What should I think about before deciding on medicine?

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Want to help people in a way that matters / rewarding - My father has received so much praise from his patients, as a lot of the time he was the first doctor to consider their issues without complete dismissal of their worries. The impact he has made on them is so evident, from the kind words and the gifts that they needn't send, but still do, simply because he listened. The impact you can make on a person in medicine is arguably unparalleled compared to every single profession, especially if you are a good doctor who does right by their patients.

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Decent pay / good pay progression - Medical consultants are some of the highest earners, earning between £93,666 and £126,281, depending on where they sit on the pay scale.

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Respect - may not be as applicable to yourself, but abroad and in certain communities e.g. Asian, being a doctor will garner respect and sometimes even privileges e.g. as a medical professional, in your own and family member's healthcare you can often times have more of a say, to a certain extent. A caveat to this point is other professions, not just medicine garner respect, but I just wanted to highlight how having medical knowledge may put you in good stead in certain situations.

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Job security - doctors are needed everywhere, so employment prospects are almost guaranteed.

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Ease of travel for work (due to job security) as doctors are needed everywhere - can work internationally and if you decide to settle abroad it will often be much easier to attain citizenship.

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Interest in science - science, particularly biology and chemistry, forms a large foundation of medical training.

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Interest in teaching - As you progress in training and become more senior, you will be expected to teach your juniors e.g. junior doctors and medical students.

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Interest in puzzle-solving / challenges - medicine often requires many differential diagnoses and you will need to use your medical knowledge, the information and symptoms the patient is presenting with and the process of elimination to arrive at a diagnosis.

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Enjoy working in a team - you will be working in a multi-disciplinary team of other doctors, nurses, therapists, dieticians, etc., eventually taking more of a lead, if you progress to become more senior.

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People-person / Patient-centred care - patients are at the centre of everything, ad you will be working with them on the regular e.g. check-ups (although there are professions such as radiology where you can avoid major patient contact if it's not your thing.)

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Lifelong learning - medicine is always changing and as a doctor, it is your responsibility to maintain a current standard of medical knowledge for your patients

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Opportunity to branch out into other careers e.g. Pharmacy rep, research, teaching etc.

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Opportunity to earn extra money through locum - 'locum' means you work temporarily in another hospital, which often pays very well.

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The training pathway - long: 5 years med school, 2 years F1 & F2, then 5-7 years specialising, although it can take even longer. My father, for example, only finished his training to be a consultant urologist at the age of 50!

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Constant exams to progress in training, so you will be studying even whilst working as a junior doctor.

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Stressful / Emotional toll / Burnout - big workload + understaffed + responsibility for your patient's wellbeing + long shifts + possible lack of sleep + subsequent difficulty to maintain a social life and you may experience difficult scenarios such as a patient death first-hand. All of this can be exhausting to deal with. And if the stress of the job isn’t addressed soon, burnout is likely to occur, as well-documented among medics.

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Working hours - longer and different to the normal 9-5, so may be difficult to coordinate with non-medical peers e.g. night shifts, and you may work overtime often. Work-life balance is often quoted as being difficult to maintain.

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The NHS - understaffing / staff retention, junior doctor pay, budget cuts, A&E wait times and the bed crisis are all examples of reasons / NHS hot topics as to why some of my peers have been dissuaded from medicine, and why those who haven't are strongly considering moving abroad.

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Debt - longer time in higher education + exam fees + relatively poor pay as a junior doctor means you will have a lot of student debt to pay off.

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Blood / too gory - some people may have enjoyed the prospect of becoming a doctor, however upon entering university to study had to drop out due to their fear of blood/uneasiness with dissections. Make sure you’re not queasy, or apply for universities with no cadaveric dissection e.g. Exeter. But even so, if dissections aren’t your thing, maybe think twice about applying for medicine!