Useful Links

I thought I'd just do a general post of useful links for the BMAT, interview preparation, UKCAT and whatnot, so here goes:

http://www.medicalinterviewsuk.co.uk/medical-interview-questions.html

On this website there are A LOT of questions, however not all of them are relevant as this site is for general purposes, and includes questions for consultant posts etc. Make sure you can answer all of the questions relating to medical school, and if you scroll down there are topics on medical politics and clinical governance. You OBVIOUSLY will not need to be able to answer all of these, because you are not a real, working doctor! So don't panic, I'm just recommending them as something you might want to brush up on to impress interviews.

http://www.nice.org.uk/

What is NICE? Was a question I have seen pop up all over the place, well in short they maintain "clinical excellence" throughout the NHS. That may seem quite general but they do things such as produce new guidelines and protocols as medicine advances. They also make recommendations on how to reduce the costs on the NHS, and how to best to treat patients with certain conditions etc. Have a look around the website and especially the "About NICE" pages which explain what they do and how they do it. You can also bring in your knowledge of NICE if being asked about how you would improve the NHS, or how you would control the budget in this financial climate.

Check the page the week / day before you're interview as many big changes to the NHS will be posted here, and you are expected to know about them.

http://www.nhs.uk/News/Pages/NewsIndex.aspx

Now this is an EXTREMELY useful page, in fact I would recommend signing up for the weekly health news alerts. It provides the"truth behind the headlines" and basically shatters any budding news stories which aren't true, and stops you looking like a fool if you bring it up in interview. Also if you sign up to receive the 10 top news stories that week, than you don't have to worry about trawling round the BBC health website for stories of interest.

Interviewers will EXPECT you to know what is going on in the Media, in terms of the NHS, health guidance, new treatments, breakthroughs. Of course they're not expecting you to understand all the science behind, just keeping up.

http://www.gmc-uk.org/

GMC stands for General Medical Council, and you want there people as your friends, they get you jobs. After your F1 as a trainee (but fully qualified Doctor) you register with the GMC meaning you are officially a qualified (even though you kinda were before, NHS = bureaucracy). They maintain a good quality of clinical practice, and come up with reports such as "Tomorrows Doctors". They can also fire you if you show misconduct and advise on medical schools on whether to take you or not.

http://www.gmc-uk.org/education/undergraduate/tomorrows_doctors_2009.asp - this ties in with GMC, seeing as they produce it. PLEASE read this, it outlines what skills, qualities etc you need to a good doctor. You will most likely be asked about it or the GMC because it is to do with us, medical students. It may be long, but it's useful.

http://student.bmj.com/student/student-bmj.html

Everyone else is reading this, you need to as well. I chose the student part because apparently it is a bit easier to understand if you aren't fully trained yet. You don't need to memories any articles, just spool through it check it regularly. Also if you spoke about any topics in particular you were interested in on your personal statement, you might find some interesting stuff on it here. There's an app as well if your an iPhone freak like me.

http://www.mmc.nhs.uk/

This is where you apply for everyone job and all that jazz. Look through, look at how training for Doctors/ surgeons is structured. If you are interested in any particular specialities look at the training pages for that. Just use it, it will be good for interview, it will be good in interview if you know how the rest of your training is going to pan out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/

This has pretty much everything you need to know for GCSE science in preparation for the BMAT, and has little activities for most topics which makes revising less mundane.

Well I'm gonna go continue revising for the BMAT, so good luck for all those doing it on Wednesday, and if anyone has interviews.

Bye!

BMAT: Physics Equations

Q = charge, V = potential difference, P = power, I = current, R = Resistance, E = Energy, s = distance, v = velocity, t = time, u = initial velocity, a = acceleration, m = mass

Electricity and Circuits:

Q= I x t (Charge = Current x Time)

V= I x R (Potential Difference = Current x Resistance)

P = V x I (Power = potential difference x current)

P = I^2 x R (Power = current squared x resistance)

E = Q x V (Energy = charge x potential difference)

Motion:

s = v x t (Distance = speed x time)

a = (delta) v / t (acceleration = change in velocity / time)

avg speed = (v+u) / t (the average speed = final speed + initial speed / time)

v = u+at (final velocity = initial velocity + acceleration x time)

v^2 = u^2 + 2as

s = ut + 0.5at^2

s = (v+u)/2 x t

Energy:

P = F/A (pressure = force / area)

D = m/V (density = mass/volume)

Wave speed = frequency x length

KE = 0.5mv^2 (Kinetic energy = 0.5 x mass x velocity squared)

Wd = F x distance moved (Work done = force x the distance moved)

E = Wd / t (energy transferred = work done / timee)

BMAT Preperation

The BMAT (Biomedical Admission Test) is compulsory for those applying to:

• Oxford for medicine or biological sciences


• Cambridge for medicine or veterinary medicine


• UCL for medicine


• Imperial College London for medicine or biomedical sciences


• Royal Veterinary College for veterinary medicine

The date has been set for 3rd November 2010 at 9am, with deadlines for applying set at 30th September. Late entries can be given by 15th October 2010, but your school or college will need to contact Cambridge Assessment

It costs £42.50 to enter before the 30th September, and £72.50 to enter after the 15th October.

The test is 2 hours long, and consists of 3 sections. Only a pen and paper are allowed.

• Aptitude and Skills = this section consists of critical thinking-esque questions, focusing on your ability to understand an argument, your reasoning skills and in some ways, your ability to think concisely and logically under a time pressure. It lasts for 60 minutes is made up of mutiple choice and short-answer questions.
• Scientific Knowledge and application = this entails questions about "GCSE level" Maths, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. I put the GCSE level in quotation marks because frankly the Physics is similar to AS mechanics, and there are questions on Ionic solutions which are A2 Chemistry and the depth of knowledge required about the heart and kidneys etc is definitely AS level Biology. This part lasts 30 minutes and is made up of multiple choice and one word answers.
• The essay = this will be on a moral, philosophical or debatable topic of Medicine. It gives you four (from 2010) statements to choose from and you must state what you think the author is implying, a for argument, an against, and come to a conclusion. You have 30 minutes in total and the essay itself must not exceed one side of A4. You are given space in the exam paper for rough work.

In terms of revision there are many good books available, and plenty of practice papers on the Cambridge assessment website:

http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/bmat/Test+Preparation

You DO NOT need to pay for an expensive course; a little bit of motivation and time will give you exactly the same for FREE.

Make sure you have a good knowledge of GCSE science topics, and there is a published specification:

http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/digitalAssets/119380_BMAT_specification_12-04-10.pdf

In terms of Physics, here are some equations you are expected to know but which are NOT GCSE level:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=60123&d=1225192528

If you do not have a Student Room account I recommend getting one, there's some really useful stuff there! However in the next post I will write out all the equations needed.

Practice and getting used to the question format is probably the most effective revision method for sections 1 and 3

Good Luck!!!!

And remember NO CALCULATORS

Interview Preparation

Interviews are stressful and a scary prospect, but practically every University will have them for Medicine so you might as well start preparing now



Things to do:

• Speaking - are you a good communicator? Do you have good body language/ posture? If the answers "don't know", find out. Borrow a camera off someone and film yourself presenting some information, arrange a mock interview with a friend or teacher, practice sitting up straight and projecting your voice, if you have any little nervous habits, find them and be aware so you can stop them


• Basic questions - why do you want to be a Doctor? The answer to this question should be well kown, well rehearsed and GOOD. Tell as many people as possible why you want to do medicine, why you'd be a good doctor etc So you get use to answering it and making it sound natural, practically every interviewer will you ask this question, so get it right.


• Medical Stuff - read up on basic medical physics such as x-rays and ultrasounds. Make sure you have a good knowledge of basic scientific concepts (even if this means revising a topic you dropped at 16!) Look at x-rays etc on the internet and try to get use to identfying things on them. Look over your AS/ A2 notes, especially on the structure of cells and their functions.
• Personal statement - look over your personal statement and make sure you know any books/ articles you've read well. Also think about obvious questions they could ask you e.g. if you've put down you're a keen runner they may ask you about the cardiovascular system and the effects exercise has on it, or if you have said you are interested in alzheimers, they may ask you about the effects mental health issues have on society. Most universities will use your personal statement to shape an interview, make sure you can talk about everything you've put down CONVINCINGLY.
• Ethics - brush up on NHS ethical systems, and what protocol has been put in place. You should be able to discuss basic ethical issues such as euthanasia, abortion, suicide, Jehovas Witness and blood transfusions, transplantation, stem cell research and IVF treatment. Make sure you can fight for both sides of the argument and never show too much of a strong opinion; it will make you look arrogant.
• Specialist topic - you may have mentioned a specific aspect of medicine or science your really interested in somewhere in your personal statement, read around this topic and make sure you could talk about various aspects of it for about 5 minutes. This will impress interviewers and mean there's something you can confidently talk about in interview, perhaps giving you some reassurance.
• The unknown - you can't know, or guess, everything they will ask you. Mentally prepare yourself for being put out and asked something you haven't got a clue how to answer. When these questions arise just take some breathes and even ask for a minute to organise your thoughts, be LOGICAL in your reply and you should be okay.

Some last tips:

1. Look like a doctor; wear a suit or smart clothes. This is essentially an interview for a job for life, you need to look the part.
2. Shake their hands! Smile, eye contact - doctors need to communicate effectively!
3. Never be afraid to say you don't know something - if you haven't covered a topic at school, say, and they will hopefully move on. There more interested in how you think than your ability to wrote learn medical journals.
4. NEVER make the dreaded "umm ermm" noises, this is off-putting, annoying and distracting for interviewers, just remain silent while you're thinking of an answer, or ask for a second to put your words in order.

Good Luck!!

UCAS Stress

Hello!
If you are serious about Medicine you will have been embarking on the UCAS process by now, here are some things you should know:

• For Medicine you need to apply by October 15th
• You should have started your personal statement by now
• If you have no work experience, get some and write about it in the past tense
• You can only apply to four medical courses
• Apply for a backup subject - this does not reduce your commitment to Medicine
• Think carefully about your backup choice e.g. Birmingham medical science sometimes offer people a place on their medical course, Bradford clinical science sometimes offers people the chance to do medicine at Leeds after a year
• Start registering for BMAT/ UKCAT (if you have not already done so)
• Prepare for BMAT and UKCAT (UKCAT especially!! Needs doing soon)

The things above are quite urgent, and if there's anything you haven't done on there, do it now.

Things for the future:

• Prepare for interview - more on this in my next post!!
• Filling out the UCAS form - careful about exam boards, grades etc - all easy to slip up on! This may take a while so it's easier to do it sooner rather than later
• Pass your personal statement round to as many people as possible, the more times it's checked, the better
• Finalise your decisions about which courses you are going to apply for
• APPLY - ultimately you want to do this soon, admissions tutors will have more to read later, so the earlier you apply, the more time they'll have to look over yours

Just a few more things to stress you all out about

Good Luck!!

Medical Schools - Brief Overview

As promised a post glancing over medical schools, in this I'm going to include whether Universities accept resits, whether they interview and who's on the interview panel, their attitude to Gap Years, and if they include dissection on their course.

In another post after this I'll do a run down of A-Level requirements, and even later I'll do a post on the BMAT and UKCAT and which places require what :)

Aberdeen = Does not accept resits, interviews, 2 Admissions selectors including 1 clinician on the interview panel, Gap Years are fine if used construtively and declared on application form, and prosection is used as opposed to dissection
Barts and Queen Marys = Does not accept resits, interviews, Clinical Medical Student and Medical Scientists on interview panel, Gap years are fine, and prosection is used as opposed to dissection
Birmingham = Resits are considered in exceptional circumstances, interviews, Admissions Tutor, two staff and a clinical student on the admission panel, around 10% of students take a gap year, so I'm guessing you need to be doing something pretty good for it to be allowed, and prosection is used as opposed to dissection
Brighton and Sussex = BSMS policy is to accept re-taken grades or modules without penalty, interviews, A member of BSMS faculty, a GP and a health professional on the interview panel, gap years are accepted as long as they are to do with Medicine and dissection is used
Bristol = Does not accept A2 resits, interviews, a group of academics on the interview panel, gap years are accepted if they are worthwhile, dissection is not used
Cambridge = Resits only considered in exceptional circumstances, interviews, the interview panel varies from college to college and 2-4 interviews may be required, gap years are accepted but it needs to be checked with each college individually and dissection is used

Cardiff = only accepts resit applications with exceptional circumstances, interviews, GP's, Scientists and Medical staff on the interview panel, considers a gap year to be a "personal choice" but thinks it should be used productively and uses dissection
Dundee = Resits only considered with exceptional mitigating circumstances, which can be verified, interviews, member of the faculty of Medicine on the interview panel, gap year applicants will be considered (sounds a little ominous, maybe not for gap year students here then :S) and it uses dissection
East Anglia = 6 subjects with at least grade A including the core subjects (core subjects = English and Maths)
Edinburgh = 8-11 A*'s, with at least B's in core subjects
Glasgow = A's in core subjects and the sciences
Hull York = At least 6 subjects at grade C, A's in the core subjects and B's in the sciences
Imperial = A/B grades in all subjects
Keele = Grade A in a minimum of 4 subjects, and B's in core subjects and the sciences
Leeds = B's in at least 6 subjects with a range of good grades, this presumably means nothing below a B and certainly no fail grades
Leicester = C's in all core subjects and the sciences, even though GCSE grades are yet again not specified for this University, I'm guessing you need a bit more than all C's
Liverpool = At least B's in the core subjects and sciences, and a scoring system. A*/A = 2 and B = 1, in this scoring system you need at least 15 points. Which works out as mainly A/B's in all subjects
Manchester = Grade A in a minimum of 5 subjects, with B's in core subjects
Newcastle = A's in the sciences, and a minimum of 5 passes (I'm quite surprised by the relatively low grades, seeing as Newcastle is another good Medical school, so do expect most other applicants to have higher grades than this)
Nottingham = Grade A in the sciences and at least 6 subjects
Oxford = Minimum Grade A in the sciences, minimum 8A*'s
Peninsula = Grade C in at least 7 subjects
Queen's Belfast = Uses a point scoring system, 4 points for an A*, 3 for an A etc. Makes competition quite high because all GCSE results are taken into account in the final point adding
Sheffield = At least 6 A grades required and B's in core subjects

Good Luck!!

Choosing Your Medical School

I am going to fly past the fact I haven't posted anything for about 3 months and get on to a important topic for prospective Medical students, which Medical School?!

Choosing the right University and course for you is especially important with Medicine as you could be spending up to 6 years there!
So here's a couple of things to think about, an in the next post I'll do a summary of each medical school

• Interview - most places will interview, with a few exceptions such as Belfast, Edinburgh and Southampton. However you will more than likely to be called for an interview so you might want to think about what type you think you'll excel in. Some, for example Sheffield, conduct "coffee table" interviews, which only last 15 minutes or so and are meant to make the candidate feel as comfortable as possible. Others, such as Cambridge, have a interview for Medicine and ethics etc and then another interview about purely about science. I guess it depends on your nerves! Also different places will have different types on people on the interview panel. It can range from simply 2 admissions selectors and one clinician (Aberdeen) to a member of the medical faculty, a GP and another health professional (Brighton and Sussex Medical School). So whether you respond better to peers or member of authority should be taken into consideration.
• Teaching Methods - how you learn is important. There are 3 main types of teaching; a discipline based approach, a system based approach or Problem-Based Learning. The discipline based approach is quite a traditional teaching style and tends to be lecture based. You are taught the disciplines of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology etc as separate modules. Systems based is also quite traditional and involves being taught each body system e.g. cardiovascular system, endocrine system and then you would be taught the anatomy, physiology and pharmacology within these systems. PBL is very different from both. You instead are in small groups and given a "case", you discuss this, go away and gather information about the condition, treatment etc and come back to compare. People seem to love or hate this method so I recommend doing some personal research into it before deciding if it's for you.
• Type of course - Integrated vs. Traditional. A traditional course involves the first 2-3 years being lecture based learning, and then the last years of white coats and stethoscopes in hospitals. Integrated (as the title would suggest) involves a less separated approach and has clinical contact with patients earlier on in the degree. The traditional courses may suit you more if you are interested in research, or have a very scientific grounding and wish for a bit more knowledge before being let loose on real people. The integrated course may be better for you if you are very hands on and confident! More info can be found on individual university websites :) Also course length needs to be taken into consideration, some are 5 some are 6! Often the 6 year courses include an intercalated degree, more on this now
• Intercalated degree - many universities offer students the chance to take an extra degree between their second and third year in medical school. In some places (Oxford, Cambridge, UCL) it is part of the course and mandatory. An intercalated degree is very useful as it teaches extra skills and can boost the CV, as most junior doctors will have very similar ones. However if you are more keen to get on with being a doctor, or if you think 5 years is long enough, an extra degree might not be for you.
• Location - There's a lot to consider here, how close is it to home? Town vs City? Do I want to spend 5/6 years here? Night-life? Housing- is it provided or do I need to be able to find cheap accommodation? Cost of travel - it's going to cost more to travel from Belfast to London than it is from Leeds to Manchester, and rather importantly do I want to work here? Research has shown that, apart from London, most graduate Medical students end up working in the immediate area of their Medical School. So you really need to like where ever your going! Visit on open days and have a nosy around, not just where the happy students take you! When you've decided on your final 4 maybe take one last visit there, and possibly take a friend or someone for a different perspective, remember this is 5/6 years!! That's over half a decade!
• A-Level Requirements - This is important when choosing the right medical school, do you crack easily under pressure? Or excel in the challenge? Even though there is a general consensus that you need "AAA" for medical school, this is not true. Some places (Aberdeen, Bristol) only ask for AAB, and on the other end of the spectrum, Cambridge has started asking for A*AA. So you need to do your research and see where's best for you! I'll be doing a post later on A-Level requirements, so you could just be lazy and wait for that :)

Even though there are obviously other points to consider, I think these are the main ones, but of course I don't know what's important to you! You could be an avid sportsman who's main priority is access to the gym, or may have a significant other who you don't want to live too far away from.

Choosing where you want to go is vital, so give it some thought :)