Do medicine? Be Clinical or Biomedical Scientist? I don't know!! PLS HELP!

Hello,

sorry for this situation. To get started, what do you consider your passion? Where do you feel most strong in?

I haven't fully looked into it but when I was looking at doing biomedical science I was browsing through things on google jobs and indeed? If you have a look what jobs you can go into with an undergraduate degree in biomedical science then you might be able to get work experience from this? And then you'd be able to become HPCP registered I think

To become a biomedical scientist in the NHS, you need two things: HCPC registration, and an IBMS accredited degree. If your degree is accredited by the IBMS but does not provide HCPC registration, you need to look for MLA roles that will allow you to develop the portfolio needed for HCPC registration. If your degree isn't accredited by the IBMS either, you need to have it assessed by the IBMS, and they will either determine it can be accredited retroactively (pretty rare), that you can achieved accreditation if you undertake further top-up modules with them (which can be expensive and time consuming), or that there isn't enough common content with the IBMS accreditation requirements and you will need to complete and entire new degree.

I would suggest in the first instance you find out if your course is IBMS accredited or not if you want to go the BMS route. For the clinical scientist route, I'm not as familiar with the recruitment process; I think you apply to a grad scheme and then progress internally through that. You'll need to do a bit of research into that option if you want to pursue it.

For medicine (graduate entry or otherwise) you will need to undertake relevant work experience and reflect on it (although for next years application cycle I believe most medical schools have suspended work experience requirements for standard entry medicine at least, due to the coronavirus situation meaning it's not possible for people to get that experience now in time). Graduate entry medicine is usually more competitive than undergraduate entry medicine, so as I understand most GEM applicants also apply to one or two standard entry medicine courses. However there are some significant financial ramifications of doing standard entry medicine as a graduate, so you will need to carefully assess whether that is a feasible option for you.

Hey - sorry to hear you are in this situation! I understand the difficulty of trying to source lab experience as a graduate as I struggled when I was considering applying for a PhD/Masters.

I'm now starting Medicine this September and it is a graduate entry course (4 years). What I will say is, only pursue this route if you are really committed to it. From reading your dilemma, I don't think you are at a point where you are sure it is what you want to do. The reasons I point this out are:
- It is very competitive to get into.
- It requires a whole year for the application process, plus taking admissions tests (sometimes multiple depending on where you want to apply)
- The financial commitment. Although you can get funding for GEM, I'm not sure whether you would qualify for it (would you be applying as an international student?). If you're applying as a 'home' student, you get funding toward tuition, but you'll still need to fund a small part of the tuition yourself, PLUS have enough money to live on for four years (you can get maintenance loans, but they are unlikely to cover all your expenses).

I would recommend getting some hands-on experience in a medical setting before pursuing an application to medical school.

Hi thank you for responding!
I've had experiences in terms of volunteer work and shadowing at hospitals, but this was 4/5 years ago, so I don't think they will accept. And given the situation, I won't be able to get the experience on time for next years application, therefore will have to wait another year, which is off putting as I wanted to apply for next year.
After some thought, I think going down the Clinical Scientist route is much more fitting for me, as it involves both working with patients and doing lab work, two aspects that I'm keen on. It's a mixture of being a doctor and Biomed Scientist. I think now my problem is, how do I get there.

Thank you for helping!