Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
Or thinking about it?
Well I'm hoping to become a pathologist and to do that I need to study to be a doctor first before specialising. I was wondering if anyone had some information on how you go about becoming a doctor. I've searched online but there's lots of conflicting information about it so I don't know which is right. Also, if I wanted to become a doctor could I get a BSc in Biological Sciences before entering medical school because I really want to study Biological Sciences at University. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
what you need depends on the univercity you're applying to.
in the states you need a bachlor's degree and to take this exam called MCAT. however you're in the UK, so try calling the uni u want to join, or looking up their website. i know there is a foundation year, where you polish up on all your high school subjects and then seven years of medicane with four years of specilization. as for the rest, im sorry im not much help |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
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Also the postgraduate course is only 4 years instead of 5 :) The best way to find out what you will need is to look at Uni websites, UCAS is also a big help. On the websites it gives the options for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses so you can look at what you need for each of them. If you have any more questions I will be happy to help. I have jut sent off my UCAS application a few weeks ago, I have applied for Radiography not medicine but I have been through the medicine process with my brother. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
Hello :)
I've applied this year. There is little I don't know about medical applications. Yes you have to do a medical degree. This is normally 5 years undergraduate, or if you have another degree you can try for the 4 year graduate entry route. There are many reasons why you should go for undergraduate rather than graduate entry 1) Undergraduate (going straight from school) is insanely competitive. About 35% of people get in. Graduate entry (going after a degree) is unimaginable. Think 45-50 applicants per place. 2) Money. You will not get funding or loans for your second degree, only your first. So unless your parents or you are really very well off, you will struggle to pay for a graduate entry degree. There are schemes to help you but very few people get any kind of government help. From your third year or so you get grants from the government, but these are unlikely to cover the whole cost. 3) Time is an issue for some people. To do another degree first will take you a minimum of 7 years. 4) With competition rising the Universities are increasing their entrance requirements. By the time you graduate from a Biological sciences degree you may find them only taking 1st and having increasing demands of how well you score in the entrance exams. Really I would advice trying to get in straight from school, in terms of money, time and success of getting a place it's the more sensible option. Why do you want to study biological sciences? That's a very broad topic and will cover far more than just human and health. If you are not wanting to study sciences related to humans why are you wanting to do medicine? That sounds a bit harsh, but with the demands that are placed on you in medical school and the competition you have to face to get a place (it's very fearce) you have to make sure that you defintley want to do medicine and would not be happy doing anything else before you apply. If you just want to study it, why not intercalate for a year? To me it seems like such a better option than doing another degree. Intercalating is when you opt to study for another year in University, usually between your second and third year. It's hard to explain but I'll give it a go. Essentially you need three years worth of 'credits' to graduate, but in medicine you need to study for five years, so you are throwing away two years worth of 'credits'. So if you study for another year - a subject of your choice - you graduate with a degree in that subject as well as your medical degree. The benefits are you still get your loan and are funded through this year, and of course you already have the University place. As for how to become a doctor, as mentioned, you study at medical school, normally for 5 years. 4 years if you go for the graduate entry route, 6 years if opt to study for another year and leave university with two degrees. You then have to spend two years working as a foundation doctor in four month placements in lots of different areas, eg paediatrics, A&E, GP, pathology. You then apply for your specialist training as a pathologist. So! Onto how to get yourself a place. I wrote this leaflet for my college so I'm just going to go ahead and copy bits into here. Quote:
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Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
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Out of the 4 years of his postgraduate degree he gets the NHS funding for the last 3 years (even if you have to resit a year). The first year he had to pay for his own fees. He has got his student loan for the whole 4 years, it is lower than his first student loan because it is just for maintenance, food and rent basically. He has actually been given more money on his graduate entry degree. In his first degree he only got his student loan with no help from the NHS. Try not to worry about money too much, you will always get financial help from the uni and the NHS when doing medicine. Also I definitely agree with looking at GCSE results needed. My friend applied this year and he has been rejected for 3 of his choices already because he didn't have a B in English. He didn't realise he needed it until it is was too late to resit it. One of his teachers is writing to all of the Uni's because English is his 3rd language and he got a high C. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
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Also saying that you will get help from the University and NHS doing medicine is untrue - I've been saving for two years because I will struggle to pay myself through University. There are exceptions to this rule but saying not to worry about money generally is a bad idea because it's a major concern for most people. To be honest your friend wouldn't have been much better off resitting it because they don't tend to accept resit results. GCSEs are a big hurdle for a lot of people so the more A*s you have the better, with lesser grades you're limiting the number of Universities you can apply to and your chances. Sucks but that's how competitive it is :sad: I also forgot to mention that for a lot of gradute-entry schemes they are now starting to look at your A' Level results and still want high grades. As well as significant work experience. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
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If he could have done the undergraduate entry then he would have. He didn't choose to go the long expensive way around he had to because he didn't get the grades needed for his conditional offer. I wouldn't recommend choosing to do a graduate entry, I was just pointing out that it is always an option. This is what my friend is planing to do now because his GCSE grades have let him down. My brother will have quite a lot of debt and he will be 25 when he graduates but he has said it was 100% worth it because being a doctor is all he has ever wanted to be. You could always apply for both courses and have biological sciences as a back up in case you don't get accepted for medicine and then you can do the graduate entry medicine. I wouldn't choose to do a graduate entry degree but it is a good back up option. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
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And I loled at your brother being 25 when he graduates - that will still be the same age/younger than I will be :wink: :tongue |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
this is a totally random question.. but how much do newly qualified doctors get paid, roughly?
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Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
From what I've seen it's around £30k a year. Then it goes up to £40k with experience.
I've been reading up on other jobs in the area and to become a toxicologist I can do the Biosciences degree then once I have a master's I can study toxicology at PhD level. I think I'll do this rather than go the long route because toxicology's a branch of pathology so I assumed you'd have to train to be a pathologist first. Thanks for all the information though, if I do change my mind before sending off my UCAS form then this'll come in helpful. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
£30K you're joking aren't you! And £40K by the second year!? Eh!
Not quite. It starts at just over £20,000 when you first graduate. This is working 9-5 weekdays with no overtime, on-call, etc. It's banded so it goes up with how much you work. It does go up every year, second year ~£24,000 unbanded. Then you go into speciality training which is anywhere betwee £36,000 - £50,000 speciality can last up to 10 years so clearly it's going to change depending on what stage you're at Consultant earn anywhere between £70,000 and £170,000 depending on area of speciality (EG paedatrics takes a lot less time to become specialised in than neurosurgery, which takes 15 years, so clearly the latter will pay much more), amount worked, experience and length of service GP anywhere between £50,000 and £90,000 depending on experience and lenght of service most GPs are self-employed though and run their own practice with contracts with the PCT.. these can get paid whatever they make in profit basically, so it's more of a gamble than a fixed rate of pay but pays off if you run your GP surgery well. So defintley not a bad rate of pay, but I hate it when people assume that you're going to be loaded if you're a doctor, and people who go into medicine for the money really need their head looking at. If you're clever enough to get into medicine, have the motivation/determination/committement, and you only want to do it for money, for gods sake use your brains to become an investment banker/lawyer/similar. You'll get much more money a lot faster. £20-something K is not a lot for a 5/6 year degree, the commitment and dedication that medicine takes and the stress. but it does go up quickly, and you do have the job security. I know that if I get into medicine I'm set for life. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
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edit: i googled it.. looks like they're not very well paid at all. |
Re: Anyone Studying To Be A Doctor?
^^ see above :)
Elle whenever I read your sig I get that bloody song stuck in my head! hehe! |
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