Should I study medicine

I think I will find the course interesting, the job is well paid and stable, and part time opportunities are quite good. But I worry about the responsibility of the job mainly, and the fact you often have to relocate and work nights. I don't mind doing this in my 20s but I don't know how I would manage if I had children to look after. I could imagine myself having to change careers to work around family life.

Should I just choose an easier path for myself from the start? If you have any examples for what I should study then please let me know. My A levels are Biology, Chemistry, Maths.

What other degrees and careers are good options for me plz?

I think I will find the course interesting, the job is well paid and stable, and part time opportunities are quite good. But I worry about the responsibility of the job mainly, and the fact you often have to relocate and work nights. I don't mind doing this in my 20s but I don't know how I would manage if I had children to look after. I could imagine myself having to change careers to work around family life.

Should I just choose an easier path for myself from the start? If you have any examples for what I should study then please let me know. My A levels are Biology, Chemistry, Maths.

What other degrees and careers are good options for me plz?

Hey,
I’m in the same position as you. I have an offer to do medicine next year but I’m wondering if it’s the right course for me because of the sheer commitment it requires. Personally if you’re more interested in the patient interaction then the science then I would recommend pursuing medicine if not then just choose a scientific degree like biochemistry and you can become a healthcare assistant in the NHS.

Hope it helps

Have you done any health or care related work experience? This will give you a flavour of what's involved and help decide whether it's for you or not.

Medicine if you love it to its absolute core. Dentistry if you want a surgical and more organised life, as you're self-employed. Both are extremely well paid is money shouldn't be taken into account. Both are also in very high demand so you'll get a job instantly.

Consider Dent (~2nd Yr Dent student 😜)

As much as this is true, you have to also consider the fact that you shouldn’t necessarily be going into a career which you won’t enjoy from the get go, by that I mean it takes 10+ years to become a consultant so if you only want the job of a consultant then you’ll likely just lose motivation throughout the journey.

Dentistry does always sound nice tbf. But I couldn't deal with the manual dexterity of it.

May I ask what you got for your GCSE?

I think I will find the course interesting, the job is well paid and stable, and part time opportunities are quite good. But I worry about the responsibility of the job mainly, and the fact you often have to relocate and work nights. I don't mind doing this in my 20s but I don't know how I would manage if I had children to look after. I could imagine myself having to change careers to work around family life.

Should I just choose an easier path for myself from the start? If you have any examples for what I should study then please let me know. My A levels are Biology, Chemistry, Maths.

What other degrees and careers are good options for me plz?

I'm finding it hard to know whether i will enjoy it. It will be 5 year before i'm a doctor, i'll be 25 and hopefully more mature and my interests may have changed or I may be even more passionate about medicine. That is why I am struggling to know whether to let go of this offer I have and go for an easier career in finance/ business or stick to medicine, which I would probably find more interesting in the short term but may be so exhausting and unsustainable in the long term.

Hi there, I'm a final year medical student at Swansea. This is such an important question and one that everyone who's applied to medicine has faced at some point (and if I'm honest, I've asked myself this even after starting medical school). It is so important to consider these things when you're looking at what career you want for yourself in the future, but my advice is not to hold back from pursuing medicine if you feel that it will provide you with a rewarding and passionate career. In my 4 years of studying (plus work experience) I've met quite a few doctors who have experienced the demands of working in medicine; including the tough hours and relocation that you've mentioned in your OP; I've found that while doctors might mumble and grumble about the nitty gritty of the job, the overwhelming feeling towards medicine is one of obsessive fascination and satisfaction.
Cheesy speeches aside, if you're still not sure of whether medicine is right for you another option might be to do a biomedical science degree with a pathway to medicine. This will give you another 3 years to get more experience in the medical/science field and see where you might fit in the expanding field of medicine and medical science. I followed this path myself by studying Medical Biochemistry at Swansea, and I found that it gave me a great opportunity to expand my knowledge and develop myself before taking on the challenge of studying graduate-entry medicine. The postgraduate course is condensed to 4 years (instead of the normal 5) so it doesn't take that much longer than the undergrad course overall and gives you more time to consider where you would like your future to take you.

I hope that this helps, all the best for your future whatever you decide to do.
Alex Ruddy (4th year Medical student)

A career in finance isn't necessarily easier rather it some cases it could be as difficult as a career in medicine. This is due to high competition to not only get a job but also when your at the job in order to get a promotion that in return will of course require long hours and commitment likewise with medicine