Future a level choices

I've read some opinions and comments on what people should take for a levels because they would want to work in medicine or have a specific job in that field. I too, would either become a neurosurgeon or a cardivascular (don't think i spelt that right) sugreon, but like i don't know whaat a levels to pick apart from biology. I love biology, it's my strongest science out of chemistry and physics, but i need chemistry for a levels too, and i'm as strong in chemistry as i am in biology. I was thinking psychology as well as bio and chem, but i'm not sure :frown:

Any advice?

Reply 1

TypicalNerd

18

Original post by emilyboakye

I've read some opinions and comments on what people should take for a levels because they would want to work in medicine or have a specific job in that field. I too, would either become a neurosurgeon or a cardivascular (don't think i spelt that right) sugreon, but like i don't know whaat a levels to pick apart from biology. I love biology, it's my strongest science out of chemistry and physics, but i need chemistry for a levels too, and i'm as strong in chemistry as i am in biology. I was thinking psychology as well as bio and chem, but i'm not sure :frown:

Any advice?

Chem and bio are definitely correct choices.

I’d say you want to look at the entry requirements for both medicine and neuroscience at uni. In which case, maths, physics and psychology would presumably be completely acceptable.

Reply 2

emilyboakye

OP

9

Original post by TypicalNerd

Chem and bio are definitely correct choices.

I’d say you want to look at the entry requirements for both medicine and neuroscience at uni. In which case, maths, physics and psychology would presumably be completely acceptable.

maths is willllld!. But yes, thank youuu for your response!!! ALSO, what would you think OXford uni will accept?

Reply 3

TypicalNerd

18

Original post by emilyboakye

maths is willllld!. But yes, thank youuu for your response!!! ALSO, what would you think OXford uni will accept?

See here, for medicine: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/medicine

Neuroscience appears to be a postgraduate course at Oxford, though I am being lazy and could be wrong

Reply 4

emilyboakye

OP

9

Original post by TypicalNerd

See here, for medicine: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/course-listing/medicine

Neuroscience appears to be a postgraduate course at Oxford, though I am being lazy and could be wrong

is that a good thing or bad thing loll

Reply 5

TypicalNerd

18

Original post by emilyboakye

is that a good thing or bad thing loll

If you want to study neuroscience at Oxford, the fact it’s only possible to do so as a postgraduate is probably bad news. It means you’d have to apply to study it after completing your degree.

Reply 6

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by emilyboakye

I've read some opinions and comments on what people should take for a levels because they would want to work in medicine or have a specific job in that field. I too, would either become a neurosurgeon or a cardivascular (don't think i spelt that right) sugreon, but like i don't know whaat a levels to pick apart from biology. I love biology, it's my strongest science out of chemistry and physics, but i need chemistry for a levels too, and i'm as strong in chemistry as i am in biology. I was thinking psychology as well as bio and chem, but i'm not sure :frown:

Any advice?

A-level subject requirements for all UK medical schools: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5611422

Also picking a medical specialty before you even have started A-levels, much less the medical degree, much much less completed the medical degree and finished foundation training (granted for neurosurgery or CT surgery medical school is probably the practical time to get started) is absurd. You cannot possibly have any idea if you would want to work in surgery because you've never performed surgery or anything close to it (I hope - if not then you may need to refer yourself to the local police station).

It's also worth noting that you will have to learn about the whole of medicine for the 5-6 year medical degree, then rotate through the range of medical specialties as a foundation doctor for 2 further years (noting also that as I understand, it seems generally foundation doctors on surgical rotations are primarily ward based doing the "medical" side of perioperative care) before you even get to the point of applying to run through specialty training in neurosurgery or cardiothoracic surgery (there is no cardiovascular surgery, there's CT surgery and vascular surgery - they are separate but apparently use similar procedures just on different structures).

Some other things to note - in CT surgery I gather most of the consultant jobs available now are in thoracic surgery, not cardiac surgery. There are few cardiac surgery positions and a lot of what cardiac surgeons used to do has been taken over by interventional cardiologists (who can treat the same conditions in the cath lab rather than in the operating theatre). Also apparently they are mostly down to doing just a handful of procedures repeatedly and aside from being extremely competitive to get into training, it's also very competitive to get the numbers for the procedures as the higher trainees and consultants will be in most of the operations before you as a junior trainee. Trainees end up having to brown-nose a lot just to get to scrub in, so I've heard.

For neurosurgery there are similar albeit slightly different issues. The UK has an oversupply of neurosurgeons, due to an error in workforce planning. Basically similar to the issue with CT surgery, a major subset of conditions previously treated by neurosurgery are now treated by interventional (neuro)radiologists. Initially it was thought neurosurgeons would do this and they didn't realise until too late that wasn't the case, and had massively over recruited neurosurgical trainees for several years. Thus there is now a massive boom in neurosurgical trainees who have completed their training, and not enough consultant posts to go around. So they end up having to work in much more poorly paid fellowship roles, get PhDs and so on, just to be competitive.

Apparently though vascular surgery (which is not run through but entered via general surgery) do a lot of the same procedures as CT surgery but just on smaller vessels. That said I gather a lot of the work is emergent and so out of hours call rotas are pretty intense apparently. Also what isn't emergent tends to be people with a lot of comorbidities and also just poor lifestyle (allegedly) who don't really improve lifestyle to avoid subsequent amputations or similar.

In any event though, absolutely no reason to decide on a specialty now. As chances are in the ~10 years it will take you to actually apply to those specialties, they may have even ceased to exist, having given way to interventional procedures rather than surgical ones (although apparently this has been claimed for about 30 years, but both are definitely shrinking areas).

Reply 7

Mishaaaa

5

Original post by emilyboakye

I've read some opinions and comments on what people should take for a levels because they would want to work in medicine or have a specific job in that field. I too, would either become a neurosurgeon or a cardivascular (don't think i spelt that right) sugreon, but like i don't know whaat a levels to pick apart from biology. I love biology, it's my strongest science out of chemistry and physics, but i need chemistry for a levels too, and i'm as strong in chemistry as i am in biology. I was thinking psychology as well as bio and chem, but i'm not sure :frown:

Any advice?

I am not personally interested in medicine but one of my friends is currently working towards studying medicine at Cambridge. For her A levels she does Biology, Chemistry and Maths so I would defo say do Biology and Chemistry (probs maths too tbh, depends on what uni u hope to go to)

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