Work load

Original post by Booyah

Hey, I always hear about the enormous work load for medical students, and it sort of acts as a bad press for any potential medics. I was just wondering do you have a lot of free time to play sports, go out partying. I could understand if you don't go out very often but can you still go out twice a week or so. Also how many contact hours would be usual?

I applied to Durham, Manchester and St Georges if that changes anything.

Thanks
Mike

This is the section for current medical students and doctors and not for applicant questions, the main medicine forum is the place to ask, here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=195

[EDIT] To the negger - this post was made before this thread was moved, no need to be touchy.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2

OP

Original post by Mushi_master

This is the section for current medical students and doctors and not for applicant questions, the main medicine forum is the place to ask, here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=195

Well the question was aimed at current medical students and possibly just graduated doctors.

Reply 3

Original post by Booyah

Well the question was aimed at current medical students and possibly just graduated doctors.

The tag at the top of this forum states:

The place for medical students to discuss all things about the course from work load to applying for jobs and everything else. Not the place for applicants to ask current medical students questions!

So expect this thread to be moved to the appropriate place.

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Mushi_master

The tag at the top of this forum states:

The place for medical students to discuss all things about the course from work load to applying for jobs and everything else. Not the place for applicants to ask current medical students questions!

So expect this thread to be moved to the appropriate place.

Ah my bad, this seemed like the most logical place to post... Oh well!

Reply 5

Helenia

20

Anyway, now that the thread's been moved...

The medicine workload is high, with a lot of contact hours and usually quite a bit of set work/private study on top. But the classic phrase here is "work hard, play hard." It is perfectly possible to get involved in sport at a university level, plus quite a lot of medical schools have their own medic teams which are arranged around your demanding timetable. Socialising is also definitely allowed! You won't be able to go out every night, and after one or two hungover ward rounds you won't want to have too many heavy nights out while on clinical placement, but yes, you can go out and have a good time when you want to.

It may require a bit more organisation than a student on a less-demanding course, and you won't be able to do absolutely everything you might want to, but you can still have an amazing time.

Reply 6

Original post by Booyah

Hey, I always hear about the enormous work load for medical students, and it sort of acts as a bad press for any potential medics. I was just wondering do you have a lot of free time to play sports, go out partying. I could understand if you don't go out very often but can you still go out twice a week or so. Also how many contact hours would be usual?

I applied to Durham, Manchester and St Georges if that changes anything.

Thanks
Mike

There is a large volume of content to get through, and this increases through the years, so keeping up can take some time, and typically most people do an hour or two most nights (may exclude weekends). In terms of contact time, it depends on which medical school and which year, but using where I am (GKT) as an example:

1st year: Roughly 16-20 hours a week
2nd year: Between 20-24 hours
Clinical years (year 3, 4 and 5): Hospital based stuff can vary a lot, depending on which rotation you are doing - but really it can be roughly 9-5, Monday to Friday.

There's often other assignments to do on top of this too. So yeah, it can be a lot of work, but everyone still manages to have a life if they want it! Most people I know are in sports teams, societies or have plenty of times for their friends and families. So as long as you can find a work ethic that is relatively effective and you can keep it up, you should have no trouble at all.

Reply 7

tania<3

15

Workload at George's isn't too much in the first term, compared to some unis we actually had it pretty easy. You're in pretty much 9-5 Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays with half days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Its because the first term is meant to be relaxed to introduce you to the course and uni life, etc. Semester 2 becomes more hardcore, 9-5 all days except half day Wednesdays, and the exams count at the end of the year so there's a bigger difference in terms of content difficulty and workload.

I haven't found anything too overwhelming though, although older years tell me that it'll get a lot harder after first year, so I guess I can't really complain much!

Reply 8

Democracy

20

Original post by Booyah

Hey, I always hear about the enormous work load for medical students, and it sort of acts as a bad press for any potential medics. I was just wondering do you have a lot of free time to play sports, go out partying. I could understand if you don't go out very often but can you still go out twice a week or so. Also how many contact hours would be usual?

I applied to Durham, Manchester and St Georges if that changes anything.

Thanks
Mike

It shouldn't really act as a bad press in my opinion - presumably any potential medic who's done some basic research will realise that medicine isn't like other professions in that the course is years longer than a standard degree and the studying, exams, etc don't end once medical school finishes either. It's clearly a demanding profession. This is all pretty basic info so unless someone is basing their impressions of life as a doctor on Casualty or Holby City, it shouldn't really be surprising - it's what you're signing up for at the end of the day.

There isn't a lot of free time, but there's certainly enough to get involved with different societies and sports teams and to have a social life, as Helenia has explained. Going out twice a week or so? That should probably doable in first year depending on how good you are at organising your time and/or how badly you're affected by hangovers. Ultimately you won't have entire days off during the week like other undergraduates, but you can still definitely have a great time.

Reply 9

workload.
Lets put it this way: Its 9pm and I'm doing a 2k essay.

but seriously, you get used to that ****. I had to give up my rugby career though

Reply 10

OP

Original post by Helenia

x.

Original post by Mushi_master

x

Original post by tania<3

x

Original post by Democracy

x

Original post by Knugs

workload.
x

Thanks for the info, seems a bit more realistic. The way I was reading some articles it sounded like there was 12 hours of work per day! I understand it isn't easy but knowing that I'll be in the university for around 8 hours a day is helpful... Better do some extra reading over the summer...

Reply 11

Original post by Booyah

Thanks for the info, seems a bit more realistic. The way I was reading some articles it sounded like there was 12 hours of work per day! I understand it isn't easy but knowing that I'll be in the university for around 8 hours a day is helpful... Better do some extra reading over the summer...

Im still on this essay btw...

Reply 12

Democracy

20

Original post by Booyah

Thanks for the info, seems a bit more realistic. The way I was reading some articles it sounded like there was 12 hours of work per day! I understand it isn't easy but knowing that I'll be in the university for around 8 hours a day is helpful... Better do some extra reading over the summer...

Hasn't what we told you made you realise that once you start med school you'll have more work than any other 18/19 year old to be dealing with? Not an impossible amount, but still enough to be getting on with. The conclusion to draw from that is to enjoy your summer holiday, not to do extra reading :p:

Extra reading before med school is pointless anyway, you will gain nothing from it.

Reply 13

Original post by Democracy

Hasn't what we told you made you realise that once you start med school you'll have more work than any other 18/19 year old to be dealing with? Not an impossible amount, but still enough to be getting on with. The conclusion to draw from that is to enjoy your summer holiday, not to do extra reading :p:

Extra reading before med school is pointless anyway, you will gain nothing from it.

That was probably the best holiday I have ever had

Reply 14

OP

Original post by Democracy

Hasn't what we told you made you realise that once you start med school you'll have more work than any other 18/19 year old to be dealing with? Not an impossible amount, but still enough to be getting on with. The conclusion to draw from that is to enjoy your summer holiday, not to do extra reading :p:

Extra reading before med school is pointless anyway, you will gain nothing from it.

I meant like learn a small thing not a lot of things... Didn't just want to sit down and work during that holiday!

Reply 15

Original post by Booyah

I meant like learn a small thing not a lot of things... Didn't just want to sit down and work during that holiday!

No, seriously don't do any reading in the summer before you start!

Reply 16

chill like you have never done before!!!

Reply 17

nexttime

22

I know plenty of medics that went out WAY more than twice per week during pre-clinical. Plenty that do university-level sports too, including 25+ hours of training per week for rowing and rugby.

Expect to work hard, but there is free time of course yes. Things get a lot harder logistically once you have clinical attachments, though.

Reply 18

OP