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Considering a career in medicine?

  • Pokpong
  • Mar 1
  • 4 min read

What you need to know before studying medicine

By: Pokpong, Year 13


 

Have you ever asked the question, “What should my future career be?” Some students may believe they have the answer, whether it may be fulfilling their dreams or following a passion they’ve recently discovered. Ask yourself: what are you interested in? If you have a passion for science, enjoy a challenge, work hard, and are willing to help people during times of illness or stress, making their lives happier and healthier, you might be well suited for a career in medicine. 

 

Getting a medical degree is a difficult path. Medical school takes six years, but the education doesn't finish nor start there. After graduating, you must continue a two-year program in general medical training. Throughout your first year, you will assist with ward rounds, work with seniors, and perform routine tasks like ordering blood tests, imaging, communicating with nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, administrative staff, and patients' families, writing prescriptions, covering wards after hours, and answering calls. In the second year, your responsibilities will increase, but you will receive slightly more assistance.

 

A doctor's profession is a daily struggle: helping patients recover from illnesses; contributing to their happiness or sorrow; interacting with new healthcare workers, physicians, nurses, and patients. Teamwork and collaboration are essential. There is a chance to learn something new every day, so you might want to think about a career in medicine if you enjoy challenges and have a passion to help people. 

 

Most medical schools require you to take specific subjects to prepare you for your first year of medical school. Medical schools require triple sciences to be taken at IGCSE level, and Biology, Chemistry, and either Maths or Physics to be taken at IB or A-Levels. Requirements can be even higher in countries such as the United States which requires you to get an undergraduate degree. If you are not enrolled in any of these required subjects, you might be able to start your medical degree by finishing a bridging course. There are universities in the UK that offer medicine with a preliminary year, such as the University of Manchester Medical School.

 

You may have heard that medical students have no leisure time because they have to study all day. However, if you ask current medical students, they might say highlight that the most challenging part is not the content but the amount of information instead because there’s a lot of information to remember, and you need to study hard to remember all of it within the limited time before the examination. 

 

In medical school, the first three years are theoretical, and the final three years are clinical. The majority of your time will be spent in class during years 1-3 reviewing scientific topics you’ve likely studied from GCSE to 6th form - but at far greater depth - plus additional knowledge about the diseases, functions, and structure of the human body, which is crucial before advancing to clinical training at hospitals. 

 

Effective clinical practice skills are the primary focus beginning in Year 4. You should have mastered history, examination, and procedural skills by the end of Year 4, in addition to having been exposed to principles of care and management, studying the main clinical specialties to develop fundamental abilities and expertise in specialized clinical fields strengthening care and management skills and getting ready for postgraduate training. You may apply what you have learned in the classroom to actual medical situations. You must have taken at least some clinical classes focused on areas such as internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics.

 

Many students aspire to become doctors, but perhaps not everyone could enroll in this course. Studying medicine is challenging and requires a lot of commitment. You need to be able to control your stress and commit to long term study. You also have the determination to endure ten years or more of intense, extended training sessions. Motivated by a passion to serve and assist people from all walks of life, are you prepared to give up your family and social life for your chosen career? Not simply because it is a rewarding career or what your parents would like you to do, but because it is the appropriate path for you.

 

Sources:

Admin. (2023, January 5). What is the Importance of Chemistry in Medicine? Miracle Learning Centre. https://miraclelearningcentre.com/importance-of-chemistry-in-medicine/

Academics, K. (2023, October 13). Should I study medicine? Things to consider and what medical school is really like. KIS Academics Blog. https://kisacademics.com/blog/should-i-study-medicine-things-to-consider-and-what-medical-school-is-really-like/

Copy, D. (2023, August 1). Pros and cons of working in the medical field. Healthcare Career College. https://healthcarecareercollege.edu/pros-and-cons-of-working-in-the-medical-field/

Maw, L. (2024, April 12). What A-Levels Do You Need To Be A Doctor? – The Medic Portal. The Medic Portal. https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/

Doc, F. (2023, March 10). What happens after medical school - Future Doc. Future Doc. https://www.future-doc.com/blog/what-happens-after-medical-school

Training as a doctor. (2024, January 23). Health Careers. https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/training-doctor

Home | Medical Schools Council. (n.d.). https://www.medschools.ac.uk/

Mais, S. E. (2024, May 10). How Long is Medical School in Europe - Medlink Students Blog. Medlink Students Blog. https://blog.medlinkstudents.com/how-long-is-medical-school-in-europe/

Clinical Medicine: Year 4 Clinical study. (n.d.). Haiku. https://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/study/medicine/clinical/course-structure/clinyr4

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