Doctor ’s workplace guide. - page 2

10-09-2008 11:24

It also looks good on a CV when you go to apply for medical school. Being the class clown and slacking off at school means you might as well forget about being a doctor.

Unlike, say, humanities subjects, getting the grades for medical school isn’t a case of coasting through the year and then cramming for exams.

You’ll need the highest achievable grades – three A’s at A level – ideally in science subjects.

Sadly, not everyone who wants to be a doctor will make it. There are still lots of careers in the health field, such as nursing or midwifery that don’t require quite such stringent entry qualifications.

There are no national minimum entry requirements for nursing and midwifery as each higher education institution (HEI) set it’s own criteria, so it’s essential that you contact each institution to check before applying.

However the standard entry requirements for a diploma or degree in nursing are generally 5 GCSE’s and/or 2 ‘A’ Levels, or the equivalent. Medical schools aren’t looking for dull automatons.

In interviews you should be able to show that you’re a relaxed, confident individual with interests outside academia. Showing them your scrapbook of newspaper cuttings detailing your exploits as a football hooligan, however, or describing in detail how you like to dissect stray animals in your bedroom is probably best avoided. Sleep a lot now because you won’t be getting much sleep once you qualify and are sent to work 90 hour weeks in the A&E department of some godforsaken town where the locals like to try and murder each other every Friday and Saturday night.

Cherish those long mornings in bed. training. One of the great things about medicine is that you are always learning. This ongoing training keeps your mind stimulated and ensures that you can continually improve your skill set. The training stages are: Undergraduate medical education - a period of study at medical school (attached to a university) with clinical placements in hospital and community settings.

Foundation programme - a two-year period which all UK medical graduates must undertake before moving on to run-through education.

Run-through training - a period lasting for several years, which follows on from the foundation programme, when doctors train to specialise in either general practice or a specialty. The length of training will depend upon the career area/specialty in which the doctor wishes to work.

five top tips for being a success in the medical profession. get the grades. have a back-up plan. prepare well. www.nhscareers.nhs.uk