Studying Medicine
Your medical course will involve four to six years of study, split between University lecture halls, laboratories and hospitals. The type of tuition varies depending on which Medical School you attend and for this reason it is important to choose a University whose teaching method is most suitable for you. If you are a sixth-form or college student completing A-Levels you will probably apply for a five-year medical course. This can be raised to six years by completing an intercalated BSc as part of your degree, which some Medical Schools include automatically. If you are a mature student, a number of differing routes have been devised over recent years to widen access to Medicine, including a four-year graduate entry programme and completion of Access to Medicine courses. Some Universities also include a foundation year, which applicants with non-science A-Levels can undertake prior to their five or six year medical course.
Your medical degree introduces you to basic medical sciences and the theory of health and disease in the human body, together with practical clinical sessions where you will use your knowledge whilst helping patients. In studying Medicine you will learn the way in which diseases develop, how to diagnose and treat patients and you will acquire attitudes and behaviours appropriate to the medical profession. Medicine is a logical subject, where information relating to the science of the human body is constantly changing and being updated, and your training will provide a firm base on which further knowledge and skills can be developed over the course of your career. Great emphasis is placed on your ability to communicate well and on your teamwork skills. Modern medicine is multi-disciplinary and effective communication with patients and colleagues is essential to maintaining good working practice. An important part of your medical training is recognising that from the very beginning of your studies, you are required to work and think logically and practically.
Studying Medicine is tough and you should recognise that even though the number of hours worked by doctors are improving, the shifts are long and you will often be on-call and training even when you are taking your examinations. In making the decision to enter Medical School it is important you are totally committed to achieving your goal as, without a real passion for Medicine, even the most motivated student can lose sight of the bigger picture when faced with mountains of revision! With a rapidly increasing number of medicine-related courses such as biomedical science, clinical science or medical science, it would be a good idea to ensure that the course you have in mind leads to provisional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC). A Medical School comprises those Universities and non-University organisations legally entitled to hold examinations for the purposes of awarding your first medical degree, your primary medical qualification. All doctors practising in the
