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If i cant do medicine what should I do.

I wanted to do medicine but I dont know if thats the best for me
My projected grades after my mocks were mostly 7s. For medicine, i know it is competitive so I will be aiming for 9s.
Medicine is stressful and I dont know if I will be able to cope. I want to do bio chem maths and psychology for a level.
I go to a good school so I'm not lacking in knowledge so Im wondering what career path I should aim for if I dont get into medicine.

I love helping people and listening to their problems and advising them.
Please help me
Reply 1
Psychology maybe? You can become a psychologist or some sort of therapist. If you did medicine it seems like you would go into psychiatry where the main difference is that you are able to prescribe medicine as a psychiatrist. Or I think Biomed is what people usually go for if medicine doesn’t work out. It’s a bit early for you to decide in my friends group there were 5 people starting off wanting to do medicine with excellent GCSE’s and now only 1 person wants to do medicine.
Have a life.
We don't really know you to say what degree or career you would be best suited to but you still have time to explore different options. Just concentrate on your exams then take the summer to properly explore your different options. What is it about medicine that attracts you, is it the science to it, is it helping people, the prestige ext.
U don’t need all 9s u can have 6s and 7s and get into a good uni or u could do a course at uni like biology and then get into med as a graduate....and with ur a levels have 3 instead of 4...I would go with bio chem and phsycology
Original post by F.SA
Psychology maybe? You can become a psychologist or some sort of therapist. If you did medicine it seems like you would go into psychiatry where the main difference is that you are able to prescribe medicine as a psychiatrist. Or I think Biomed is what people usually go for if medicine doesn’t work out. It’s a bit early for you to decide in my friends group there were 5 people starting off wanting to do medicine with excellent GCSE’s and now only 1 person wants to do medicine.



Thank you. I have just been stressed out on what I should do. Like Alevel wise they say you should do subjects you enjoy but I dont really enjoy chemistry, but I have to take it to do medicine... well most med schools want it.
There are plenty of other courses that allow you to work in Medical Sciences - Biomedical Science, Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Physiology/Anatomy - or other areas of Health Care - Nursing, Physiotherapy, Dentist, Optician etc - or other areas like Psychology, Pharmacy etc.

Go to some Uni Open Days and listen to the subject talks - especially if the subjects are a bit new to you.
And there is info about NHS career areas here : https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles
Ahhh me too! I would LOVE to go into medicine! My predicted grades are only 8s and 9s (apart from drama which is 7) and I did the specimen papers and got 75%ish on all three science papers which would hopefully be a grade 8 (using the maths grade boundaries from last year).

To go to an amazing sixth form (78% went to Russel group Unis and they get 32% A*!!!!!) I need 8 GCSEs grade + including biology and chemistry and maths as grade 8. (To study those 3)

Do past papers and remember even if you are disappointed wit your GCSEs not all Unis use them for medicine. I hope you get the grades you want!!! The year has gone so quickly 😭😭

Also most schools (or mine at least) do mocks as 90% grade 9 80% grade 8 etc. However for grade 9 in maths last year it was 78% your actual result could be grade 8 or even a 9.
Original post by Dishani2000
U don’t need all 9s u can have 6s and 7s and get into a good uni or u could do a course at uni like biology and then get into med as a graduate....and with ur a levels have 3 instead of 4...I would go with bio chem and phsycology


While this is an option, it isnt something someone should consider unless they dont get the A-level grades to get onto regular medicine as GEM is much more competitive, the applicants tend to be better and it takes longer to do (3 year degree + 4 year GEM) so you need that bit more motivation (plus some of the funds for the first year of GEM, about 4k I think)
Original post by rainbowcat1437
Ahhh me too! I would LOVE to go into medicine! My predicted grades are only 8s and 9s (apart from drama which is 7) and I did the specimen papers and got 75%ish on all three science papers which would hopefully be a grade 8 (using the maths grade boundaries from last year).

To go to an amazing sixth form (78% went to Russel group Unis and they get 32% A*!!!!!) I need 8 GCSEs grade + including biology and chemistry and maths as grade 8. (To study those 3)

Do past papers and remember even if you are disappointed wit your GCSEs not all Unis use them for medicine. I hope you get the grades you want!!! The year has gone so quickly 😭😭

Also most schools (or mine at least) do mocks as 90% grade 9 80% grade 8 etc. However for grade 9 in maths last year it was 78% your actual result could be grade 8 or even a 9.


Thanks,, The year has gone so quickly. How many GCSE's are you doing. Im doing 12 including further maths which is great.
Original post by aleena1111122222
Thanks,, The year has gone so quickly. How many GCSE's are you doing. Im doing 12 including further maths which is great.


Same. I’m doing 10 as part of the curriculum as well as further maths and latin. The only one I’m really worried about is English. I mean what if I can’t remember any quotes i the exam!??!
Original post by aleena1111122222
I wanted to do medicine but I dont know if thats the best for me
My projected grades after my mocks were mostly 7s. For medicine, i know it is competitive so I will be aiming for 9s.
Medicine is stressful and I dont know if I will be able to cope. I want to do bio chem maths and psychology for a level.
I go to a good school so I'm not lacking in knowledge so Im wondering what career path I should aim for if I dont get into medicine.

I love helping people and listening to their problems and advising them.
Please help me


Anything that's worth doing is going to be stressful. If you're worried about not getting the grades you need. Why not try getting an out of hours tutor. Learning on a one to one basis is really helpful. It sounds as though you lack confidence in your ability. You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Yes, some unis want higher grades. But my friend got into med school after doing a Btec night class. She took 3 subjects, Human Biology, English Lit, and Psychology. She didn't get distinctions in all of them, she got a credit in a couple. But she was accepted at Newcastle uni and is now a qualified doctor. Never give up on your dreams, the only things we regret in this life are the things we DIDN'T do. At least try, and if it doesn't happen, it was never meant to be, or resit your exams again. You can do it, I think you sound like you would be a great asset to the medical profession, I've met many doctors that must have skipped the lecture on bedside manners and interpersonal skills. Go for it.
Original post by stevienicks
Anything that's worth doing is going to be stressful. If you're worried about not getting the grades you need. Why not try getting an out of hours tutor. Learning on a one to one basis is really helpful. It sounds as though you lack confidence in your ability. You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. Yes, some unis want higher grades. But my friend got into med school after doing a Btec night class. She took 3 subjects, Human Biology, English Lit, and Psychology. She didn't get distinctions in all of them, she got a credit in a couple. But she was accepted at Newcastle uni and is now a qualified doctor. Never give up on your dreams, the only things we regret in this life are the things we DIDN'T do. At least try, and if it doesn't happen, it was never meant to be, or resit your exams again. You can do it, I think you sound like you would be a great asset to the medical profession, I've met many doctors that must have skipped the lecture on bedside manners and interpersonal skills. Go for it.


Thank you so much. I will never give up on my dream, sometimes its challenging but I will try my hardest. Thank you for the supportive comments. Do you work In or study for a medical profession.
Reply 13
Original post by aleena1111122222
Thank you. I have just been stressed out on what I should do. Like Alevel wise they say you should do subjects you enjoy but I dont really enjoy chemistry, but I have to take it to do medicine... well most med schools want it.


I didn’t like chemistry at GCSE level but once you get into organic chemistry at a level it gets super interesting! No doubt it’s challenging tho!
The best advice I can give is to research an alternative route in advance. Have a look on the NHS Careers and Jobs pages to see what kind of jobs are available at the moment and to see if you like the thought of doing particular duties or responsibilities. It is always great to have a backup and whilst I can appreciate you are going to try and reach your first choice of medicine, having a backup plan in place is always sensible.

Good luck!
Reply 15
I would highly recommend you look into work experience. Maybe with a GP practice.

Using primary care as an example - there are tons of other roles at the practice which are similar to that of a doctor (in the sense that they listen and help people). Some examples I can think of are: practice nurses, councillors, pharmacists, midwifes, therapists. All of those are based at your GP surgery and you could see all these roles by doing a few days work experience.

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