Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2023 Entry

Is it true that in your personal statement you should write about how you would be a good medical student, not a good doctor because that is what medical admissions teams are looking for? My teacher told me this and just wanted to double check

I'm not sure if I would be suited for medicine since I am quite socially awkward... I'm interested in pursuing it and have reflected on past work experience I have done, read books etc. is there anything I could do to make sure I improve my communication skills? or is it a waste thinking of applying to medicine?

I'm not sure if I would be suited for medicine since I am quite socially awkward... I'm interested in pursuing it and have reflected on past work experience I have done, read books etc. is there anything I could do to make sure I improve my communication skills? or is it a waste thinking of applying to medicine?

I'm not sure if I would be suited for medicine since I am quite socially awkward... I'm interested in pursuing it and have reflected on past work experience I have done, read books etc. is there anything I could do to make sure I improve my communication skills? or is it a waste thinking of applying to medicine?

Hi, I used to be quite socially awkward, the game changer for me was getting my part-time job (at a pub) 2 years ago, since it forced me to speak to people and I learned skills like how to make small talk, de-escalating conflict etc. Another thing that helped me was coaching the year 8,9 and 10 football teams at school (which I did through year 13), since I had to adapt my communication style to the team or individual's age, maturity, and ability and knowledge of the sport. With the year 8s I often had to do more explaining and repeat myself to make sure they understood, whereas with the year 10s they tended to understand drills more easily, and I could give them less direction since they knew what they were doing. With some players that didn't play outside of school, I had to adapt my language to make sure I wasn't using technical terms that they didn't understand. My advice to you is to find an activity or job that gets you out of your comfort zone and helps you develop 'people skills'. At the end of the day, you know yourself best and whether medicine is for you, but a lot of people have doubts about their suitability before applying, even those that go on to become brilliant doctors. Plus no one can say for sure at this stage if you will make a good doctor or not, and you have a good few years to develop better communication skills before your clinical years and then FY1.

Hi @__syntaxerror__,

There are soooo many people that feel like this (even before starting medical school)! I am a first-year medical student (now going into second year) and I was not very confident or optimistic about my verbal communication skills - especially thinking about history taking and interacting with the medical team during placements.

However, as you go through first year, you will learn that most medical schools plan to teach and assist you with your professional communication skills (for example we have communication skills sessions – which are really chilled and HELPFUL). Furthermore, just being in a medical environment at university motivates you to develop your communication skills.

If you are interested in medicine then don’t let this hold you back. In terms of improving your communication before interviews and starting university – I would recommend asking your teachers and friends for help (getting constructive feedback after talking about anything) and it might also be worth volunteering/ getting work experience in an active setting where you are encouraged to speak to people. You can then use this as an example to answer questions in your interview, about how you were resilient and tackled your weakness.

Hope this helps 😀 and good luck!

Shaheer (Lancaster University Ambassador)

There are plenty of my colleagues who are socially awkward…… some who definitely seem on the spectrum.
Not all branches of medicine are patient facing
Radiology, pathology, microbiology, research etc.

However medicine forces you to be quite extrovert while training and you may well find your personality changes a lot over the next few years.

Thank you so much for the replies I just felt a bit unmotivated at times listening to other people say otherwise,
i'm hopefully going to start volunteering soon

Hi,
I'm currently filling out my UCAS application and I don't know whether to tick the box asking 'Have you ever been in care?' in the diversity and inclusion section/

From the age of 16-18 I was in a secure unit away from home sectioned under the mental health act.
Different sources seem to define public care differently, however the NSPCC states that:
"A child who has been in the care of their local authority for more than 24 hours is known as a looked after child. Looked after children are also often referred to as children in care, a term which many children and young people prefer.
Each UK nation has a slightly different definition of a looked after child and follows its own legislation, policy and guidance. But in general, looked after children are:
- living with foster parents
- living in a residential children's home or
- living in residential settings like schools or secure units."

Would I therefore count as 'care experienced'?

I've contacted multiple charities and organisations, as well as university support services but none have given me a clear answer. Hopefully someone on here has been in a similar situation and can give me some guidance?

I don't want to say yes and then be rejected if UCAS do not consider me to be care experienced, but I also don't want to miss out on contextual offers and support that could be available to me.

Thanks!

Hi,
I'm currently filling out my UCAS application and I don't know whether to tick the box asking 'Have you ever been in care?' in the diversity and inclusion section/

From the age of 16-18 I was in a secure unit away from home sectioned under the mental health act.
Different sources seem to define public care differently, however the NSPCC states that:
"A child who has been in the care of their local authority for more than 24 hours is known as a looked after child. Looked after children are also often referred to as children in care, a term which many children and young people prefer.
Each UK nation has a slightly different definition of a looked after child and follows its own legislation, policy and guidance. But in general, looked after children are:
- living with foster parents
- living in a residential children's home or
- living in residential settings like schools or secure units."

Would I therefore count as 'care experienced'?

I've contacted multiple charities and organisations, as well as university support services but none have given me a clear answer. Hopefully someone on here has been in a similar situation and can give me some guidance?

I don't want to say yes and then be rejected if UCAS do not consider me to be care experienced, but I also don't want to miss out on contextual offers and support that could be available to me.

Thanks!

I wouldn’t have thought being in hospital (psychiatric unit) counts as being in care.
Being in care is being taken away from your parents (to be cared for) due to issues with your parents.

I would interpret "sectioned under the Mental Health Act" to be under the care of the local authority by extension of the hospital, particularly as sectioning is for the most part involuntary and you are considered a ward of the state by virtue of the fact you aren't legally capable of caring for yourself/making decisions for yourself.

That's what I was thinking when I first considered it. I had social care input throughout, and had I not been sectioned I would have been removed from my home anyway as my parents were not capable of looking after me at that time. It's all a bit of a grey area but I'm glad someone gets where I'm coming from.
I really don't want to come across as offensive to those who may have been through different experiences in care so I didn't know whether to post but your reply has reassured me thank you!

I am the same as the person in page 82, I'm very shy and I'm about to start on ward volunteering and I feel like I won't be good enough. I will mainly work with elderly patient and I'm scared of making mistakes. I've never worked or volunteered before so I'm kinda nervous. Any tips.