what to do after biomedical sciences?!

i am currently a 1st year doing bms. im doing this because i didnt meet my grades for a medicine offer. i like it but cant help thinking that i know its not what i want to do in the long run (i.e be a biomedical scientist)
obviously i would love to do post-grad medicine but i know how hard this is to get onto. im just wondering what other options are out there if this wasnt to work out (realistically thinking).

masters then PhD? and then into research of some sort is something i wouldnt mind doing, but im not really sure of the ins and outs of it, how to apply, what you actually need to do, what course ect ect. has anyone got any advice as it would be very much appreciated :smile:

thanks.

anyone?!

Where are you doing your Biomed degree?

keele.

I am currently in my final year of Biomed and have an offer to start a PhD in October.

If you are thinking about a PhD I would recommend getting some lab experience. Most universities offer summer projects, some of them funded (i.e they will pay you a stipend to cover living costs etc.). This will give you an idea of whether or not research is something which you might want to pursue, and also, if you do decide to apply for a PhD, will look good on your application. They are normally only open to second year students, but I managed to get one in my first year too, so there is no harm in asking.

With regards to what courses, and how to apply... I think at this stage, what you need to focus on is which aspects of your degree you enjoy most. If you are going to commit to research, it really needs to be an area that you are passionate about. It may be hard to decide on something in your first year, but as you go through your degree this should become much clearer.

Applications for PhDs need to be made early in your final year, (starting between November and January ish), but you can keep applying all the way up until the Autumn, it is just that places tend to get filled up.

You can go straight in to a PhD from your undergraduate degree, particularly if you have a lot of experience in the field. However, if you are still unsure, a masters might be a good idea, you can specialise in a particular area, eg. Immunology, and the courses often include an extended lab project, which will help you to decide about a PhD, and also provide evidence of lab competency, which supervisors will be very interested in.

If you do decide to go straight for a PhD, a lot of universities are now offering 4 year courses. So, instead of deciding on a project and supervisor straight away, you spend the first year doing rotations round a few different labs, often accompanied by some tutorials in the general field to broaden your knowledge. Once you finish the first year, you then decide which lab you want to stay in and start your real PhD project. These programs are brilliant, but competitive, so aim for lots of lab experience and a high 2.1/first.

That is a general overview, I am happy to answer any questions :smile:

Reply 5

shall90

thanks thats helpful :smile:

Reply 6

zahid_786

Hi everyone,

I just joined this website in order to get some help from all you good people.

I have graduated with a Biomedical Science degree at 2.1. However, i really want to do Medicine but i can't afford it.

I am really stuck as what to do from now on. I believe that whatever i choose to do now, i have to stick with it for the rest of my life.

Keeping in mind that i wanted to become a doctor, could you please inform me of any careers that i can do which are very much similar to Medicine - earning around £40,000 at start.

Or can i do a masters, where i maybe able to carry out similar duties to a doctor.

The bottom line is that i want to do hospital based work, working with patients etc. But NOT A NURSE.

PLEASSSEEEE HELP ME?!!?

Reply 7

Shamzmix_34

Original post by zahid_786

hmmm, your screwed mate lol

Reply 8

zahid_786

lol, thanks!

Any info to share...? Please

Reply 9

MayNaomi

Did they not give you any careers advice at University??? If you want to work in the NHS as Biomedical Scientist your degree has to be accredited by the IBMS but this job doesn't involve any patient contact really other than with their pee and poo etc. Did you do an accredited course or any work placements??? Surely over your course you had some idea what you wanted to do or some advice etc, its difficult to get into medicine so you must have had a back up plan???

Did you do this degree because you didn't get into medicine?

Reply 10

zahid_786

Original post by MayNaomi

My course was accredited, and it was a 3 year course. I wanted to do medicine, but thought about the UKCAT/GAMSAT etc and was put off by it. I couldn't apply straight after my a-levels because they wern't upto standard basically. And i did have a back-up plan on becoming a teacher but as time went on, i decided against it.

After doing some work experience at a hospital, i decided from then onwards that i wanted to do a career that is patient related. Even if it isn't a doctor, i would like to do something very similar but without a medicine degree.

I can't afford to lose anymore years, even though i know that people start late for their medicine/dental courses. My situation is very different.

Reply 11

bammzie

Original post by Shamzmix_34

hmmm, your screwed mate lol

Make your own thread, it's not difficult.

Reply 12

Luke.r24

Hi, How did this work out for you? I am currently looking on going to uni to studying biomed but not exactly sure what it is i want to do in my life, but thought studying biomed will give me a good step closer to that as it is quite a broad subject and give me a few options to choose from and will just improve my skills for when i am older. Im 19 and hoping to go uni next year, but dont have any experience within a professional lab or any lab so dont even know if i will enjoy it being in the same lab all the time but willing to give it a try. I just want to try as many things as possible to see if i enjoy it and want to persue it, im not wanting/doing this to go into medicine or anything but never know, depends on what i enjoy really. Any advice would be helpful because i am stressing abit about what options this degree will give me after it. Thanks