Original post by Advisor2No, 21 is young to be starting medicine and when you compare age at which you start medicine in America for example, where you have to do premed, 21 is probably quite young. There are many people on UK medicine courses who have taken 1 or 2 gap years, spent time working and saving or travelling, and are better off because of this. Incredibly fortunate to have studied medicine after a first degree, however there are a few things I wish I knew prior to my second degree. Hope sharing these thoughts will be beneficial to all who read:
1) There are many different routes into medicine
a) if you do not have science A levels - you can apply to a foundation course in which you spend year 0 attaining a basic level of your sciences - for those who do not have science A level look into this. You could have a completely different career prior to medicine, and your chances of becoming a doctor are not hindered by not having the science A levels that the majority of your cohort will have.
b) if you do have science A levels - you can apply at the age of 18 to get into medicine, however this is an incredibly young age in the larger scheme of things. If you know for definite that you want to pursue medicine at this age, go for it, however if this is not the case, medicine can be explored at a later age. Quite a lot of students who started at the age of 18, 19, 20 years, intercalate after the first clinical year or 3rd year of a 5 year course to pursue a one year BSc in a medically related field, but also to have a break. In your late teens and early 20s you are still developing physically, socially and personally, and you are still learning a lot of life lessons. As medicine is a full time course during which you are in 5 days a week, it can be hard to find a balance, especially if you do not have a real appreciation for the immense amount of studying you have to do in pre clinical years, and how you have to continue to review anatomy, physiology, molecular biology and so on in addition to symptoms, investigations, treatment and complications of not treating vs treating in your later clinical years. I enjoy this, but burnout is evident in some students who have gone straight from A levels to medicine, so do not be afraid to take a year out to work, to travel, to start a business or do a combination of things related to or unrelated to medicine - medicine if a lifelong vocation - your late teens/early 20s are finite. If you do decide to work, look into entry level positions based in hospitals so you are exposed to clinical environment.
c) transfer schemes - many individuals will be rejected from medicine in the UK - it is a competitive application process - and think applying to another undergraduate course in which a transfer into the 3rd year of medicine is possible, is their best option. Wish this was spoken about more often, but these transfer schemes are incredibly competitive, more so than undergrad of grad entry medicine. Do not place all of your hopes of getting onto a medicine course in these transfer schemes. There are quite a view undergraduate biomedical sciences or medicinal sciences course that offer this, however if you do not get one of the 15 or so transfer places, then you've studied towards a degree that you do not really want. Moreover, graduate prospects after completing such degree may be poor unless you go onto get a masters or phd in that field. By the time you've done this, you have spent many years, much effort and a lot of money (accommodation fees, other course fees etc.) on a pathway related to medicine, but not an actual degree in medicine that will allow you to practice clinically.
If you do want to do a degree prior to medicine, that is related and will give an advantage when pursuing medicine, then I would suggest the following:
- Pharmacy - After registration, you can choose to remain a pharmacist or locum as a pharmacist whilst pursuing a degree in medicine. This is particularly helpful if you are a graduate of a 5 year course, as though you receive a maintenance loan, you do not receive a tuition fee loan if you have a first degree. Medical school is expensive - there is travel to placements that you must consider (transport or fuel and car maintenance if you drive, clothing, equipment, rent fees, groceries and on top of that, fees related to having a social life e.g. society memberships, dinners, days out, purchasing gifts etc. Having a first degree, which is related to medicine and in which you can actually get a job after with, is incredible beneficial. On top of this, while it will be a full time degree, you are likely to have more time to explore different interests at university in you late teens/early 20s, than you would on a medicine course.
-Anatomy - anatomy teaching varies from med school to med school. Having a first degree in anatomy in incredibly beneficial, and while job availability may not be as vast as what is available for pharmacy, you will have a focussed and solid grounding in anatomy which is needed throughout your career in medicine, but particularly for your pre clinical years of medicine.
-Nursing - for the same reasons to those given for pharmacy
-Dentistry - particularly if you are interested in MaxFax - you'll be superb when it comes to head and neck conditions, and again you can locum, however do your research as locum opportunities are likely only available after 2 years of post-degree training towards registration.
-Psychology - these graduate tend to be great at communicating with patients and have very good sift skills - again, there is the opportunity to become a clinical psychologist, but make sure your degree is accredited with the relevant organisation to allow pursuing clinical psychology training
-Philosophy - these graduate again are great communicators, and also have a firm foundation in ethics, including medical ethics. Not entirely sure what the job prospects are and whether it will be easy to find a job in this field while studying towards a second degree in medicine.
-Physiotherapy - good job prospects and helps with learning related to MSK system
-Occupational therapy - good job prospects and help with learning related to MSK system
-Audiology - make sure degree is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council or relevant organisation
-Optometry - make sure degree is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council or relevant organisation
-OPD - operating department practice - particularly if you are interested in surgery - these are the amazing individual that prepare theatre for operation, ensure equipment is sterile and are constantly communicating with surgeons throughout each surgery - have a look into this and again make sure degree in accredited by the relevant organisation
-Radiotherapy
-Radiology
-Anthropology
d) graduate entry - for graduate entry medicine, the main entry exams you have to take are GAMSAT and UKCAT- with chemistry and biology as A levels it will take around 6 months to bring all sciences (biology, chemistry and physics) to the level required for the GAMSAT. It all depends on how long it takes you to understand a concept, so allocate longer or shorter to revision depending on your learning style, however this is just for section 3 of the GAMSAT. Section 1 tests you reasoning skills and section 2 tests your written communication (you have to write 2 essays in 1 hr). Graduates with communication based degrees such as psychology tend to find section 2 more manageable. These entry exams do cost money - cannot remember exact amount but around £200 or £300. If you do well enough, you can use you score for 2 years, or 2 application cycles - again check as things may have changed. Applying as a graduate will likely involve applying to a mix of graduate and undergraduate courses. Especially if you get onto an undergraduate course, make sure you have the means to pay for you tuition fee (saved up from previous employment and/or able to work on weekends, or have financial support from family). Some medical schools require graduates to sit the UKCAT SJT in addition to the GAMSAT, and others will want the full UKCAT only -again research this.
e) very rarely, some medical school may have spaces available in clearing - this is very rare, but if the opportunity presents, take it
2) Clinical thinking; it is helpful to think of each condition you come across in term of symptoms (physical and mental), investigations, treatment and prognosis - this thought process will help you throughout, particularly in the later years of medicine.
3) Travel - already mentioned but this can be incredibly expensive. Think about the university you apply too, whether hospitals are local and easy to get to on transport. If hospitals are 30 or more minute drives away from the main university campus, consider doing you practical and theory driving tests before starting medicine. Can be done throughout the earlier years of medicine but finding time to do so is more difficult.
4) Socialising - there is time to do - look at what societies are on offer - smaller universities will not have many societies, larger universities will have a vast range of societies - sports, library, food facilities etc. tend to be better at larger universities. They also offer more opportunity to meet people from various course backgrounds. Some of my very good friends are from very different course backgrounds, and it is refreshing to have friends both inside and outside of the medical course.
5) Location in the UK - compare average rent prices in the UK - London will be most expensive, however you benefit from excellent transport links and can pretty much get anywhere you want to within the hour. Up north or further down south, cheaper but not as great transport links.
Again - hope this helps all who read. Medicine is an amazing degree and sets you up for a great clinical career, but be clear on the options/routes available to you and what pursuing each pathway involves. It's your life, you and your family's hard earned money contributing to costs of pursuing medicine and your time and effort - use these resources well so that you are choosing the best pathway for yourself and ultimately the patients you will be caring for!