Pursuing medicine with an access course: Is it possible?

mo.saaid

… gghhg

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 1

TSR Hippocrates

Hey there, thanks for posting a question in the Medicine forum. :biggrin:

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Reply 2

medicrosiex

Original post by mo.saaid

Hey guys!

So, I've got a bit of a dilemma here, and I could really use your insights and advice. I'm 22 years old, and it's been five years since I last set foot in a school. I've been working and I always come back to square 1.

I've always had this burning desire to become a doctor, but I wasn't sure if it was still possible after being away from formal education for so long. But I've been accepted into an Access to HE course in Biomed, and I can't believe this is actually happening!

The catch is that I'm not entirely sure if this access course will lead me to a medicine degree. Do you guys know anyone who went down this path and successfully made it into a medical school? Can I really chase my dream of becoming a doctor through this route?

Also, I'd love to hear from anyone who went back to education after a break. How was it for you? Any tips to cope with the whole "getting back into study mode" thing?

I won't lie; the idea of applying to medical school sounds daunting, and I can't help but have those "what if" moments. But hey, sometimes we have to take a leap of faith, right?

Also, what about the application process and interviews? I'm feeling a bit anxious about that part too. How should I prepare myself for it? Any tips, advice, or personal experiences would be golden!

Also, what about the application process, UCAT and interviews? I'm feeling a bit anxious about that part too. How should I prepare myself for it? Any tips, advice, or personal experiences would be golden!

So, hit me with your thoughts, experiences, or any helpful advice you've got. I'm all ears :smile:

It's 100% possible, it's just difficult. I did an access to medicine course when I was 22 and I was offered a place to study Medicine at Uni. I also know someone now working as a junior doctor who started with an access course. Lots of my classmates also achieved offers at various universities.

It's definitely possible and universities are becoming more welcoming of mature students. Some universities are more encouraging of access/mature student applications so do some research into which ones. BSMS and Bristol off the top of my head.

You need to thoroughly research each university's access course requirements. I'm not sure if any medical degrees will accept an access course in Biomed. When I did mine, all the universities I looked at only accepted the access course specifically in Medicine. There are also GCSE requirements, which can be retaken if you don't meet them, and A-Level requirements (e.g. I don't think you can do the access if you have previously studied chemistry at A-Level).

You can use your work experience/age to your advantage. I spent a year working in a busy hospital as a HCA which definitely helped with giving me lots of learning experiences to talk about in my interview. I would highly suggest looking for a part-time role in the NHS if you don't already work there or at least arrange a work experience because it helps with your application a lot.

If you haven't studied in a while I would recommend going over GCSE Science and some A-Level science, especially chemistry, as the course is very chemistry-heavy. I didn't do this and deeply regret it because it was much harder than I thought after not doing any science since secondary school.

Try and do all of your assignments as soon as you get them, as the course is only a year long it's very intense with deadlines almost every week. Plus you need time to revise for the UCAT/BMAT (I would also recommend trying to do your UCAT as soon as possible so that it's out of the way whilst you're studying on the course).

Don't worry about the interview. I think it's the easiest part of the whole process. If you are really passionate about medicine it will come across. You have years more experience than most of your competition (school leavers) which is guna give you lots of learning experiences to talk about. Your maturity and experience is a huge strength.