The Student Room Group

Is Medicine For Me?

OK, I realise that most of the people coming to this forum are more interested in all the applications/rejections threads, but if you could spare a few minutes to give your opinions, I would be most grateful.

In a nutshell, I need some advice on whether i should persue a career in Medicine. Everyone this this forum seems to have had really strong desires to become doctors ever since they were toddlers or something. I, on the other hand, don't really feel passionately about it. My reasons for doing medicine aren't quite as pure. :rolleyes:
I only really want to do medicine because i can't think of anything else to do. I want a job that pays well, has job security and is highly respected. I am fairly bright, and should fulfill the academic requirements for the course if I work hard enough. My GCSE results are in my sig, and so far i'm predicted 4 A's at AS (not that that means a lot at this stage.) I've done a bit of work experience, I spent a week in a local hospital last summer and go round to a care home for old folk for an hour every week (started about a month ago, will carry on till about March).

Do you guys reckon that medicine is for me? I'm not particularly bothered about all that "helping people" stuff that most aspiring medics seem to talk about, I don't even know if I'd particularly enjoy being a doctor. More importantly though, I can't think of any job that I'd enjoy and still meets my job requirements above. Thus, i figure that if i'm going to have a job (and having one is *fairly* essential :p: ), then I might as well do a decent one like being a doctor. What do you guys think?
Obviously if ever asked in interview I'd make up some crap about how it's been my lifelong dream etc etc.

All opinions/advice welcome! :smile:

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Reply 1
Its a tough one m8...i think its stupid the way we have to choose at 16/17..i mean who really knows what they wanna do for the rest of their lives at that age!! 20quid a week and a regular down the local boozer would suit me just fine each week .. doesnt quite work out like that though!!
My advice would be to do lots of work experience in different fields. There's a common misconception I think that medicine is THE career to do, for those who are academically gifted or have high ambitions. There are loads of other careers that meet the criteria you mentioned, Law, Business, Airline Pilot..to name but a few!!
Medicine is a good career yeah, but its not for everyone. You'll be working amongst people who are seriously ill, dead, or dying, have extremely long hours, very high stress levels, long periods of doing boring routine checks mixed with periods or sheer terror...etcetc, so if you don't have the motivation, it will be hard to stay on top of the volume of work. hope this helps!!
ps, i recommend the Penguin Career guide
Reply 2
smirf83
I've done a bit of work experience, I spent a week in a local hospital last summer and go round to a care home for old folk for an hour
every week (started about a month ago, will carry on till about March).


And did you find the work experience interesting? Could you see yourself doing the job of some of the doctors you were shadowing?

Do you guys reckon that medicine is for me? I'm not particularly bothered about all that "helping people" stuff that most aspiring medics seem to talk about, I don't even know if I'd particularly enjoy being a doctor. More importantly though, I can't think of any job that I'd enjoy and still meets my job requirements above. Thus, i figure that if i'm going to have a job (and having one is *fairly* essential :p: ), then I might as well do a decent one like being a doctor. What do you guys think?


You seem pretty similar to me at sixth form level! I didn't decide on Medicine until after my GCSEs, I even flirted with Law for quite a long time beforehand. I didn't have a divine 'awakening' after doing work experience either, so I decided to do more and more and get as much an insight into Medicine as possible.

This even stretched to watching programmes about health and chatting to lots of current junior docs. Things gradually started to fit into place and I could visualise myself as a doctor and obviously I liked the prospect of being able to make a difference in peoples' lives and the obligatory 'helping people'. If you've got a deep down feeling that medicine might be for you (regardless of how it got there), find out more! Look into career paths and chat to doctors if you can. A degree in medicine opens up so many doors even if you decide not to practice as a doctor - I personally know a journalist, lawyer and city worker all with medicine degrees, and of course the vast majority of graduates do go on to treat people!

As someone who felt quite a degree of trepidation before filling out "Medicine" on my UCAS form, I did the research beforehand, decided it was for me and stuck by it to this very day, I now can't wait for Clinicals and wouldn't do anything else.

Obviously if ever asked in interview I'd make up some crap about how it's been my lifelong dream etc etc.


You're even sounding like a medic! :wink:
Personally, i wouldn't even do medicine if sum1 paid me to! (and even if i had all the necssary grades etc)

i think there are some things which you MIGHT not have taken into account. First of all, have you seen how much a medicine degree "costs"? (i.e. tuition fees etc..) it's shocking! (more than most other degrees, put it that way!) i think at this stage, you might not have taken that into account, but its VERY important!

the other thing, once you actually BECOME a doctor, it doesnt end there! you have to keep taking exams and it's just this neverending nightmare! (in my opinion)

i SERIOUSLY think that medicine is ONLY for those people, who have ALWAYS wanted to do it, and is their lifelong ambition. otherwise, it's a big no-no. and definitely dont apply for it, just because it seems like a cushy lifestyle and a "respected" job.

i mean, compared to the cost of the degree, the salary in my opinion doesn't make up for it at all. i mean, a lot of people will tell u how much doctors get paid, but a lot of that is given to their nurses etc...

i hope i have not completely put you off doing medicine, and a lot of current medics will be really peed off, but i seriously think you should ONLY do it if ur 100% sure. dont just apply because "ur good enough"
That's a question you can only answer yourself, really.

I haven't always wanted to do medicine - as a child all I wanted was to be a fire engine (yes, a fire engine). The idea of medicine just came to me at around the end of year 11 when I started thinking through what I could do with the science and humanities A-levels I'd chosen. I wanted something that would give me the chance to do something positive and help people, whilst being interesting, challenging, giving me the chance to do lifelong learning, meet new people, work with lots of people in lots of different places.. and the more I thought about being a doctor the more I realised it fitted this 'dream job' template. So I did lots of work experience, decided that medicine was what I wanted to do, worked hard, applied and here I am with one offer (and a bloody massive load of exams to pass before I can ever get there!). Medicine is a lot of hard work, but if it's what you want to do, that won't put you off.

I agree with Miles about getting more work experience, not just in medicine but in other random jobs. Don't just think it's a good job to do for prestige and money, cos there are lots of other jobs which offer that, and don't have all the difficult bits of medicine as well. It sounds like you need to think about what you really want out of a job a bit more before going all-out for the UCAS application.

Good luck whatever you want to do though. :smile:
Reply 5
big up Tim Kabel!! i luv th boozer 2

it is a tuff choice, i think u need 2 talk 2 loads o ppl n really think it thru. an 4 the whole "helping out others" that is not tru 4 every applicant sum r jus innit 4 the money. ur young n the choices u make now will affect the nxt 20 or so yrs so think it thru properly. jus make sure you do get gd AS grades, cos then u hve the choice on wot u want 2 do.

BTW does it have 2 be medically orientated, why not law or sumink else? it is high pay n a little less stress!!!

jus work hard n get sound advice NOW not jus from teachers talk 2 ur parents, friends, ur doctor, even ur barman!!!! jus get a gd round view of wot u r gna do
Reply 6
Indeed, I've always wanted to be a doctor, and yer, to help people and be all heroic, or feel like that :redface:

job security? last I heard there was a shortage of posts!
If you don't care about "helping people", then: :eek: I don't want a doctor who doesn't care!

Medicine is hard work and if you don't really want to do it, I can see you dropping out.
I doubt you've researched into "money-making" schemes very well, because medicine really isn't where its at! :rolleyes:
Reply 7
linguist786
i think there are some things which you MIGHT not have taken into account. First of all, have you seen how much a medicine degree "costs"? (i.e. tuition fees etc..) it's shocking! (more than most other degrees, put it that way!) i think at this stage, you might not have taken that into account, but its VERY important!


Erm, tuition fees are capped, so it won't be any more expensive, unless you're international.

I don't agree that it's something you have to have wanted to do forever and ever. A lot of people go in having wanted to be a doctor since they were conceived or whatever, find that practising is nothing like they imagined, and get really really screwed up because their dreams are ruined. I'm probably going to be one of them (though I didn't realise until I was 11 that I wanted to be a doctor). If you have done your research and enjoyed your work experience etc, I don't see why you shouldn't. Look at Miles - he decided way after me and is probably going to work out way better than I do!

Oh, and who said lawyers' lives were less stressful? :eek: They get more sleep, yes, but the junior ones certainly don't have it easy!
Reply 8
yea, i think u should go for medicine.
Reply 9
Go For It!! Medicine All The Way?
Reply 10
linguist786
i mean, a lot of people will tell u how much doctors get paid, but a lot of that is given to their nurses etc...


Yeah right - like nurses are so hard up they have to rely on doctors' charitable handouts :rolleyes:
Reply 11
linguist786
i mean, compared to the cost of the degree, the salary in my opinion doesn't make up for it at all. i mean, a lot of people will tell u how much doctors get paid, but a lot of that is given to their nurses etc...


Sure :rolleyes:
Reply 12
smirf83
OK, I realise that most of the people coming to this forum are more interested in all the applications/rejections threads, but if you could spare a few minutes to give your opinions, I would be most grateful.

In a nutshell, I need some advice on whether i should persue a career in Medicine. Everyone this this forum seems to have had really strong desires to become doctors ever since they were toddlers or something. I, on the other hand, don't really feel passionately about it. My reasons for doing medicine aren't quite as pure. :rolleyes:
I only really want to do medicine because i can't think of anything else to do. I want a job that pays well, has job security and is highly respected. I am fairly bright, and should fulfill the academic requirements for the course if I work hard enough. My GCSE results are in my sig, and so far i'm predicted 4 A's at AS (not that that means a lot at this stage.) I've done a bit of work experience, I spent a week in a local hospital last summer and go round to a care home for old folk for an hour every week (started about a month ago, will carry on till about March).

Do you guys reckon that medicine is for me? I'm not particularly bothered about all that "helping people" stuff that most aspiring medics seem to talk about, I don't even know if I'd particularly enjoy being a doctor. More importantly though, I can't think of any job that I'd enjoy and still meets my job requirements above. Thus, i figure that if i'm going to have a job (and having one is *fairly* essential :p: ), then I might as well do a decent one like being a doctor. What do you guys think?
Obviously if ever asked in interview I'd make up some crap about how it's been my lifelong dream etc etc.

All opinions/advice welcome! :smile:


My personal opinion is no, don't go for it. There are too many people who apply for medicine because they can't think of anything else to do, and if you got in then you could be taking someone's place that was actually passionate about it. Keep looking for something that you really want to do :smile:
Alternatively you could replace somebody who was going to drop out, murder patients, fail or not use their degree to practise medicine with. When it comes to making a choice in your life I'd suggest disregarding the knock on effect it will have on others as you simply don't know what that effect will be.

Thread starter; you're in a fairly good position at the moment as you are an able student who needs to worry about what you want to study rather than getting the grades for it. What you need to do is get work experience. This is exactly the reason why med schools want you to have the experience as it allows you an insight into whether you would like the career.

Medicine really isn't the best career for money though. 5/6 years of Uni (and the subsequent £30k+ debts) followed by 7 plus years getting to consultancy. All this mixed with a course where 10% of grads don't even use their degree to practise medicine = not something you should do purely for money. Just research it, look into the other healthcare alternatives (dentistry, for example) and if you don't like it, move on.

Good luck.
ThePenguinMafia
Alternatively you could replace somebody who was going to drop out, murder patients, fail or not use their degree to practise medicine with. When it comes to making a choice in your life I'd suggest disregarding the knock on effect it will have on others as you simply don't know what that effect will be.
QUOTE]

Fair enough, but I think it's better to start off with someone who actually wants to study the subject.
as far as debt goes we aren;t talking 30k, more like 60 according to the BMA's latest estimates.
bright star
as far as debt goes we aren;t talking 30k, more like 60 according to the BMA's latest estimates.

Oh great, I can't wait. And of course, I'm obviously going to make so much money in academic medicine :rolleyes: :wink:
no become a musician instead much more rewarding
no i dont think you should go for it either. it annoys me a lot that people who really aren't bothered about being a doctor get into medical school purely because they "cant think of anything else to do" Yes, you need to be bright and be good at science to be a doctor, but that isn't just it. you need to have a passion for people, and want to help them. personally, i would rather have a doctor that just simply graduated, yet was very open, friendly and passionate about their job, than someone with honours/distinction who didnt really want to help me!
but of course the choice is yours. but please consider the fact when you get to medical school, it's not all theory-there's a lot of interaction with the public/communication sessions etc..which i'm not sure would be so enjoyable if you aren't too fussed about that side of medicine.