Arts to medicine

When I was younger I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and when I first when to secondary school I was very good at science and was very high on the academic path, unfortunately somewhere in my 5 years at secondary school I lost my grip of academic stride due to the unpleasant environment and barely passed most of my GCSE's. Later in my secondary school life I picked up art and i'm now taking an art diploma. The idea of going back to medicine sits in the back of my mind and I'm just wondering if I would have a shot at it considering I'm not doing any science based A Levels, I'm doing an art and design diploma. If anyone has any information that could help me out that would be great, thanks so much.

Reply 1

Democracy

20

Original post by beau17

When I was younger I wanted to be a neurosurgeon and when I first when to secondary school I was very good at science and was very high on the academic path, unfortunately somewhere in my 5 years at secondary school I lost my grip of academic stride due to the unpleasant environment and barely passed most of my GCSE's. Later in my secondary school life I picked up art and i'm now taking an art diploma. The idea of going back to medicine sits in the back of my mind and I'm just wondering if I would have a shot at it considering I'm not doing any science based A Levels, I'm doing an art and design diploma. If anyone has any information that could help me out that would be great, thanks so much.

Why is it sitting in the back of your mind?

Any issues with your current course or stresses regarding what you might do afterwards?

Make sure you're considering medicine for the right reasons and not just because you might be unhappy with what you're currently doing. Medicine is rarely a good career to "run away" to. Of course, you might not be unhappy at all (in which case apologies for the assumption) but having seen many of these threads over the years, it's sometimes the case that people don't really want to do medicine so much as they just don't want to do what they're currently doing.

Reply 2

TheMedicOwl

12

I'm starting medical school this September after fifteen years in special needs teaching and academia. My prior education was all humanities/languages. I was nervous about not having a science background, so in my interview (Newcastle GEM) I asked the panel how arts grads tend to cope with the course. They replied that the success of arts grads on the GEM program led the medical school to scrap science A-levels for the standard five-year course, which was very encouraging to hear. So it's definitely possible to become a doctor from a non-traditional academic background.

I agree with @Democracy that you should think carefully about your motivations for applying. If at all possible you should get a relevant job or do some volunteering so that you can see if it's for you. From what I've seen on TSR, many people who dream of neurosurgery seem to be drawn to a certain idea of medicine rather than to medicine itself, and it's important to have a realistic understanding of what's involved. My own interest in medicine was ignited by working in an adolescent psychiatric unit, but I knew I couldn't base my decision on psychiatry alone - this is arguably the branch of medicine that owes most to the arts and humanities, and liking the look of that didn't necessarily mean I would like everything else that medical school entails. So I got myself a job as a healthcare assistant in A&E in order to have a look at the 'everything else', and it confirmed that this is what I want to do. :smile:

Get some relevant experience and if you're sure this is what you want to do, look into science A-levels.

Reply 3

thecuriousdoc2

3

Having other experiences before you go to medical school will only help you be a more rounded doctor and will bring new skills. Maybe do the science a-levels and get some work experience - if you enjoy both there is no reason not to apply!

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