University of St Andrews A101 / ScotGEM 2021 Entry

Welcome to the University of St Andrews A101 / ScotGEM 2021 Entry Discussion.

St Andrews A101 / ScotGEM 2020 thread: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6022684

For general information click: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/

For entry requirements click: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/entry-requirements/

St Andrews A101 / ScotGEM 2021 Offer Holders' thread: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6991589

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Good luck!

Post originally created by ecolier.

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 1

Pagurus

2

Hi all,

First time poster so apologies if this ends up in the wrong place.

I am looking at applying for the ScotGEM course at St Andrews/Dundee uni for the 2021 start.

However I have a couple of questions that I hope people may be able to help me with.

I already have a career in a different field with a full time job. This job offers me a great deal of flexibility and I guess my first question is from anyone who has undertaken this course, what is the likelihood of being able to maintain this job, even working remotely, during this course should I be successful?

I read that this is GP focused with many placements from the outset which will make it more difficult to maintain paid work I imagine.

My second question is not unrelated, what is the typical timetable for this course over the years 1 to 4? Perhaps it would be possible to work part time for the first year or two then when full on clinical placements begin 100% of time should be dedicated to this?

Any help is much appreciated!

Reply 2

ChemGirl95

10

Original post by Pagurus

Hi all,

First time poster so apologies if this ends up in the wrong place.

I am looking at applying for the ScotGEM course at St Andrews/Dundee uni for the 2021 start.

However I have a couple of questions that I hope people may be able to help me with.

I already have a career in a different field with a full time job. This job offers me a great deal of flexibility and I guess my first question is from anyone who has undertaken this course, what is the likelihood of being able to maintain this job, even working remotely, during this course should I be successful?

I read that this is GP focused with many placements from the outset which will make it more difficult to maintain paid work I imagine.

My second question is not unrelated, what is the typical timetable for this course over the years 1 to 4? Perhaps it would be possible to work part time for the first year or two then when full on clinical placements begin 100% of time should be dedicated to this?

Any help is much appreciated!

If you can attend one of their virtual open days, they give lots of really useful information on this!
Theres one on 14th Sept - look on this link for info on signing up.

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/

From memory (so don’t quote me on this) the course is very full on without the usual long summer break that most undergrad courses have. Whether you could work alongside would be very personal to you, what type of work it is and how many hours I’d guess. The timetables looked pretty full on though from memory!

Reply 3

ChemGirl95

10

Submitted my application yesterday and already had acknowledgement and fee status confirmation, St Andrews are super on the ball!! Good luck to anyone else applying! ☺️

Reply 4

phdmed

10

Original post by ChemGirl95

Submitted my application yesterday and already had acknowledgement and fee status confirmation, St Andrews are super on the ball!! Good luck to anyone else applying! ☺️

I’m just waiting for my reference to be completed before submitting, but good to know they’re quick getting back!

Reply 5

Jamso

9

Hi all

Very interested in applying for ScotGEM in the coming year or next year. For those with not a science-y background and no Higher/A-level Chemistry - did you just do a distance learning course of some sort to satisfy the Chemistry needs? A level/ Higher seems a bit difficult in that regard due to the practical elements.

Many thanks :smile:

Reply 6

ChemGirl95

10

Original post by Jamso

Hi all

Very interested in applying for ScotGEM in the coming year or next year. For those with not a science-y background and no Higher/A-level Chemistry - did you just do a distance learning course of some sort to satisfy the Chemistry needs? A level/ Higher seems a bit difficult in that regard due to the practical elements.

Many thanks :smile:

I think they accept some Open University courses, you should ask them what they would accept their admissions team are super helpful!

Reply 7

K2468

9

Hi,

I saw this course was GP focused, would that have any negative implication in overall skills as an F1, or confidence as a doctor when entering F1 stage? I'm currently decided on ScotGEM, due to the ideas of rural medicine being too daunting however I'm also aware that this is common for quite a lot of people when looking at the course details

Reply 8

TSR George

OP

17

Original post by K2468

Hi,

I saw this course was GP focused, would that have any negative implication in overall skills as an F1, or confidence as a doctor when entering F1 stage? I'm currently decided on ScotGEM, due to the ideas of rural medicine being too daunting however I'm also aware that this is common for quite a lot of people when looking at the course details

I don't think it really matters tbh.

Even if you were training as a GP you'd have to do 18 months of hospital medicine anyway during GP specialty training - it'll only be useful for when you're actually a "proper" GP".

Don't worry about it. If there's significant concerns the GMC would have intervened.

Post originally created by ecolier.

Reply 9

tritium3

5

I'm an English graduate. If I studied the ScotGEM, does it mean I would have to be a GP in NHS Scotland? Can I not go into any other specialism in England or elsewhere? Thanks

Reply 10

Democracy

20

Original post by tritium3

I'm an English graduate. If I studied the ScotGEM, does it mean I would have to be a GP in NHS Scotland? Can I not go into any other specialism in England or elsewhere? Thanks

Graduates of ScotGEM will receive an MBChB degree, which is a primary medical qualification (PMQ). Whilst ScotGEM is designed for students who are interested in a career as a generalist practitioner, the programme will prepare students for a career in any branch of medicine through the normal postgraduate training process.

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/#77035

Reply 11

Lewis T K

12

Original post by tritium3

I'm an English graduate. If I studied the ScotGEM, does it mean I would have to be a GP in NHS Scotland? Can I not go into any other specialism in England or elsewhere? Thanks

I believe the course is specific for GP training for the highland regions
That being said, I don’t think having the degree will prevent one from doing a different type of specialty, but it defeats the purpose of the course

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 12

TSR George

OP

17

Original post by tritium3

I'm an English graduate. If I studied the ScotGEM, does it mean I would have to be a GP in NHS Scotland? Can I not go into any other specialism in England or elsewhere? Thanks

Please post in this dedicated thread for ScotGEM queries.

For future reference, there is a thread for each UK med school / their course. Here is the index: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6410398

Original post by Lewis T K

I believe the course is specific for GP training for the highland regions

Read what @Democracy quoted.

Post originally created by ecolier.

Reply 13

tritium3

5

Original post by Democracy

Graduates of ScotGEM will receive an MBChB degree, which is a primary medical qualification (PMQ). Whilst ScotGEM is designed for students who are interested in a career as a generalist practitioner, the programme will prepare students for a career in any branch of medicine through the normal postgraduate training process.

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/medicine/scotgem-mbchb/#77035

Would it be wrong of me to apply for this course if I am not interested in becoming a GP? Due to my degree in physical sciences, there are only 4 GAMSAT A101 courses I can apply to, and ScotGEM is one of them.

Reply 14

tritium3

5

Original post by Lewis T K

I believe the course is specific for GP training for the highland regions
That being said, I don’t think having the degree will prevent one from doing a different type of specialty, but it defeats the purpose of the course

Would it be wrong of me to apply for this course if I am not interested in becoming a GP? Due to my degree in physical sciences, there are only 4 GAMSAT A101 courses I can apply to, and ScotGEM is one of them.

Reply 15

ChemGirl95

10

Original post by tritium3

Would it be wrong of me to apply for this course if I am not interested in becoming a GP? Due to my degree in physical sciences, there are only 4 GAMSAT A101 courses I can apply to, and ScotGEM is one of them.

The ScotGEM course was created to try to help solve the shortage of GPs in Scotland, and particularly in rural Scotland. It aims that 50% of its graduates each year will go on to specialise in GP, but that other 50% may do any specialty they choose. At the ScotGEM open days they stress that the course is not designed just for those who want to do GP, it has a focus on generalist doctors, meaning those that can see a bigger picture. They described it as their graduates being like multi-tools instead of just a scalpel etc.

Reply 16

Democracy

20

Original post by tritium3

Would it be wrong of me to apply for this course if I am not interested in becoming a GP? Due to my degree in physical sciences, there are only 4 GAMSAT A101 courses I can apply to, and ScotGEM is one of them.

There may be an emphasis on attracting graduates to a career in rural GP but it is a medical degree like any other. If it's the one you think you can get into, you should apply there.

A lot of these designations are more political than anything - the government and unis need to show they are taking primary care seriously so they start a new GEP with an emphasis on producing rural GPs. Ten years from now they'll audit what the graduates are doing and either go "excellent, we've solved the lack of GPs in the Highlands and Islands" or they'll mumble about what they'll do next to try and recruit more doctors to those areas.

Don't take it so seriously :smile:

Reply 17

ChemGirl95

10

Got the online questionnaire on Thursday - all feeling a bit more real now! I've emailed them to ask whether we should include medical online work experiences on the form as the format doesn't suit it very well, will share a response when I get one :smile:

Reply 18

phdmed

10

Original post by ChemGirl95

Got the online questionnaire on Thursday - all feeling a bit more real now! I've emailed them to ask whether we should include medical online work experiences on the form as the format doesn't suit it very well, will share a response when I get one :smile:

I was going to ask the same, so thanks for already doing it. I also thought the wording was weird for having included them in your ucas application.
They also said to me that if you’ve done more than 4, just choose the 4 that made the biggest impact.

Reply 19

ChemGirl95

10

Original post by phdmed

I was going to ask the same, so thanks for already doing it. I also thought the wording was weird for having included them in your ucas application.
They also said to me that if you’ve done more than 4, just choose the 4 that made the biggest impact.

Yeah I thought the same! I'm guessing they mean something you've mentioned in either the employment section or in your PS, but will let you know the outcome on online experiences!

University of St Andrews A101 / ScotGEM 2021 Entry

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