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Do I have enough work experience for medicine at university?

Is 1 week at a GP, few days at a pharmacy and 5 months volunteering at a nursing home enough work experience for university? I'm finding it really hard to get anything else tbh and I see loads of other people on TSR who have plenty more experience and it makes me feel like I'm not good enough...
Original post by SomMC1
You wont be stating anywhere how many days and hours you spent at a GP or pharmacy or where ever. It's all about what you learnt from those experiences. I'm applying to Accounting & Finance and I should've been at an investment firm for 6 weeks this summer but I didnt have the time so i only did 3 weeks. I still got a lot of experiences which Im applying to my course. You do the same with yours and youre golden


Thankyou for your response. You're absolutely right, I'm just overly cautious and panicking at the moment.
Your work experience is fine but it would help if you had hospital work experience. I think some unis do empathise with those who couldn't find hospital work experience but it is preferable. JUST MAKE SURE U REFLECT ON THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE AND TRY TO LINK IT BACK TO MEDICINE.
There is no such thing as "enough" work experience. There is no set amount that will guarantee you a place or even an interview - although you do need to have done something. Medical schools understand that some people have better connections than others - if your parents are doctors, you're far more likely to be able to get to see lots of cool stuff - and that different areas have varying levels of availability of shadowing schemes etc - somewhere urban is going to have lots more hospitals and opportunities than somewhere rural. The key thing is not the amount, but what you learn from it. Even if it's only pushing the tea trolley round a hospice, try and reflect on your experiences - talk to patients, talk to relatives, talk to staff (nursing, medical and others!) Use whatever you have to gain an understanding both of what Medicine really involves, and of what patients experience when they are ill - and I mean emotionally as well as physically. Even in non-medical placements like youth group work, use this to build your communication skills and empathy. Even paid employment like bar work, waitressing, reception work etc can create skills important for Medicine. Also, remember that a long-term placement which you regularly commit to is just as important, if not more, than seeing lots of different specialties on a whistle-stop tour. Watching heart surgery may be cool, but you won't actually be doing that for at least another 10 years - try to find out what the juniors actually do.

(source)
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by 04MR17
There is no such thing as "enough" work experience. There is no set amount that will guarantee you a place or even an interview - although you do need to have done something. Medical schools understand that some people have better connections than others - if your parents are doctors, you're far more likely to be able to get to see lots of cool stuff - and that different areas have varying levels of availability of shadowing schemes etc - somewhere urban is going to have lots more hospitals and opportunities than somewhere rural. The key thing is not the amount, but what you learn from it. Even if it's only pushing the tea trolley round a hospice, try and reflect on your experiences - talk to patients, talk to relatives, talk to staff (nursing, medical and others!) Use whatever you have to gain an understanding both of what Medicine really involves, and of what patients experience when they are ill - and I mean emotionally as well as physically. Even in non-medical placements like youth group work, use this to build your communication skills and empathy. Even paid employment like bar work, waitressing, reception work etc can create skills important for Medicine. Also, remember that a long-term placement which you regularly commit to is just as important, if not more, than seeing lots of different specialties on a whistle-stop tour. Watching heart surgery may be cool, but you won't actually be doing that for at least another 10 years - try to find out what the juniors actually do.

(source)

Yeah, I live in a village in the north so there is much less opportunity
Original post by curiousblaze
Yeah, I live in a village in the north so there is much less opportunity
https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/jobs/work-experience/medicine-work-experience

This article in particular is worth reading.:wink:


Thankyou, your help means a lot 😀

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