

1) With your current qualifications as they stand on their own, not really. Your best options are either an Access course, which pacific4130 has described, or to study A-levels again. You may also need to redo your GCSEs to get your Maths/English/Science grades up to at least a B, depending on exactly where you apply. University foundation years are probably not an option as they are usually for people who do have full A-levels, but either the wrong grades or the wrong subjects. Graduate entry would be a silly option.
2) Yes, though you have to sell it the right way. Clinical skills such as needle decompression etc, while they sound cool to an outsider, are not as important - they will teach you all the things you need to know to be a doctor. As an FY1 in a normal hospital, you're unlikely ever to need to do that, and they want people who will be good all-round doctors, not gung-ho needle/knife wielders. The "softer" skills such as consultation skills in your primary care role (I'm intrigued by this - are you supervised by qualified nurses/doctors? Are you treating British Army soldiers or natives of wherever you're posted?), leadership, decision making under stressful circumstances, teamwork etc - your experience in these will be invaluable. However, while it will look fab on your personal statement and reference, this experience on its own will not replace having the right grades, so you do still need to get those.
3)Impossible to say at this stage because there is still a lot for you to do. Are there internal careers advisers for soldiers? They're always talking on the adverts about how they will find your potential and help you develop all sorts of skills, so I assume there must be. I'm also sure you're not the first CMT to want to upgrade to either nursing or medicine, so hopefully someone within the Army will be able to guide you further (and, importantly, tell you if/what they'll pay you if you want to do this!)

In response to your first question about my primary health care role: I can work unsupervised in a medical centre without the supervision of nurses or doctors. There are only 2 doctors where I'm posted who both run their own clinics and can ill afford to watch over their CMT's. This is not exaustive as my PHC role extends from the medical centre to the smallest patrol bases in places I've not even heard of. However to work unsupervised you must pass your CMT1 course. (there are 2 classes of CMT's in the Regular Army, CMT 2, CMT 1) A CMT 1 can supervise a CMT 2, and as I'm a CMT 1 I can work unsupervised at all times.

I did not mention anything in relation to bedside manner,as I assumed that it would be a foregone conclusion. All my patients are treated with the exact same amount of respect, regardless of rank. The commanding officer of the battalion will be treated no better than the newest private (this is a pet hate amongst my peers, superiors and subordinates).

Yes, there are internal careers advisors, as such. However, they're about as much use as Anne Franks drum kit. They've given, and paid for the skills I have. So they have no incentive to help me find higher education. They'd have to find someone to take my place. Which creates more work for them.
I've learned that after 10 years service, that if you want something that the army are reluctant to give to you, (when I say reluctant what I really mean is won't) you tend to have to go and buy it yourself.

I also think that my 'leadership, decision making under stressful circumstances, teamwork' are also a foregone conclusion. I think I've probably made many decisions under stressful circumstances that many A&E doctors simply could not fathom.

Maybe you have, though telling admissions tutors that in those exact words will make you sound arrogant, which is not a great start. It might be that you feel that all those soft skills are "foregone conclusions" but bear in mind you will be mostly competing for entrance against 18 year olds, who will probably have stellar academic records compared with yours, but whose experience of leadership is a DofE expedition in Snowdonia. The skills and experience you have from your current job will be your selling point, so you have to articulate what you've done in a way that will impress the people reading your personal statement. But unfortunately for you, universities are pretty inflexible when it comes to academic requirements, so you will have to find some way of meeting them, whether that's an access course or self-studying A-levels, not to mention the UKCAT and so on. All your experience will mean nothing if you don't have the right grades.

Having technical procedural skills such as the ones you describe means relatively little. Nurses and paramedics who want to do medicine all have to start at the beginning and do the same course as everyone else - they might have an easier time when it comes to learning to cannulate or whatever, but there are no short-cuts. I would fully expect the same to be true for CMTs.

I did not mention anything in relation to bedside manner,as I assumed that it would be a foregone conclusion....

I also think that my 'leadership, decision making under stressful circumstances, teamwork' are also a foregone conclusion. I think I've probably made many decisions under stressful circumstances that many A&E doctors simply could not fathom.

I think I've gained a little more life experience than knowing when, and when not to brag about my experiences at war.

All my patients are treated...

I think I've gained a little more life experience than knowing when, and when not to brag about my experiences at war.









No offence meant, but I would advise you ditch your attitude or you don't stand a chance of getting into med school. Not to mention the fact that you're coming out with pretty daft comments.

Fact is, your CMT background isn't exceptional. There are hundreds of very experienced nurses, paramedics, pharmacists (etc etc) applying for med school. You're an Army CMT with cruddy AS levels - you're on the back foot from the start.

Start listening to people like Helenia. That was some great advice in the previous post and you threw it back at them.

Fact is, academics don't mean much when it comes to med school. Aside from meeting the entry standard that is. It's the personal statement, entry tests, and performance at interview that get you in. Most people don't even make it to the interview stage.

I got in because I was smart enough to know that despite having a very impressive past history in the RAF, I knew nothing about getting into med school. I was humble and hard working and that got me a long long way. My networks got me work experience placements, people to read my statements, info on what particular med school wanted, practice interviews...

I've just done exactly what it is you hope to achieve, and yet you haven't PM'd me or replied to my post... You need to start realising when people are offering a leg up and get in there and network. You will not be getting into any med school if you don't.