To apply for Medicine, you will need:
• Predicted grades of A*A*A – AAA. There are some Foundation courses available with grade requirements of ABB – BBB.
• A-Level subject choices are very important if you want to apply to medicine. Chemistry and biology are essential choices. Other good subjects are Mathematics and/or Psychology are also complimentary options. Check university prospectuses for their individual subject requirements
• Applicants to medicine may need to sit an admissions test. The UCAS website will inform you of any tests you may need to take, but the main test is the UCAT which is required by the majority of UK Medical Schools.
The UCAT is sat between July of Yr12 and September of Yr13, and you can register to sit it from June. The UCAT is an aptitude test, but it’s still really useful to do some practice. Practice tests can be found on the website: Prepare | UCAT Consortium
• It’s also possible to get into medicine through a foundation course. Each foundation course is different, so check the individual university websites. A full list of medical foundation courses can be found here: https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/foundation-courses/
• It’s important to remember that the UCAS closing date for applications to medicine and related courses is earlier than the general deadline, with the deadline being 15th October rather than mid January for other applications.
Enhancing your application to study medicine
• Work experience is key. Apply to your local NHS Trust to get experience at a local hospital, clinic or a GP’s practice. Keep a portfolio of all your experiences and follow up on all you see by researching the various conditions you come across and learn more about them. If you are unable to do this, then try and get some work experience in another caring role, such as a volunteering in a hospice or a job looking after children with disabilities. Universities are looking for people who have a caring nature, are good communicators, and work well as part of a team. Work experience is a great way of developing and demonstrating these skills.
• Join the Junior British Medical Association
• Read the BMJ (British Medical Journal)
• As with any other highly competitive subject, reading around the subject is essential. Universities want to see a passion for your subject, and evidence of independent research. The following list is a (non-exhaustive) list of suggested reading:
o Hippocratic Oaths - Tallis
o A very short introduction to Medical Ethics
o The Rise & Fall of Modern Medicine - Le Fanu
o NHS Plc – the privatisation of health care - Pollock
o Betraying the NHS - Mandelstram
o The Political Economy of Health Care - Tudor Hart
o Complications: A surgeon’s notes on an imperfect science - Gawande
o Causing Death & Saving Lives - Glover
o How doctors think - Groopman
o Diagnosis; Dispatches from the Frontlines of Medical Mysteries - Sanders
Interviews for Medicine
• Applicants for medicine and related courses will almost always have to attend an interview as part of the assessment process. The interview aims to assess competencies and skills such as:
o Motivation
o Communication skills
o Professionalism
o Personality
• Interviewers may also question your choice of course and institution. There will also be some competency questions, based around key skills such as team work and empathy. Successful candidates will need to demonstrate a broad awareness of healthcare and related issues
Want to find out some more?
• Compliment your reading with some TED talks: http://www.ted.com/topics/medicine
• For work experience in the NHS, try: http://www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk/work-experience.aspx
• The Do-It website may be useful in finding a volunteer placement: http://www.do-it.org.uk/
• The NHS careers website has valuable information on all aspects of applying to medicine, including work experience and information on interviews: http://www.medicalcareers.nhs.uk