Rejected from medicine, studying pharmacy, but want to study medicine?

Out of curiosity, why not locum in a community pharmacy? A family friend of mine is earning the same amount of money in hospital with only 3 days of community locuming. Or you could just keep on applying for hospital Band 6 position, something will come up eventually as one of the current band 6's at my hospital applied for 30 places before he got a job offer!


Btw I can sort of relate to your pharmacy experience but I do still enjoy pharmacy, but for how long I just don't know! I used to hate seeing doctors on the wards during my first years of uni as I would always wish to be one. But its weird, I don't have that feeling anymore cause I know that I can apply and get into medicine....if I try hard enough.

With my pre-reg year, I now see the limitations of a pharmacist on the ward and I feel that a lot of our clinical knowledge goes to waste.

Hopefully we will both reach the positions that we want to be in





No, but I hope to be one in the near future

SO are you applying this year or afte you finish your pre-reg?

After I finish my pre-reg. Can't wait

if you are in hospital, then make sure you use the opportunity...when you are on the wards and you are interested in some aspect, ask to observe a procedure/operation/anything...just for the experience...they wont reject.

the life story of every asian studying pharmacy

I am not asian...? your point?

the life story of every asian

ok so guys I know this is an old thread but its something I've been considered lately. Im now on a gap year. Ive completed my A-levels and got BBB in biology, chemistry and maths (which isn't even good enough for pharmacy let alone medicine lol!) but nonetheless, I applied to study pharmacy at a top uni and have actually got an offer of AAB so I will need to do 2 resits on my year out.

The main reason I took a gap year was to see if I would get the grades for med school because I didnt get them in my first year either, and even now ive got a place to do pharmacy I'm still passionate about medicine. I was wondering is it possible to apply to study medicine after 1 year of pharmacy? I know there are some unis that do accept transfers http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Applying_for_Medicine_Whilst_on_a_Different_Course but if i was to use this route would I need to apply in September of my first year (coz u usually apply a year before entry) or after Ive completed my first year?

Yes it's possible to transfer but you'd have to apply as soon as you've started your first year of Pharmacy (i.e. not apply during second year). Although there are medical schools willing to accept applications from those in their first year of their degree, you will not be able to apply to the vast majority of the schools because you've resat your A levels. The only ones which may consider you would be Plymouth and Exeter because they do accept resit applicants at present.

I do appreciate your point, but the fact of the matter is, you can't compare the two.
The 4 yr biomedical degree is not as necessary as the pre reg year.
Why do I say that?
Well, I have friends from my first degree who did the 3 year biomedical science degree (not the 4 year integrated clinical placement that you refer to) and are now on graduate jobs as biomedical scientists working in the healthcare and research field.
Whereas you won't find anyone who has done the 4 yr pharmacy degree and is working as a pharmacist (because it's impossible; you need registration to call yourself and work as a pharmacist).
Add on top of that, the fact that not everyone passes the pre-reg exam first time, you may have added stress of having to revise again for the resists knowing you only have one shot at it left.
It's tough. It's a long hard slog if you know you are going to apply for GEM straight after. By committing yourself to a pharmacy degree, you are literally putting yourself through more grief than you need to. Especially if you're not too keen on the course already.
Even if you do go into GEM1 as a pharmacist? You won't have time to locum in year 1, trust me.

If you are someone wanting to study GEM and it's your dream and you know that with all your heart, then you would be silly to choose the 4 yr biomed degree; in the same respect that you would be silly to chose a 5 yr pharmacy degree if you know you want to study GEM, even before you start the course!

The OP made it clear that they made a rush decision in clearing and settled for pharmacy. If they have that attitude in year one, then it's only going to get worse for them I'm afraid. And so often in those situations, motivation to complete the degree also dwindles as well as the individuals grades!
When I was a fresher, you could see the people who had been 'pushed into' studying pharmacy and you could spot it a mile off that it's not what they wanted to do.
Their heart just wasn't in it, as with the OP. Unsurprisingly, those people performed worse in the course, and if you want to study GEM after that, you'll need a good degree classification.

As I said before, and I can't emphasise enough: pharmacy should only be seen a degree for those who WANT to be a pharmacist; the OP has made it clear they dont want to be a pharmacist.
It's easy for people say 'stick with pharmacy' when they have not been there.
I have and I know how it feels.
Pharmacy is a tough course and shouldn't be taken lightly, it's very intensive. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had mates on my course who really wanted to study medicine from A-level, but after 5 years of study they had lost all drive and ran out of steam.

I was a hospital pharmacist and it is frustrating and demoralising working alongside doctors when you deep down want to be one..
I don't believe one should take the view of:
'Well, at least if you don't get into medicine, then you've got pharmacy to fall back on'..
I can't agree with that.
The OP doesn't want to be a pharmacist, and having to fall back on pharmacy as a career will only breed resentment for the profession that they are in; always thinking, 'this is what I could have been'.
I knew at least 5 pharmacists in my hospital who did just that (medicine was their passion and they chose pharmacy as a rushed 'second best') and their morale for the job was horrific! *You'll be surprised how common that can be in pharmacy...

I can't put into words how illogical it is to study for a pharmacy degree and dedicate 5 years of your life to it if you don't want to be a pharmacist! Why put yourself through it? You will only ever have regrets and you'll be miserable in your career.

I'm of the firm opinion that if the OP really, really wants to study medicine, 100% go for it. Don't do a course (which is 2 years longer than biomed) with the attitude of applying to GEM, simply because it'll be handy to fall back on if you don't get in or drop out.

On top of all that, Biomedical science is also more relevant to the pre-clinical years of a medicine degree. The biomedical scientists in my first year GEM had a much better grounding and overall knowledge than I had when it came to the pre-clinical content of the course.
Of course when It comes to the clinical years, my drug knowledge has shone through; but that's not worth investing 5 years for simply to be a bit hotter on your drugs as a future doc.

To the OP, I say: if you can save yourself 1 year of your life (and 1 years tuition fees, which will be a considerable cost considering you're an international student) by doing a 3 yr course, do it!
Don't go down the route I did. I have been there and you will only regret it.
But as Beska rightly said, phone around Unis that offer biomed, to find out what your options are. Fingers crossed!

Apologies for the massive post, but it's something I'm quite passionate about.
I just don't want people to go down the route that I did, I just wouldn't recommend it.
Of course, all of this is just my opinion but I hope I have explained my views thoroughly enough in the words above.

After I finish my pre-reg. Can't wait

As mentioned above not many will accept transfers when you're already studying somewhere else, and even fewer from Pharmacy (usually those sorts of transfers are biomedical science/medical science students because their curriculum in the first few years follows similar topics).

Your best option is graduate-entry which, whilst highly competitive, is still achievable an you'd be in a very good place to apply if you can obtain at least a 2:2 (and preferably 2:1 so you can do the UKCAT universities). It's expensive as currently you have to fund the first £3500 or so in the first year, with the rest being covered by SFE/NHS bursaries; however, it's also 4 years instead of 5 so it's also quite intensive!

I thought for GEM it was way more than 3,500 a year, I thought you had to pay £9,000 a year for all years or something ridiculous like that. Am I wrong?

From what I know. The first year of gem u pay 3500 the other 5500 can be paid by student finance. Years 2-4 NHS pays 3500 towards the 9000. U have to fork out the other 5500 for each year


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Not quite. You fund the first 3500 in the first year and the rest is SF. Years 2-3 are entirely funded by SF loans, and the final year is a mixture of SF and the NHS bursary.

I'm still very confused, does this mean you pay 3500 in the first year, and 9000 on the other years? How much is the full cost of the year I thought that was actually like 25,000 since that is what international students pay

I love this thread. I am currently a third year student studying pharmacy, I am thinking of applying straight after my 4th year. I completely respect what theepw had to say, but if u know medicine is what u want to do for the rest of your life then going through the trouble of doing the pre reg exam is a waste of a year when you know being given the title of a pharmacist is not really what u want


Posted from TSR Mobile