Physics or medicine course
I’m in year 12 doing a levels physics, maths, further maths, chemistry. I am interested in doing either physics or medicine at university. At gcse I really liked biology and learning things about the body, which is why I sacrificed it for chemistry - the required subject in case I wanted to do medicine. However, I also really like physics and maths, which makes me want to do a physics course. I also know that doing physics could lead to a wider range of potential jobs, whereas I assume medicine would restrict me to working in a hospital. If I do physics, I’ll be sad that I didn’t take biology instead of chemistry for A level because it wouldn’t have mattered. I haven’t done any work experience yet but I read articles related to both of these fields in The New Scientist every week and I can’t decide which one I find more interesting. I’m hoping to do one of these courses at Oxford or Cambridge. Does anybody have advice on how I can decide between physics and medicine?
Several points to note:
1. Doctors don't only work in hospitals, and even within a hospital the kind of work they do can vary a lot between specialties. The specialties themselves also offer a pretty diverse range of subject matter to eventually specialise in. Also there are some which are less hospital focused e.g. GP and some specialties which have community oriented work which may or may not be something you can spend more time in. Also some people go into research after a medical degree, rather than a clinical career, or combine the two. There's also a smaller number who end up leaving medicine and going into various other fields.
2. For medicine which university you go to doesn't matter if you're planning to work in the UK. All medical schools are accredited equally by the GMC, and the NHS which is the only provider of graduate medical training posts specifically blinds recruiters from your medical school to ensure no bias. So if your aim is medicine, you should be aiming for medicine overall, not any specific medical school.
3. Work experience is a requirement for medicine not just for the sake of it, but fundamentally to ensure applicants have some experience of working/volunteering in a caring role and/or healthcare environment so they can get some sense firsthand whether a career in medicine is for them. I would recommend doing some work experience for medicine (and just continue operating under the assumption you may apply to medicine) and then after you have done some work experience/volunteering of that kind and reflected on it, consider if medicine is the right fit for you or not.
4. Chemistry is still useful for a physics degree - in fact a friend of mine who did a physics course (and PhD) said having chemistry was very useful compared to his colleagues who didn't when starting out, in terms of having a better grasp of some of the physics of materials/condensed matter physics stuff to begin with. Also you may have a bit more of a sense of the thermodynamics/statistical mechanics concepts from chemistry as they're not really covered much in A-level Physics as I understand.
5. An old TSR user (who was a consultant neurologist) used to say "If you're considering medicine or 'something else', do the 'something else'". Essentially, their point was if you are uncertain about pursuing medicine and have a strong affinity for another field which is pulling you away from that, go with the other thing. I assume this is because of the level of commitment (not just in terms of e.g. qualifications and grades, but also emotionally and physically) that medicine requires - it's not something to be done by half-measures by all accounts! So if you're divided on it, you may find you're much more likely to end up burning out.
6. Remember even if you do another degree, you can always pursue medicine later on even after starting a career otherwise. It won't be the easiest road but it's still an option that will be open to you!
1. Doctors don't only work in hospitals, and even within a hospital the kind of work they do can vary a lot between specialties. The specialties themselves also offer a pretty diverse range of subject matter to eventually specialise in. Also there are some which are less hospital focused e.g. GP and some specialties which have community oriented work which may or may not be something you can spend more time in. Also some people go into research after a medical degree, rather than a clinical career, or combine the two. There's also a smaller number who end up leaving medicine and going into various other fields.
2. For medicine which university you go to doesn't matter if you're planning to work in the UK. All medical schools are accredited equally by the GMC, and the NHS which is the only provider of graduate medical training posts specifically blinds recruiters from your medical school to ensure no bias. So if your aim is medicine, you should be aiming for medicine overall, not any specific medical school.
3. Work experience is a requirement for medicine not just for the sake of it, but fundamentally to ensure applicants have some experience of working/volunteering in a caring role and/or healthcare environment so they can get some sense firsthand whether a career in medicine is for them. I would recommend doing some work experience for medicine (and just continue operating under the assumption you may apply to medicine) and then after you have done some work experience/volunteering of that kind and reflected on it, consider if medicine is the right fit for you or not.
4. Chemistry is still useful for a physics degree - in fact a friend of mine who did a physics course (and PhD) said having chemistry was very useful compared to his colleagues who didn't when starting out, in terms of having a better grasp of some of the physics of materials/condensed matter physics stuff to begin with. Also you may have a bit more of a sense of the thermodynamics/statistical mechanics concepts from chemistry as they're not really covered much in A-level Physics as I understand.
5. An old TSR user (who was a consultant neurologist) used to say "If you're considering medicine or 'something else', do the 'something else'". Essentially, their point was if you are uncertain about pursuing medicine and have a strong affinity for another field which is pulling you away from that, go with the other thing. I assume this is because of the level of commitment (not just in terms of e.g. qualifications and grades, but also emotionally and physically) that medicine requires - it's not something to be done by half-measures by all accounts! So if you're divided on it, you may find you're much more likely to end up burning out.
6. Remember even if you do another degree, you can always pursue medicine later on even after starting a career otherwise. It won't be the easiest road but it's still an option that will be open to you!
Spoiler
Reply 2
I would never advise someone to even contemplate applying to medicine unless you had plenty of real-deal work experience so that you knew full well what you were signing up for.
People who do not follow the above advice I would say are at a real risk of giving up and never completing the course or giving up within short-order of graduation. It is a process with a relatively fixed path and a relatively fixed end goal. It does not end in 5 years or 7 years or any time soon after that. If you are determined to enter the sausage factory you need to be very certain you are quite happy with life as a sausage.
People who do not follow the above advice I would say are at a real risk of giving up and never completing the course or giving up within short-order of graduation. It is a process with a relatively fixed path and a relatively fixed end goal. It does not end in 5 years or 7 years or any time soon after that. If you are determined to enter the sausage factory you need to be very certain you are quite happy with life as a sausage.
Original post
by GabsgagabaI’m in year 12 doing a levels physics, maths, further maths, chemistry. I am interested in doing either physics or medicine at university. At gcse I really liked biology and learning things about the body, which is why I sacrificed it for chemistry - the required subject in case I wanted to do medicine. However, I also really like physics and maths, which makes me want to do a physics course. I also know that doing physics could lead to a wider range of potential jobs, whereas I assume medicine would restrict me to working in a hospital. If I do physics, I’ll be sad that I didn’t take biology instead of chemistry for A level because it wouldn’t have mattered. I haven’t done any work experience yet but I read articles related to both of these fields in The New Scientist every week and I can’t decide which one I find more interesting. I’m hoping to do one of these courses at Oxford or Cambridge. Does anybody have advice on how I can decide between physics and medicine?
Have you looked into medical physics?
Reply 4
Original post
by GabsgagabaI’m in year 12 doing a levels physics, maths, further maths, chemistry. I am interested in doing either physics or medicine at university. At gcse I really liked biology and learning things about the body, which is why I sacrificed it for chemistry - the required subject in case I wanted to do medicine. However, I also really like physics and maths, which makes me want to do a physics course. I also know that doing physics could lead to a wider range of potential jobs, whereas I assume medicine would restrict me to working in a hospital. If I do physics, I’ll be sad that I didn’t take biology instead of chemistry for A level because it wouldn’t have mattered. I haven’t done any work experience yet but I read articles related to both of these fields in The New Scientist every week and I can’t decide which one I find more interesting. I’m hoping to do one of these courses at Oxford or Cambridge. Does anybody have advice on how I can decide between physics and medicine?
Have you looked at something that combines them a bit like biomedical engineering?
Reply 5
14
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/degrees/physics-medical-physics-bsc
You could also do Cambridge natsci and study both biology and physics.
I recommend shadowing doctors or volunteering at hospitals
You could also do Cambridge natsci and study both biology and physics.
I recommend shadowing doctors or volunteering at hospitals
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