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How to know if medicine is for you

I'm currently about to start my A-Levels and I'm trying to think of what I'd like to aim for and do afterwards. I don't know what I want to do but I know that medicine is a very wide field which is why it appeals to me. However I'm not sure what particular speciality/career within medicine I'd consider doing and it would be great to receive some feedback from anyone who was or is in a similar position. A career with a good work & life balance would be perfect.

Feel free to share what you want to specialise in and how you came to your decision! :smile: Thanks

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Original post by Sam1875
I'm currently about to start my A-Levels and I'm trying to think of what I'd like to aim for and do afterwards. I don't know what I want to do but I know that medicine is a very wide field which is why it appeals to me. However I'm not sure what particular speciality/career within medicine I'd consider doing and it would be great to receive some feedback from anyone who was or is in a similar position. A career with a good work & life balance would be perfect.

Feel free to share what you want to specialise in and how you came to your decision! :smile: Thanks


Good luck getting that in medicine. :lol:

Spoiler



For me it's mostly based on an interest in the science of medicine. If I can, I'll go into medical research afterwards as the pay is a little better in that apparently. I'm not really fussed with the human aspect of it; I don't mind it but I don't really crave it either. :smile:
Original post by Sam1875
I'm currently about to start my A-Levels and I'm trying to think of what I'd like to aim for and do afterwards. I don't know what I want to do but I know that medicine is a very wide field which is why it appeals to me. However I'm not sure what particular speciality/career within medicine I'd consider doing and it would be great to receive some feedback from anyone who was or is in a similar position. A career with a good work & life balance would be perfect.

Feel free to share what you want to specialise in and how you came to your decision! :smile: Thanks


No one would expect you to have picked a specialty during sixth form. Or even during medical school. There are lots of junior doctors who are still making up their minds.

Some specialties have a reputation for being more family friendly etc than others e.g. GP, paediatrics, dermatology etc. That said, whatever specialty you go into you will still be doing longer hours than if you weren't a doctor, you'll have exams to do for years after you've graduated medical school, commitments to prove you're keeping up with the latest in your field etc.

That's a general rule - regardless of specialty. If you're okay with that, then you'll be okay with medicine. Less than full time hours are available, so there's also that. But medicine will always be a full on job, however you dress it up.

Have you done any work experience yet? What did you make of it?
Original post by Sam1875
I'm currently about to start my A-Levels and I'm trying to think of what I'd like to aim for and do afterwards. I don't know what I want to do but I know that medicine is a very wide field which is why it appeals to me. However I'm not sure what particular speciality/career within medicine I'd consider doing and it would be great to receive some feedback from anyone who was or is in a similar position. A career with a good work & life balance would be perfect.

Feel free to share what you want to specialise in and how you came to your decision! :smile: Thanks


You don't pick a speciality until you've qualified as a doctor! Do some work experience to work out if you really want to do medicine, after all you won't get any offers from anywhere without work experience. Then you can look at the areas involved. But yeah you won't have a work life balance, if you want to be a doctor, then work is your life.
Original post by Sam1875
I'm currently about to start my A-Levels and I'm trying to think of what I'd like to aim for and do afterwards. I don't know what I want to do but I know that medicine is a very wide field which is why it appeals to me. However I'm not sure what particular speciality/career within medicine I'd consider doing and it would be great to receive some feedback from anyone who was or is in a similar position. A career with a good work & life balance would be perfect.

Feel free to share what you want to specialise in and how you came to your decision! :smile: Thanks


I'm hoping to do medicine too (unless I **** up exams which is quite possible) and I'm just about to start A-levels. Idk what I want to specialise in yet but tbh you have so long to work that out and so many options so it's fine ☺️


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Reply 5
Original post by Hydeman
Good luck getting that in medicine. :lol:

Spoiler


For me it's mostly based on an interest in the science of medicine. If I can, I'll go into medical research afterwards as the pay is a little better in that apparently. I'm not really fussed with the human aspect of it; I don't mind it but I don't really crave it either. :smile:


Haha yeah as you can tell I don't know a lot about it and I'm just trying to get some information, so thanks for that :smile:
Reply 6
Original post by Democracy
No one would expect you to have picked a specialty during sixth form. Or even during medical school. There are lots of junior doctors who are still making up their minds.

Some specialties have a reputation for being more family friendly etc than others e.g. GP, paediatrics, dermatology etc. That said, whatever specialty you go into you will still be doing longer hours than if you weren't a doctor, you'll have exams to do for years after you've graduated medical school, commitments to prove you're keeping up with the latest in your field etc.

That's a general rule - regardless of specialty. If you're okay with that, then you'll be okay with medicine. Less than full time hours are available, so there's also that. But medicine will always be a full on job, however you dress it up.

Have you done any work experience yet? What did you make of it?


Thanks for your response! Yeah I appreciate that you're not expected to have picked exactly what you want to do but I'm just trying to find out some ideas to see if I'd actually be interested in medicine, so no I haven't had any work experience as such so I guess I'll be doing that at some point during the next couple of years.

What are you currently doing? Thanks :smile:
Reply 7
Original post by Physflop
You don't pick a speciality until you've qualified as a doctor! Do some work experience to work out if you really want to do medicine, after all you won't get any offers from anywhere without work experience. Then you can look at the areas involved. But yeah you won't have a work life balance, if you want to be a doctor, then work is your life.


Yeah I think I'm getting the message that you have to dedicate your life to it which I'm not too sure about if I'm honest, but it wouldn't be too bad if it was really enjoyable and rewarding. However I wouldn't want to be working 24/7! Need my weekends haha :wink:
Reply 8
Original post by WannabeDoctor98
I'm hoping to do medicine too (unless I **** up exams which is quite possible) and I'm just about to start A-levels. Idk what I want to specialise in yet but tbh you have so long to work that out and so many options so it's fine ☺️


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Yeah I just need some reassurance to know If medicine would be my thing whereas you seem to be pretty sure on what you want to do (judging by your name) :wink:
Good look with your A-Levels and yeah I could quite possibly mess up as well but it's nice to have a goal in mind!
Reply 9
Original post by Sam1875
I'm currently about to start my A-Levels and I'm trying to think of what I'd like to aim for and do afterwards. I don't know what I want to do but I know that medicine is a very wide field which is why it appeals to me. However I'm not sure what particular speciality/career within medicine I'd consider doing and it would be great to receive some feedback from anyone who was or is in a similar position. A career with a good work & life balance would be perfect.

Feel free to share what you want to specialise in and how you came to your decision! :smile: Thanks


"How to know if medicine is for you"
What I have found over the years was that nobody is able to answer that question for themselves until they actually have started working as a doctor.
Shadowing, on placements and whatever is never close enough to the real thing. You might get an idea of the environment, the working hours and what doctors do. You will learn what they need to know and what skills they have but IMO will never be able to tell you if it is really for you until you there.
I find that applicants who say they really want to do medicine have actually no idea what it entails. I respect someone far more for saying they are not 100% sure but for some reason they are attracted to it.
Interested in the science of medicine is fine for studying medicine but being a doctor is a complete different thing.

You will see lots of different specialties during medical school and it gives you a chance to cross off the things that you don't want to do (for whatever reason).
Original post by Sam1875
Yeah I just need some reassurance to know If medicine would be my thing whereas you seem to be pretty sure on what you want to do (judging by your name) :wink:
Good look with your A-Levels and yeah I could quite possibly mess up as well but it's nice to have a goal in mind!


I would say my work experience placements helped- I didn't even consider medicine until I did work experience in ITU (year 10)and then I've been set on it since. Every bit of work experience since then has confirmed that I really want it.


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Original post by Sam1875
I'm currently about to start my A-Levels and I'm trying to think of what I'd like to aim for and do afterwards. I don't know what I want to do but I know that medicine is a very wide field which is why it appeals to me. However I'm not sure what particular speciality/career within medicine I'd consider doing and it would be great to receive some feedback from anyone who was or is in a similar position. A career with a good work & life balance would be perfect.

Feel free to share what you want to specialise in and how you came to your decision! :smile: Thanks


I'm starting A levels as well this year and like you want to be a doctor. As other people have said, you don't have to specialise until much later on in your med school training when by that time you will hopefully have done work experience to try and find out which speciality you like. If that does not succeed then all junior doctors complete rotations in hospitals so this is another opportunity. At the moment I want to specialise in paediatrics but have had no work experience yet in a paediatric department due to the age factor. Hope this has helped you!! :smile:
Reply 12
Don't worry about specialities or anything else at this point in time. Medicine is so diverse you can't really decide until you have at least been to medical school. Many doctors are still undecided even after working for a couple of years.

My best advice would be to chat to current doctors and students and ask as many questions as you can. Volunteer in you local hospital doing anything (make teas, push the food trolley around etc) and use the opportunity to meet some doctors and ask them about why they enjoy/hate medicine. This is the best way to understand what the job involves.

Despite what others have said it is always possible to have a work life balance but it may be more difficult than other careers.



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Hello!

There's a big free advice section on deciding on medicine (including advice, case studies, videos etc) here: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/deciding-on-medicine/
Reply 14
Original post by Knugs
"How to know if medicine is for you"
What I have found over the years was that nobody is able to answer that question for themselves until they actually have started working as a doctor.
Shadowing, on placements and whatever is never close enough to the real thing. You might get an idea of the environment, the working hours and what doctors do. You will learn what they need to know and what skills they have but IMO will never be able to tell you if it is really for you until you there.
I find that applicants who say they really want to do medicine have actually no idea what it entails. I respect someone far more for saying they are not 100% sure but for some reason they are attracted to it.
Interested in the science of medicine is fine for studying medicine but being a doctor is a complete different thing.

You will see lots of different specialties during medical school and it gives you a chance to cross off the things that you don't want to do (for whatever reason).


Yeah I'm the sort of person who is not 100% sure but I'm like you say, attracted to it. Thank you for the info. :smile:
Reply 15
Original post by WannabeDoctor98
I would say my work experience placements helped- I didn't even consider medicine until I did work experience in ITU (year 10)and then I've been set on it since. Every bit of work experience since then has confirmed that I really want it.


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Ah right thank you for your suggestions
Reply 16
Original post by wannabedoctor21
I'm starting A levels as well this year and like you want to be a doctor. As other people have said, you don't have to specialise until much later on in your med school training when by that time you will hopefully have done work experience to try and find out which speciality you like. If that does not succeed then all junior doctors complete rotations in hospitals so this is another opportunity. At the moment I want to specialise in paediatrics but have had no work experience yet in a paediatric department due to the age factor. Hope this has helped you!! :smile:


Thank you, it's good to know that you don't have to put all your eggs in one basket so early and have time to explore different things :smile: Good luck with your A-Levels!
Reply 17
Original post by pkr
Don't worry about specialities or anything else at this point in time. Medicine is so diverse you can't really decide until you have at least been to medical school. Many doctors are still undecided even after working for a couple of years.

My best advice would be to chat to current doctors and students and ask as many questions as you can. Volunteer in you local hospital doing anything (make teas, push the food trolley around etc) and use the opportunity to meet some doctors and ask them about why they enjoy/hate medicine. This is the best way to understand what the job involves.

Despite what others have said it is always possible to have a work life balance but it may be more difficult than other careers.



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Thank you for your advice! :smile:
Original post by Sam1875
Thank you, it's good to know that you don't have to put all your eggs in one basket so early and have time to explore different things :smile: Good luck with your A-Levels!


I completely agree with you regarding the fact that we have time to experience different specialities and then choose from there. Good luck with your A levels too, what are you doing by the way?
Reply 19
Original post by wannabedoctor21
I completely agree with you regarding the fact that we have time to experience different specialities and then choose from there. Good luck with your A levels too, what are you doing by the way?


Geography, Biology, Chemistry, how about yourself? :smile:

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