First rotation of 4th year

I'm back in medicine after a year out intercalating, and whilst it has been nice to get back into clinical practise I was apprehensive. Trying to remember which blood bottles were for what, and even a basic neurological exam proved difficult for me on the first week back.
However, I did have a gentle start back I was on a oncology attachment at a DGH. I really enjoyed oncology, and am starting to think it might be the speciality for me. I feel like the marriage of science and art is ever present in it, as you utilise complex cellular, pharmacological and radiological knowledge, with a truly holistic approach to your patients. Working in a DGH and staying in hospital accomodation was nice as well. I really got to know the whole team and the clinical areas, and felt like I had more autonomy over my timetable than you find in the large teaching hospitals.
In DGH's I feel like you get a lot more teaching, and have much more free reign of the hospital. In the main city I train in, you often feel like a redundant spare part, taking up precious space and time.
The actual oncology attachment mainly involved clerking patient's and sitting in on clinics. I tried to make sure I clerked with patients with common oncological emergencies, like spinal cord compression and neutropenic sepsis. One (obvious) hard thing in oncology was of course the devastating impact cancer has on patients and their loved ones. I saw an absolutely lovely lady who presented with spinal cord compression, after being in remission for 9 years. Her and her husband were incredibly anxious and distressed, but trying to stay positive. Her bone biopsy quickly confirmed that it indeed was a recurrence of her previous cancer, with a prognosis of <1 year to live, really grim. Despite that though, the patients were truly wonderful - I know that is a cliché, but it is the truth, and with the constant advancements in technology and treatments, there is huge motivation and drive within all the staff. The doctors and nurses were all kind and a lot of fun, this reminded me of some advice an orthopaedic surgeon once gave me 'find a speciality where you get on with everyone', promising!

Next I had a placement on GP, I find GP a snooze-fest, but I understand it's important. Our GP practise was particularly bad, we seemed to have 1-2 hours of clinic in the morning, a 4 hour gap, and then 1 hour of teaching in the afternoon... My placement group and I spent most of our time sat in a small pre-fab building doing SDL. I didn't see a patient alone until the end of my second week, back in 3rd year I had solo clinics daily! The disparity between different placements is always maddening, but hard to avoid for med school I guess. To be honest it probably didn't help that it was almost 1.5 hours drive away, adding a lovely 3 hour commute to what started to seem like a pointless day.
I just struggle to see the appeal of GP, I know it means you won't have nights and weekends, but honestly sitting in a room alone all day, trying to sort out complex (mainly) psychosocial problems and vague symptoms in 10 minutes, being continually vilified in the press, sounds like my idea of hell.
Once interesting difference was this was the first GP I was in to employ a physician associate (PA), a relatively new profession within healthcare, essentially brought in as a quick fix to plug the gap in doctors (as far as I can tell). It was an... interesting experience. Not necessarily positive, I've had much better experiences with hospital PA's. I can see the positives of the scheme, but I think PA's competencies needs to be more widely defined and understood, to be utilised properly.
Anyways, this once again just cemented that GP is not for me. We were all absolutely buzzing as we drove away for the last time.

Tips for second year Medical Students

Second year is a bit of a hazy blur, but at my medical school it is another academic year.
I enjoyed it more than first year, as we started covering clinical conditions and pathology, and there felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel to all the biochemistry!

Second year is the last year where you still have free time, as soon as the clinical years start you have 9-5 placement and extra work on top of that. In second year I probably had 20 hours a week and still plenty of afternoons off.

So essentially second year is your last time to play! Make the most of it.

• Make the most of your free time: this is the last year where you have a lot of free time for societies/ sports etc, obviously you can do these things in the later years! It's just a bit more stressful. So make the most of opportunities.

• Start thinking about your future career: Attend all the free talks with pizza and Consultants, these are valuable opportunities to think about what you might want to do. Start thinking about how you might bulk our your CV and applications, attend training courses and taster events, get involved with research projects over Summer or during term time. You may even want to think about entering some essay prize competitions, https://www.rsm.ac.uk/prizes-awards/students.aspx, that link provides a fairly comprehensive list of competitions available to medical students and trainees, but check individual speciality websites encase they have more. 

• Get into good working habits: In first year you might have/ probably got away with doing the minimum amount of work and cramming at the end. But this will have to change as you go on (sadly). In second year we had more exams and anatomy spot tests, as well some ridiculously large modules (I'm talking 100 hours + lecture time), which made me considerably more organised. Trial and test you own methods, from mind maps to a4 posters, but here are some pretty fail safe tips:

1. Attend everything - I cannot stress this enough. This may the only time you are taught certain material, you have access to world class lecturers and clinicians, use this, it is such a privilege. 
2. Make good notes at the time - pay attention, there is no point slogging into Uni and spending 5 hours with one head phone in, you might as well have just stayed in bed. If you make good notes at the time, even if you never review the material, it's there as a fail safe for revision time. Much less stressful than desperately calling in favours a week before the exam to get notes!
3. Review your notes - that being said, reviewing your work will mean you retain it for much longer. This is a pretty open ended one, a 'review' could be anything from reading them again at the end of the week, to making A3 posters you stick around your bedroom wall. A lot of medics have a liking for writing and re-writing their notes... this could possibly be argued as an exercise in procrastination, but for many it works well. Others teach the material to themselves, make mind maps, flashcards etc. There's many ways to review and retain information, find one that works for you. I personally try and summarise/ teach the lecture back to myself, review the weeks information on a Sunday, and then do colourful A4 revision posters around exam time. 
4. Slow and steady wins the race - the oldest advice is often the best advice! If you do work little and often, it feels much more manageable, and come deadline/ exam time, you should hopefully feel more confident. There's many ways to do this, some people treat Uni as a 9-5 and fill breaks with hour long work sessions, others blitz it all out on a Sunday afternoon, and some do a few hours in the evening Monday to Friday, and take the weekend as a complete break. You will know when is best for you, think about what times of day you work best, when you have priorities (i.e. sports training, volunteering), and how long it normally takes you to complete things. If you put away some hours now, trust me, exams and deadlines become infinitely less stressful, it means on the wards you will actually know things, and generally your life will be considerably easier. 

• Enjoy yourself: Make the most of your medic and non-medic friends. Soon the non-medics will be graduating, and in clinical years you see much much less of your medic friends, as you're all off on different placements across your County. Have loads of fun and make the most of every opportunity, medical school really is great. 

I hope this has been slightly useful, I was going to add in a point about textbooks, but I generally feel that the people who want to buy loads of text books will do, and the people who were never going to, never will, despite the endless advice about asking older years and checking out the library, who can resist that heavy book deal at Blackwell's. 

Till next time.

Coming back!

Wow it has been a long time!

I still get regular emails from comments on my GSCE-related posts with the usual 'I'm doing 16 GSCE's and 4 early A-Levels can I get into Oxford?' but sadly they didn't inspire me much to reply (I'm sure the information is already there...).
I passed 2nd and 3rd year and am intercalating next year, however I will start uploading posts again on surviving the academic and clinical years, and whether or not to intercalate!

Thank you to anyone who still uses/ reads this blog.

Wannabe (and closer to being) Doctor

First year of Medicine tips

Well it has been pretty great, from the stress of almost missing my first exam, to the high of being in my first surgery.

I have made some amazing friends, mainly in my halls, with their wonderful eclectic mix of personalities, medics are fab, and definitely fun to go out with, but I ended up spending a lot more time with my halls friends rather then becoming a "medic-medic" and closing off my friendship group.

Tips for anyone starting Medicine in a few weeks (or University generally):

• I have been through two freshers, and I promise you that talking to everyone you meet, regardless if they are/ aren't like your "bessie mates from home" will help you no end. You will make friends with people you never thought you would, and will ultimately find some beautiful gems of people. 
• Work out that "study-party" balance later in October. Use the first few weeks to make friends; go to every event, attend all the society tasters, take up that invitation for coffee or to go Irish dancing, you really don't need to be working hard at this point I promise. 
• Medicine is actually a lot more work then most degrees. Lecturers and course leaders will drum this into you, you will attend numerous talks on looking after your mental health and stress, but no-one really listens until Summer term when you are trapped in lectures and revision and everyone else is done and frolicking in the sun. Don't resent it, we have a guaranteed job at the end of this, the quicker you accept you have to work harder and longer then everyone else, the quicker you stop complaining about it and people won't be annoyed at you. Look after other medics, get your work done, and try to not compare timetables with a History of Art student. 
• Attendance is important. I know this better than most as I had to spend part of August stuck in a village GP due to missing placement. ATTEND MY GOD ATTEND. It makes sure you get to know everyone on your course,  feel psychologically involved, and it is a lot less stressful round exam time if you have a complete set of notes... I know it will be tempting to skip lectures, and sleep in, especially if you are on the routine and habits of an Arts student, but you are not an Arts student and you will be responsible for serious decisions and responsibilities soon. So man/ woman up, set a lot of alarms around your room, and you'll get use to it petal I promise. 
• Try not to get too stressed. You are doing enough work and you were good enough to get in. If you attend most things, complete the work that's requested of you (keen beans do extra and there is no shame in that but also not much necessity) you will be fine. Medics are notoriously stress pots, but try your very best to not fall into this - you know the drill, eat healthy, exercise, have outside activities, make lists and get help when you need it.

Ultimately, you will have a fantastic time, I know I did.

The battle field that is Medicine

Hello! I hope everyone is doing well

As I'm sure all medical applicants know first hand, this year has been exceptionally competitive. Many of my friends have just one offer, and some (unfortunately) have none. I only know a handful of people with more than one, so if you are one of these lucky few, give yourself a pat on the back!

I won't go into the politics of it but I think there are numerous reasons why Medicine has been so competitive this year, and if you have not managed to get a place this year, do not be dis-heartened. It is not a reflection of you, academically or personally, it's just one of the worst years yet.

Some figures to cheer you up / show how well you've done if you have a place:

• Less than 1% of medical applicants get all 4 offers
• Over 70% of medical applicants will not get a place this year
• 200,000 people will not get a place at University this year

So do not beat yourself up too much if you didn't do as well as expected! With rising fees, an unstable economy, and cuts to the public sector, "safe" vocations such as Medicine will always get an increased number of applicants, and most people intending to go on a gap year will have instead applied in this cycle, all resulting in increased competition.

I was fortunate enough to get an offer from a University I wanted to go to (YAY) so am pretty ecstatic right now :D

I can't believe I'm actually going to be a Doctor eeeee!!!! :D :D

I started this blog wayyy back before I'd even got my GCSE results, and to actually see this all come to fruition, is just well, really nice haha.

I've changed so much in these past two years and I can't quite grasp yet that I'm living the dream :) All the hard work and stress has paid off and I'm really grateful!

Good luck to everyone whose still waiting to hear! I really hope everyone has got a place

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 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

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 :)

Volunteering Websites

Okay since my post on becoming a volunteer is still in a work in progress, I thought I'd post some really useful links to get people started :)
Firstly http://www.vinspired.com/
Vinspired is a great organisation which helps 16 - 25 year olds find volunteer placements. They have a database full of volunteering opportunities, and they have branches in most major cities with people who know the area well and want to help.
They can normally be found in or around connexions offices. But they also visit schools and talk about what they do, so if your school has a careers officer or something like it they probably have information on Vinspired.
Also if you register you can receive certificates and awards for the number of hours you do, which are recognised by employers etc.
So if your going to volunteer anyways you might as well get a certificate saying you've done it! :D
Next there's http://www.do-it.org.uk/ Do-It, which is sort of like a searching engine of volunteer placements. You type in where you are and what you want to do, and the website provides options! :D
It also has tips on how to apply online for placements, and has information on volunteering centres round the country, worth a look!

Another is http://www.timebank.org.uk/ Time Bank is essentially that, a bank filled with things for people to do in their spare time`:)
It helps people find places to volunteer at, discover different ways to volunteer, and also support people once they start volunteering. Basically it is providing you with a start to finish service, from finding your placement and then making sure your okay when you actually do it! They also have a news letter and a blog

Then there's the good old government website http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/Gettinginvolvedinyourcommunity/Volunteering/DG_10029484?CID=emc&TYPE=sponsoredsearch&CRE=Volunteer
This is packed with information on your rights, age restrictions, employers rights, how to apply, technical things like volunteering on benefits and then links to specific types of volunteering, such as with animals. This is really good one cause it means you'll know what your entitled to as a volunteer.`

These are just a few of the main sites, which I personally think are worth a look. There are hundreds out there, and maybe ones more specific to you! :) Just have a nosey and don't be afraid to Google search ;)

Anyways my next post should be more hospital placements etc!
And if it goes how I want it to, a biggun :D
Have a great weekend and I'll post soon!

Good A-Level Subjects for Medicine and My Birthday!

Hey guys! Hope you've all had a great back to school/Sixth Form/College :D

Okay so most of you will have already started your new subjects, but I still thought I should do a post on what sort of A-Levels are best, and basically what's required for most Uni's, you can always change it's early!!
I'm HOPING it won't be as long as my last post cause it's my birthday day in 16 minutes!! :)

So basically pretty much all of them need 2 A-Level subjects in Maths/ the Sciences (this excludes Psychology and AS Levels), and one of those 2 HAS to be Chemistry, there is no getting around this, there are very few Universities not require Chemistry A-level, and you would be restricting your application severely.

Most of them would like you to have at least AS Biology, and if not you must have a achieved a very good pass at GCSE. I would suggest taking Biology to A2 though, as medicine is a pretty Biology-intensive subject; if you don't like Biology you won't enjoy medicine. Also some Universities do have A-Level Biology as a requirement, so you might as well cover all your bases.

Maths is a good one as well, especially for the quantitative calculations and stats analysis you'll encounter in your degree. However I would advise you NOT to take Further Maths, quite a few Universities do not accept Further Maths, and it will add unnecessary stress to your application. 

Physics is pretty impressive and also a good substitute if your not much of a Biologist or if Maths brings up tortured memories. It is handy for understanding the instruments used for imaging, and just generally improving you as a scientist.
But remember you still need to comfortable with all these subjects cause they will feature in any Medicine degree!

NOTE OF CAUTION: Be careful when choosing a "softer" subject for your 3rd/4th A-level - Universities have been known to discriminate against people with subjects such as business studies, film studies, textiles etc. Oxbridge published a list at one point of which subjects were acceptable, and the University of Birmingham, for example, expects 4 A's at AS if a subjects such as Psychology, PE or Sports science is being taken with Biology.
Some Universities now even have written on their website "call us if you are unsure about the unsuitability of a subject", so just ask! 

Now some Universities prefer students to be very specialised, for example Cambridge is known for preferring mainly sciences from it's Medicine students, with some colleges even requesting 3 science/Maths subjects at A-Level, and 97% of their applications of their applicants have all 3 (as of 2012).
Only problem with using this system is that Universities obviously don't advertise this on their prospectus' or website! (Apart from UCL, which I think now actually puts in its prospectus "Students with a language of arts A-level will be looked upon favourably").

It's all by word of mouth, and this can be fairly difficult to find if the University you're interested in is not-very well known, so I recommend either looking at the requirements and making an educated guess, (e.g. "We like students with many talents who are well-rounded" = Range of subjects) and ("We prefer candidates to have a exceptional knowledge in the science they are not providing at A2" = Specialised).

Often this can't be done, and in that case make sure you've got at least your 2 including Chemistry, and then just do stuff you like :).

Okay I know this is fairly short and specific to University (some like certain subjects and Scottish Universities can be a little fussy because they do a different Qualification up there), buttttt it's officially my birthday :) and I think I should go to bed/read/be very happy/make a futile attempt to wipe the grin of my face :D
See ya laters peeps!!!!!!
I'M 17!!!!!
xxxxx
P.S. I may do a longer more comprehensive version later, and I will soon be doing a post about applying for volunteering posts, but for now, I'm gonna enjoy Florence & The Machine while being 17 ;)

GCSE Results and University Requirements for Medicine

*UPDATED FOR 2012 ENTRY*

IF YOU ARE UNSURE IF YOU HAVE "GOOD" ENOUGH GCSE'S - SEE THIS POST: http://youngwannabedoctor.blogspot.com/2012/01/bad-gcse-results-and-getting-into.html

Well many 16 year olds (or possibly 15 year olds if you are one of the unlucky few born very late in August) will have recently received their GCSE results.
Mine are pretty damn good, YAY!!

However as this a blog about all things needed for getting into medical school, I'll give you guys a heads up about what you will have needed to get into different Medical Schools.

Okay so the best of the best require mainly A*'s, this includes Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol (obviously others are good, they just haven't specified GCSE grades). However not everyone is pumping out straight A*'s and many Universities don't see them as a requirement, so I'll do it in alphabetical order.

Aberdeen = All A/B passes expected, especially in the Sciences. C passes in English and Maths. Biology and Physics as seperate subjects are looked upon favourably.
Barts = Minimum requirement of AAABBB in Maths, science and English.
Birmingham = At least 8 A*'s (notice the "at least" meaning your competition will probably have more than 8) This year (2011 entry) most of the applicants who received offers had 9/10 A*'s
Brighton and Sussex = High grades expected with B's in English and Maths, however candidates with low grades are considered if your AS's results are very good
Bristol = 5 subjects at grade A/A* including Maths, English and 2 sciences
Cambridge = lots of A*'s... need I say more? However if your AS UMS marks are exceptional, your GCSE grades matter less

Cardiff = A minimum of 9 grade B's. B's needed in English and Maths, AA needed in additional science, and AAB for separate sciences
Dundee = A good pass in Biology... I assume this too mean an A or above, Dundee is one of the top medical schools, so even though they don't specify on GCSE results, you can bet your competition will have a lot of A*'s

Durham = A minimum of 5 subjects at grade C, to include Maths, English and the sciences
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 (average applicant has 6 A*'s - the ones who get in have above 8 A*'s)
Glasgow = A's in English and the sciences
Hull York = At least 6 subjects at grade C, A's in the Maths and English, B's in the sciences
Imperial = AAABBB in Maths, English and the sciences
Keele = Grade A in a minimum of 4 subjects, and B's in English, Maths and the sciences

Kings College London = Grade B in English and Maths if not offered at AS/A2 level

Lancaster = A minimum of 9 GCSE's at grade C. Lancaster has a points based system, with A*/A = 2 and a B=1, you need at least 15 points - which essentially translates to AAAAAABBB. Maths, English and the sciences need to all be at grade B.
Leeds = B's in English, Maths and the sciences with a range of good grades, this presumably means nothing below a B and certainly no fail grades
Leicester = GCSE requirements are not specified but are "taken into consideration" - aim high
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 (AAAAAABBB)
Manchester = At least 7 subjects at grade C or above, at least 5 at A/A*. A minimum of B for English language. A minimum of grade C for Physics and Biology
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
RFUCMS = B's in core subjects and from 2012 a language will be required
Sheffield = At least 6 A grades required and B's in core subjects

Southampton = Minimum of B in 7 subjects, including Maths, English and the sciences
St. Andrews = B's in core subjects and the sciences
St. Georges = Minimum of 8 subjects. A's in maths, English and the sciences. A B is needed for English language.

UCL = Minimum requirements are a B in English and Maths, and a modern foreign language for 2012 entry - however UCL uses GCSE's as an indicator of academic abilities, so most applicants will have a high percentage of A*'s

Anyway I hope everyone did great and that the above information is helpful rather than depressing!!

Good Luck with Sixth Form!

Medlink and Bizarre Phone Calls

Medlink

As many medicine applicants will know, any prior experience or courses you go on will help with getting onto a Medicine course. There are quite a few courses available which provide tasters on medicine, university life, how to apply, what the courses are like and things you will be studying.
A well known type of this course is Medlink.
Based in Nottingham, Medlink provides 4 day residential courses for AS or A2 students who are serious about studying Medicine.
It looks like an amazing thing to go on, really useful, however it does require forking out quite a bit of cash :/ which is sehr annoying.
Ah well I'm sure I'll be able to pay back my Mum some how :D

So I had a rather strange phone conversation with a woman who works there a few days back...
I didn't appear to understand what she was saying, and she appeared to have no understanding of who I was or what I wanted 0_0.

Probably went something like this:
Woman - "Hello blahblahblah Office"
Me- "Hi, I'm 16 and I was wondering if accommodation is provided on the Medlink course??"
(It is btw, I am just clearly useless at finding information on websites)
Woman - "Well it's like a university experience... we try to make it like that you see"
Me - "okay, but about accommodation..."
Woman *continuing rambling* "and you see they wanted to make it like that, you see"
Me - "Right, well um I was just wondering that really"
Woman - *clearly deciding she didn't want to explain* "Do you want a brochure?? It explains things"
Me - "Oh yes please"
Woman - *Silence*
Me - *Silence*
Me - "Um so..."
Woman - "Address??"

And then just my details, I wonder if I'm incredibly unclear on the phone, I seem to have a lot of conversations like this, where we are replying to different things and long silences where clearly each one of us is waiting for the other speak :S

Anyways I know have the brochure and shall spend an undoubtedly happy 5 minutes filling in my details I already told the woman, I do love form filling.

Bye peeps! And remember in Medicine experiance is Gold,
even if it costs £250.

Getting Started - Hospital Volunteering

Anyone thinking about doing Medicine at University should know that Voluntary Work in a hospital or care home and shadowing of a GP or Consultant is basically compulsory to apply.
It shows universities about your dedication to Medicine, and also that you have some understanding of what the career entails, and if you really want to pursue it. However this can be difficult to arrange, and everyone advises you arrange it for during your AS's. Also it gives you something to put on your personal statement and something to talk about in that dreaded medicine interview :).

So today I rang up my local NHS Trust to ask about volunteering, and it turns out they have a very good programme for 16-25 year olds which starts recruiting from the first week of September.
I'm actually quite excited about this, and really hoping I get a place. It should give me a lot more experience on the wards and of the sorts of things I might have to become use to if I become a Doctor, such as people facing depression and death and very difficult social situations.
I often find with hospitals that the people you see there are always at their most vulnerable... or perhaps their most defensive, and that hospitals contain every emotion on the spectrum. This takes some getting use too, and I think any experience you can get is invaluable.
There are different posts you can apply for, some working with patients with cancer and with the palliative care team. Others include helping with busy outpatient clinics and organising Admin etc. Some are more care based, such as helping patients with eating and befriending them if they are lonely. All very good work :). I wonder if I'll get that sense of satisfaction from helping people that everyone talks about.
Another opportunity I found was to work with the "League of Friends" (I don't live near Oxford, they just have a description of their work), however they mainly work in the cafes and pushing trolleys round the wards and as I want more medical based experience I decided it wasn't for me, even though the kind woman down the phone tried a good job at convincing me to join.

So now it's just waiting till September!!