How much work experience do I need (medicine)?

Hey, I've just done my GCSEs (2 A*s, 7 As, 1 B) and was wondering how much work experience I'd need to do for the next year or two?

I did 1 week at the start of this summer at a GP, should I aim to organise some for every holiday I get off school? Eg. October half term, Christmas, Easter etc

Reply 1

Muppet Science

Original post by erudite

Quality >> Volume

Merely getting work experience shows the admissions tutors that you care and are motivated to get into medicine. What you actually get from the work experience is far more important as they want to see that you were involved and not just doing it out of a PS exercise.

Ideally as much as possible - mainly because it is quite enjoyable, but as I said above make sure you get something out of it. So take a notebook and make notes on what you are seeing.

You already have had a week with a GP so some time with a surgeon or medic or both would be very good. I only had two weeks total work experience and I am off to Cardiff soon so volume really is not that important :smile:

Good luck

Reply 2

345rty

As above, but consider the quality and how you write about it above the absolute volume. I got in without any formal work experience, it isn't essential.

Reply 3

Elwyn

Original post by Muppet Science

I am off to Cardiff soon

I got in with 3 days of medical experience. So it really is quality over quantity. Don't forget you don't need to put how long each placement was in your PS. I knew that my 3 days may be seen as being a little short so made a point of not mentioning how long it was, I just talked about what I'd learned.

Reply 4

kool Kashmiri

what you learn from it is much more important. really sell the skills that you learnt or what you saw and how it confirmed that that's what you want from a career. Eg experience at a care home showing you how to empathise for elderly people who aren't independent, or how the challenges you saw a doctor face on a daily basis are the same challenges that you want to tackle etc