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Graduate entry medicine OR Undergraduate medicine

I got my a level results a few days ago. I got the grades BCD for chemistry maths and biology respectively. I want to get into medicine so I made a plan for myself where this gap year I retake my maths and bio and apply for uni for a biomedical degree and then hopefully do graduate medicine. However I’ve been noticing more graduates are getting in medical school by undergraduate medicine rather than graduate medicine because graduate medicine is more competitive l. Do you think it would be better to apply for graduate entry? Or if I fail to get into graduate entry will they gave me an available space in undergraduate?
Graduate entry medicine is considerably more competitive than standard entry medicine. Graduates do apply to standard entry courses alongside GEM courses sometimes to increase their chances of an offer anywhere, although they are in open competition with school leavers. Taking a standard entry medicine course as a graduate is considerably more expensive because you only have very limited funding for most of the course (you only get full funding during the clinical phases, before that it's maintenance loans only I believe), whereas GEM you normally have full funding for most of the course and partial for the first year only.

Although previously several GEM providers considered GEM applicants for the standard entry course as well, I believe most if not all now indicate that in order to be considered for the standard entry course, applicants need to apply to that one as well separately (taking up another of the 4 medicine choices on UCAS). I don't know if any automatically will consider GEM applicants for standard entry otherwise. GEM applicants seem to often have to apply for a couple years running before they get a place.

Some medical schools consider resits I believe, so I would suggest you do some research into that and see if you can apply to those courses alongside a BMS course (and potentially more BMS courses in clearing), to start with. If medicine is your goal then you really want to be applying for standard entry medicine if at all possible, and only consider GEM if that does not work out. As for BMS courses, you may want to consider the healthcare science (life sciences) courses, which are the only courses which are accredited by the IBMS and have HCPC registration, both of which are required to apply to NHS BMS roles. This could then give you a backup so you can be working meaningfully in the NHS while applying to GEM (and is a worthwhile career in its own right if you are interested in working in the NHS using your scientific knowledge).

or @nexttime might be able to advise more on whether there are any medical schools which consider resits without extenuating circumstances, and/or on matters of medicine/GEM admissions generally.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by artful_lounger
@ecolier or @nexttime might be able to advise more on whether there are any medical schools which consider resits without extenuating circumstances, and/or on matters of medicine/GEM admissions generally.

Agree with what you say. Undergrad entry as a grad is super expensive.

There are a fair few med schools that will accept resits now - a provisional list (that should be double-checked) is here https://www.themedicportal.com/medical-school-a-level-resit-policies/

The 'normal' advice is to take a gap year and go for undergrad for the reasons you stated: its the easiest way to get in. However, that's not sure its quite so clearcut for resit applicants. It is, however, an option.

OP would need to apply to GEM courses that do not consider A-levels if that is the route they want to take. They do exist, but limits choices a little.

Or another option is: go for something that isn't medicine. There are lots of other healthcare and/or science roles available. Pharmacist, physiotherapist, biomedical scientist, pharmacology, etc.

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