American wanting to study medicine in the UK?

Hello! I am a very confused girl at the moment.

I am 15 years old and I want to be a doctor. I live in America and I have lived here basically all my life. When I was 9-12 years old, I used to live overseas in Germany with my family because of my dad's job. We are NOT European. It was all job-related.

Anyways, my dream is to become a doctor and live in the city of London, England. I know I am only a young teenager, but I have big dreams and I am so determined to accomplish them.

The only problem is.. I don't know how.

So, I am in my first year of high school. So this means I have three more years to think about what I want to do before I start college.

BUT, here at my high school they have classes that all fit into endorsements (in my case, it would be Public Services - health care). So I would take classes called "Health Science" throughout my stay here. They would grow more advanced as I move up in grade level.

I'm not taking any this year as I am only a freshman, but next year I start my first health science class.

ANYWAYS, what I'm trying to get at here is that I have NO IDEA how it works in the UK. Is becoming a doctor in America the same as becoming one in the UK? Because after researching for a couple of hours (more like 12) I have gotten a vibe as if being a doctor in America is better than being one in England.

I also read that the degree plan is different and more complex? I mean, all I want to know is what steps I have to take in order to make my dreams come true.

What would I have to do to apply to a medical school in the UK? Can I actually become a full-time doctor there? Like, have a job in a hospital like here in America? Is this dream I have even realistic?

Someone please explain what would be best for me, and what route I would have to take to make this ride as smooth as possible?

Like, are there American medical schools in England? I have no idea!

Step by step please! Thanks so much. x

google
American Embassy in London
(education department)

You will get definite answers from there

x

Tuition will be like £36,400.00/y according to http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/studentfinance/2015-16tuitionfees#UG

Add on another £8,000 per year, so you're looking at around £45,000 and times that by 5, so £225,000.

Do you have that much saved up? If yes then sure.

times that by 6*

Imperial's course is six years long, with a compulsory intercalated year.

Anyways, my dream is to become a doctor and live in the city of London, England. I know I am only a young teenager, but I have big dreams and I am so determined to accomplish them.

The only problem is.. I don't know how.

So, I am in my first year of high school. So this means I have three more years to think about what I want to do before I start college.

BUT, here at my high school they have classes that all fit into endorsements (in my case, it would be Public Services - health care). So I would take classes called "Health Science" throughout my stay here. They would grow more advanced as I move up in grade level.

I'm not taking any this year as I am only a freshman, but next year I start my first health science class.

ANYWAYS, what I'm trying to get at here is that I have NO IDEA how it works in the UK. Is becoming a doctor in America the same as becoming one in the UK?

Because after researching for a couple of hours (more like 12) I have gotten a vibe as if being a doctor in America is better than being one in England.

I also read that the degree plan is different and more complex? I mean, all I want to know is what steps I have to take in order to make my dreams come true.

What would I have to do to apply to a medical school in the UK?

Can I actually become a full-time doctor there? Like, have a job in a hospital like here in America?

Is this dream I have even realistic?

Like, are there American medical schools in England? I have no idea!

Big dreams indeed. I always think that Americans have a very unrealistic idea of what London is like. For instance, you can forget about owning a house in London if you come from a middle-class family and work in the National Health Service here (NHS -- or 'socialised medicine' as you might know it as in the United States).



First of all, studying medicine in the UK is very different to studying medicine in the United States. In the United States, you first have to study a general Bachelor's degree, majoring in something like biology.

In the UK, the standard mode of entry into medicine requires only a high school education; no undergraduate degree required (although we do have something called graduate entry medicine which, take my word for it, it's best to avoid if your high school grades are good enough for medicine).

The standard school-leaving qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has different ones) are called Advanced Levels (or A Levels), which are roughly equivalent to Advanced Placement tests in the United States. Should you get an offer, it's likely that it will be conditional on your achievement in three APs, provided the rest of your application is judged to be of a high enough standard.

My advice would be to aim to get 5s in APs in chemistry, biology and one other subject of your choice, all the while making sure that your GPA is decent. You should also consult the 'international qualifications' section on the websites of various UK medical schools (list here).

Also have a look at TSR's general guide to studying medicine at universities in the UK. It's a good place to start if you're really new to all this, which you seem to be. That's true of the medicine wiki in general, so I suggest you take an hour or two to read it carefully, even if it is in dire need of an update.



It's debatable. Life for junior doctors (that is, people who are qualified doctors but are not yet consultants) in England is pretty rough and likely to get worse in the next few years. I can't comment on what it's like in America.



http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Medicine_Course_Structure



You would have to apply through UCAS (similar to the Common Application, but cheaper) to a maximum of four places (plus a fifth non-medicine course if you want) with the right qualifications.



Yes, and yes.



If you do everything I've listed above, I don't see why not.



None that I'm aware of. Why would you want to go to an American medical school in England anyway?

THANK YOU SO MUCH. You really took the time to type all of this helpful information and I really appreciate it!

So, what you're saying is that if I take AP science classes in high school (equivalent to the what's it called-- A-levels?) and keep my grades up, and look at some medical school institutions in the UK, then I'll most likely be alright? I just want to make sure that the final decision I make is worth it because in the end, I just want to be employed as a doctor in London.

I was looking at King's College and it interested me! As an American, can I actually apply for that school, get accepted, and go there just like any regular student? Or would there be modifications like a "study abroad" type thing?

THANK YOU SO MUCH. You really took the time to type all of this helpful information and I really appreciate it!

So, what you're saying is that if I take AP science classes in high school (equivalent to the what's it called-- A-levels?) and keep my grades up, and look at some medical school institutions in the UK, then I'll most likely be alright? I just want to make sure that the final decision I make is worth it because in the end, I just want to be employed as a doctor in London.

I was looking at King's College and it interested me! As an American, can I actually apply for that school, get accepted, and go there just like any regular student?

Or would there be modifications like a "study abroad" type thing?

OH - and what you first mentioned about owning a house. I figured that having a career as a doctor would be the equivalent to America (they are super wealthy here). But, knowing that I want to live in London, a decent flat wouldn't hurt no one!

why do you want to become a doctor? why medicine and not some of kind of natural science?

Hmm, I don't know, really. I mean, I've always been interested in all kinds of sciences and I guess becoming a doctor was the first thing to come to mind. I honestly have no idea, and I am STILL trying to find something that interests me. Doctor has always been my go-to sort of career path. I'm not too familiar with natural sciences and what kind of careers those hold.

well I'd suggest looking into what you're going to be studying on this course because I made the mistake of assuming that I was going to be comfortable without any research (I did a year of law and then dropped out) - you might have the exact same experience by making assumptions like that

I've been researching SO much. my brain will explode any second now. i go from science, to english, to business, to forensics, to almost.... I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO. I'm so stuck and I have no idea what I'm doing. For me, money is important. Like, really important. That's where a doctor comes into play, right? I'm capable of doing it, my grades are excellent and I study a lot. But, is that what I really want? On the switch hand, I really enjoy literature. I love reading and I love books. But what the hell will an English major do? Ugh. Why is life so hard? I mean, I would definitely be happy majoring in something like biology. But, it's hard getting into medical school and really expensive. I try to imagine what I could do as an English major living in a big city like London, but it just doesn't tie together. I have no clue what to do.

This is why I chose being a doctor. Or something in that area.

why is money important when it might give you a potentially miserable life?
I started out just like you - I actually wanted to be a doctor before I wanted to be a lawyer. I could have stayed on with law but it was boring me to death. so I took a course I actually enjoyed and I've been doing very well in it so far (politics). if you work so hard to get your degree and then work tirelessly to maintain yourself in a profession that doesn't suit you, your life is going to be *awful* - why would you get out of bed in the morning each day just for money? even if you were given a lot of money, what about the fact that you'll have very little free time if you want to be a successful lawyer?

I guess you're right. I really shouldn't be too concerned with money, but I just can't help but feel like I won't live comfortably. I know I can make it work, but I just have to experience it to know it, you know? Financially, I would be happy as a doctor. Mentally, happy as... I'm not too sure as what with an English major. Ha. But then again, this must mean that every doctor is unhappy with their life in some way, I guess..

honestly, you ought to find a career path which isn't going to even feel like labour/work - that way you won't have a breakdown or something later in life out of the pressure and sadness. I wouldn't care if I got minimum wage from my politics degree - so long as I had a basic standard of living which sufficed my happiness, and I had my family/friends, then I wouldn't want anything else in life - also, if I actually enjoyed my career, then I'd be *much* more likely to do well in it, compared to one which I hated - giving me more money as a consequence

if you actually are interested in medicine though, truly and honestly, then you should go to university and take a course in it - but to become a doctor takes like 6 or 7 years - its a long road just for more money. that difficulty and time taken to become a doctor will separate those who are meant for the career and those that aren't