Hello everybody!
I am presenting you an article a recently wrote for the emerging website Tutored.
How to become doctor in the UK
Medicine is not only a university degree gained after many years of hard study, but it is also an art, a modern science and, first of all, a vocation. In addition, it is extremely important to understand that being a doctor means helping people, caring about patients, being patient with patients, being an advisor and an advocate, a teacher and a scholar at the same time, and also a scientist.
In order to become a doctor, you first need to be professional, trustworthy, intelligent ad knowledgeable. Then, a good communicator and team player, but also empathic, self-aware, a life-long learner and a good leader. It can of course be stressful and exhausting, the post-graduate training can take many years to complete, but everybody who choose to go on this path will be immensely rewarded.
Choosing your degree
In the United Kingdom, there are two main ways of getting into a Medical school. The first and main one is through a Medicine Undergraduate application, which is done at the beginning of the last year of high school through UCAS, the UK website that administrate all the undergraduate admissions around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. First, you need to wisely choose your four options, starting researching early, looking at different ranking websites and narrowing your search down from, for example, 10 Medical schools around the country.
However, Medical schools in the UK are extremely competitive, and it is sometimes easier, especially for international students, to apply for a 3-year Science degree first, such as Biomedical Science or Biochemistry, in order to apply later for the Graduate Entry Medicine. It is important to understand that this is not considered like a postgraduate degree, but it simply is a second undergraduate degree made shorter (4-year program) and therefore more competitive and difficult.
Requirements
Every Medical schools has some necessary entry requirements both for Undergraduate and Graduate applications.
You need to get really good grades at your A levels (or equivalent) or a First Class Honour Degree. Then, most of Medical schools require the UKCAT (both undergraduate and graduate admissions) or GAMSAT (only graduate admissions) or BMAT (only undergraduate admissions), two types of exams that test both your knowledge (mainly in English and Maths) and your clinical aptitude. You will also need to submit a personal statement, written by yourself where you express you aims and dreams for the future, your grades and your work or voluntary experiences. A reference (an academic reference from someone who knows you well, both academically and personally) is important too.
Medical school also screen the application through their applicants’ work experience. It is true that it is often really hard to get experience in the medical field, but that is exactly what Medical schools look for in their successful students: someone who is really interested in the topic and is able to even make sacrifices due to accomplish it.
Once you get an offer, then you must prepare for an interview: a 30-minute long meeting where the school tests your intellectual ability, your commitment, interest and realities of medicine, your teamwork and leadership skills and your communication skills and emphatic traits.
Moreover, International students are required to take an English language test, usually the IELTS exam.
Then what?
After you have completed your degree in Medicine, you are a Junior Doctor. It works a little differently if you want to be a GP or a surgeon, but you still have to apply for a Foundation Programme and a Special Training Programme in both cases.
If you think about becoming a General Practitioner (GP), after you finish your 5- or 4-year undergraduate course, you are now ready to apply for a 2-year Foundation Programme. Its requirements involve the completion of 12 months training with a minimum of three months in medicine and three months in surgery. After completion of the Foundation Programme, you are then ready to apply for a 3-year Specialty Training for General Practice, at the end of which you will be able to practice as a General Practitioner.
If you are thinking about becoming a surgeon instead, you first need to understand that it requires both talent and commitment to many years of training. As for the GP, a would-be surgeon needs to complete at least 2 years of Foundation Programme after graduating from a Medical school. After that, trainee surgeons do several years of further training centred on surgical procedures. The core surgical training takes around 2 years to complete and the trainee usually works under a senior surgeon who guides and mentors him. Moreover, after the core training the trainee surgeon has to choose a specialty, which training usually takes up to 6 years to complete, depending on the specialty chosen. After this specialized training, the would-be surgeon is finally qualified.
Royal College of General Practitioners here
Royal College of Surgeons here
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