The Student Room Group

wana be a doctor

Im in the uk and probably will go ahead with doing medicine at university, but Im not sure what the pathway looks like? Can someone describe to me what my 6 years at uni will look like at each stage and where will I be headed after uni? Would I directly have to go to the NHS, or could I go and work as a doctor in another country? Just as much detail as possible regarding uni and post uni steps of a doctor thank youu
To work in the UK, you would first have to go to medical school for 5 or 6 years. You would apply via UCAS, with the deadline being in October the year before you plan to start, i.e. October this year for September 2025. Getting into medical school in the UK is very competitive and would involve you taking the UCAT (admissions test) and going through interviews. Once at medical school, the first 2/3 years would usually be 'pre-clinical' and mostly lecture-based, and the last 3 years would be 'clinical', with clinical placements to gain experience and get signed off on necessary clinical skills. After graduating, those who want to work in the UK would usually do foundation years 1+2, where you would be working as a doctor, and rotate around different specialties. From there, you would usually embark on a training programme specific to the specialty you wanted to do, which would ultimately allow you to become a consultant doctor. You wouldn't be confined to the NHS, so you could practice privately or go abroad, but I don't know the specifics of this (i.e. at what stage of training this would become a viable option).
That's the gist of it, there's lots of info available on medical school websites, and the GMC and BMA websites to name a few. What stage are you at currently? The medical schools sub-forum has lots of info and advice if you are thinking of applying, although to apply in October this year you would need to have done the UCAT, which I believe you would need to book before 19th Sept and do before 26th September. Hope this helps!

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