Medicine: A Second Degree

Hi! I'm hoping to apply for pre-medical in October 2015.

I am still paying off my last student loan for my BA Hons. Has anyone had experience of doing medicine as a second degree, and could you advise me what, if any, financial assistance will be available?

I am 34, have children and do not live with my parents.

thanks, richard

Reply 1

*pitseleh*

20

Original post by RichardTH

Hi! I'm hoping to apply for pre-medical in October 2015.

I am still paying off my last student loan for my BA Hons. Has anyone had experience of doing medicine as a second degree, and could you advise me what, if any, financial assistance will be available?

I am 34, have children and do not live with my parents.

thanks, richard

I'm studying Medicine for a second degree, but I started in 2011 (before the fees went up) so please be aware that things might have changed since then.

I get a second maintenance loan, but can't get a second tuition fee loan (not just me - no-one can), which means I have to pay my fees out of my maintenance loan. I'm classed as an independent student (as you should be), so I get the maximum maintenance loan available (c. £6,000 for me, but I believe this might have gone up since fees were increased), and I also get a further £1,000 a year from my university in the form of a bursary. I believe you would be able to get further support due to the fact that you have children. Assuming you're from England, you can use this calculator to get an estimate of what you might be entitled to.

As I'm doing the 5 year course, the NHS will pay my tuition fees in my final year. If you do the 4 year course, the NHS pays your tuition fees from second year onwards, though this may change/have already changed.

Hope this helps a bit.

Reply 2

RichardTH

OP

That is very helpful thanks and somewhat encouraging. Thanks for the calculator link, makes me wish this was my first degree and I hadn't wasted my first time around doing media! I think I will contact student finances and see what they say.

How are you finding medicine? Is it very hard? How old are you by the way? Is there any spare time to get a job? Or part time job?

Thanks again, Richard

Reply 3

*pitseleh*

20

Original post by RichardTH

That is very helpful thanks and somewhat encouraging. Thanks for the calculator link, makes me wish this was my first degree and I hadn't wasted my first time around doing media! I think I will contact student finances and see what they say.

How are you finding medicine? Is it very hard? How old are you by the way? Is there any spare time to get a job? Or part time job?

Thanks again, Richard

You're welcome! I didn't realise when I posted it, but it looks like they've changed the calculator; there used to be an option to say that it was your second degree, so it gave you a more accurate estimation. Don't know why they've done away with that bit - it was really useful! Definitely contact Student Finance and ask them what the maximum that you'd be entitled to is.

I'm 29 tomorrow (!) and was 25 when I started Medicine, but I have several friends in my cohort who are in their mid-to-late 30s; it's not uncommon to wait until then. Not going to lie - it isn't an easy course, but it's bearable. It wouldn't be very easy to get a 'regular' part time job unless it's a weekend-only one, especially in your clinical years, because your timetable can be all over the place and unless you had a very flexible employer, I don't think they'd be too keen. Working as a HCA on the nurse bank can be an option, since you phone up and book shifts when you're free - this is what I did during my first degree, and I think it'd be fine in the pre-clinical years too. Now I'm in my clinical years, I don't think I'd want to spend all week in hospital on placement and then come back to do another shift.. it'd just be too much. But I tutor part-time (I only have one pupil on my books at the moment, but it's £20/hr, so pretty good money for the time spent), and do a fair bit of voluntary stuff, so there is definitely time to work if you find a job that's flexible enough.

Hope that helps. :smile:

Will you be applying this October (2015) for pre-med the following year, then?

Reply 4

Zorg

18

When you say pre-med, I'm assuming you mean an access course or a foundation degree...? Google medicine second degree funding, the first link is pretty thorough.

Pitseleh has explained the 5 or 6 year, school leaver route. Although you'll find some graduates on there, most will opt for the 4 year route. The graduate entry medicine courses are a year shorter, thus very intense, but crucially they are better funded for graduates. Although you pay nearly £4,000 in year one, the NHS bursary covers that in years 2, 3 and 4 with a student loan available for the remainder to make up to £9,000 per year. You will also be eligible for the maintenance loan.

Medicine is a hard degree regardless, however the graduate streams typically have shorter holidays and the work load usually means you will struggle to hold down a regular job unless you are an organisational wizard. I'd opt for bank shifts, but like Pitseleh says that may not float your boat.

Medicine: A Second Degree

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