aspiring medicine student

from young, ive always had this dream of being a doctor. i did okay in my gcses (i got 5s and above) and im currently studying a BTEC level 3 extended diploma in applied science and im predicted D*DD. i know there is no way med schools will accept me with my btec but i wanted to know if there is any alternative route? i know grad med is one, so could i study nursing then go onto grad med and if i apply for it at the same uni is there a higher chance of getting accepted for grad med after completing a nursing degree? alternatively, i looked at biomed but ive realised its more lab based and i would much prefer to study in a clinical setting. also is it competitive this way or what? and if i choose to not to go onto medicine because of financial issues (i dont know how i could ever pay for a nursing degree then a whole medicine degree), whats the best way to graduate as a nurse, (as in specialise or whatever to earn a decent salary) because i think thats probably the closest thing to working as a doctor. can someone help me??

(edited 7 months ago)

Reply 1

CAG575

Have you looked at other allied medical degrees? Physiotherapy or operating department practitioner? The latter is based ( as the name suggests ) in the operating theatre where you rotate through recovery, scrub nursing and anaesthetic assistant. It is a good degree to do for a stand alone job or as a stepping stone. It is not ward based though. There is also the option of becoming an anaesthetic practitioner instead of going into grad medicine.

Reply 2

CAG575

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/operating-department-practitioner

If you want to have the option of applying for grad medicine you would need to do the three year degree rather than the 2 year diploma. There are NHS bursaries available for this and for grad medicine