Medicine is a career that is distinguished, renowned and comparably well paid. Practicing medicine can be strenuous, exasperating and frustrating though, and it is not for everyone eve if you have desired to become a doctor for a long period of time.

Medicine is one of the most competitive courses in the world to secure a place on and, according to UCAS, in 2012 there were 82,489 application to UK medical schools with only 7,805 places available. Doing your research and looking into each programme and medical school is of huge importance when selecting the right location to study.

Medicine course types

Standard Entry Medicine: Lasts for five years, resulting in bachelor’s degree i.e. MBBS.

Graduate entry medicine: For those who already have a bachelor’s degree. Some universities require the degree to be Science only and it is a four-year accelerated course.

Medicine with a foundation year: A five-year standard entry medicine course with an additional year at start for those who achieved highly at A-level without the required science subjects.

Medicine with a gateway year: A degree for students who are of high ability confronting barriers to learning.  The “adjusted criteria” is used to change the entry requirements.

Medicine entry requirement

Undergraduates:  Courses specify at least two sciences, typically a minimum of three A’s at A-level taken together at first sitting over a maximum of two years study, including Chemistry and Biology as well as the third subject either of Math or Physics.

Some Universities may ask for one or more A grades. International students will need IELTS with a score of no less than 6.5 across all four categories – reading, writing, speaking and listening – with an overall 7.0 score.

Foundation: Medical students move on to Foundation training after undergraduate study of two years. It gives medical students a training experience in a range of different areas of medicine. They are responsible for caring for patients under the supervision of more experienced doctors and other healthcare professionals. Once completed, students choose an area of medicine to focus their training on. This may be a specialty or it may be general practice.

Specialty training: It includes training in general practice and is the period of training after four years of study. A good deal of hard work is required to ensure you can secure a place in the area you wish to get specialised. After finishing specialty training, doctors are awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) which allows them to apply to specialist register.

Entrance exams

Nearly all medical degrees use a compulsory exam for medical entrants as part of their entry requirements.  There are three admissions tests and applicant may sit different combinations of these tests according to the requirement:

  • UK Clinical Aptitude Test: The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) is part of the selection process of some UK medical schools. It is an online test designed to test cognitive abilities, attitudes, critical thinking, and logical reasoning and helps filter through highly qualified applicants.
  • BioMedical Admissions Test: The BMAT is an online test used by seven medical schools including Cambridge and Oxford.
  • Graduate Medical School Medical Test: The role of the GAMSAT Exam is to assist in the selection criteria primarily for students who are applying to study medicine on the new fast-track graduate entry programs.

Work experience

Medical school short listing will take place on the basis of your personal statement which in turn depends upon your work experience that could be volunteering or taking part in some medical work placement. Candidate having no work experience will be at great disadvantage.

Interview

Do plenty of research regarding questions asked because interviewers look for a more rounded individual having communication and interpersonal skills as well as knowledge and understanding of the health service than just scoring high in tests. Give yourself the best chance of success at this stage of the process.

Top 32 Medical Schools in UK

1              Oxford

2              Cambridge

3              Queen Mary

4              Dundee

5              Exeter

6              Keele

7              UCL

8              Glasgow

9              Swansea

10           Edinburgh

11           Imperial College

12           Aberdeen

13           Newcastle

14           Plymouth

15           UEA

16           Brighton Sussex Medical School

17           St Andrews

18           Hull York Medical School

19           Cardiff

20           Birmingham

21           Leeds

22           Nottingham

23           Bristol

24           Southampton

25           Sheffield

26           Manchester

27           Queen’s, Belfast

28           Leicester

29           Liverpool

30           St George’s, UoL

31           King’s College London

32           Warwick

Study Medicine in the UK

For course or University-specific entry requirements you can arrange a free consultation at SI-UK today to get started.

 

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Study Medicine at Swansea University in the UK