Hospital doctors specialise in one of many branches of medicine and those in senior positions are often referred to as consultant physicians. Their first introduction to a patient is usually as the result of a referral from a general practitioner (GP); sometimes the patient may be admitted direct to the hospital via the accident and emergency department. The doctor meets the patient, discusses their symptoms and carries out an examination and further tests; this helps them to arrive at a diagnosis. Doctors work in teams with other healthcare professionals to decide on the best treatment to offer patients and monitor their progress; this may include medication and/or surgery. Doctors need to keep themselves up-to-date with changes in treatments, new technology and ways that they can work. They are caring, compassionate, patient and able to work under pressure.
You'll examine, diagnose and treat patients. You'll specialise in a particular area like
surgery - care for patients before, during and after an operation
medicine - treat general medical conditions and work in specialisms like cardiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, geriatrics and neurology
paediatrics - manage health conditions that affect babies, children and young people
pathology - investigate the cause of disease and the effect on patients
psychiatry - work with patients experiencing mental health problems like depression, anxiety, personality disorders and addiction
anaesthesia - give anaesthetics for surgery and medical procedures
obstetrics and gynaecology - care for pregnant women and their unborn children
oncology - treat patients with cancer
You could work in an NHS or private hospital.
What It Takes:
knowledge of medicine
science skills
counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
sensitivity and understanding
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
thinking and reasoning skills
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
analytical thinking skills
customer service skills
the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
knowledge of psychology
excellent verbal communication skills
knowledge of English language
the ability to read English
excellent written communication skills
concentration skills
maths skills
the ability to work well with your hands
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
IB Requirements?
top grade IB Diploma in one sitting
an IB diploma including chemistry
an IB diploma including biology
Other requirements?
Work experience in a healthcare setting/community involvement [helping in a care home, nursing home, special needs school].
UCAT/BMAT Entrance exam - check with each medical school which of these two entrance exams they require and what their cut off is for each for acceptance to the interview stage. There are 41 medical schools in the UK - places are very competitive. You can only apply to 4 medical schools and it is either a 5-6 year programme. Upon graduation you will be GMC registered - qualified to work in the UK as a practicing doctor.
Interview Process?
Every medical school will call you to an interview. This could either be in the form of a traditional panel interview or an MMI. The traditional panel is more intimate and gives you the opportunity to build a rapport with the interviewer. The questions will be similar to those addressed in the MMIs. MMIs are short 5-10 min long interviews in about 7-10 stations. You will be given a scenario/question before you enter each interview station and will have the allocated time to answer the interview question.
Traditional vs Integrated Approach:
There are two different types of courses:
Traditional Courses are when you’re taught in the classroom for the first few pre-clinical years, then move to a clinical setting in year three or four. This is only found in a handful of Med Schools.
Integrated Courses describe the approach that combines classroom and clinical environments from the start, and teaches by topic rather than discipline.
There are five key Medical School teaching styles:
Traditional
Integrated
Problem-based
Case-based
Enquiry based
Traditional teaching describes the way Traditional Courses are taught: you learn the scientific theory first and move to clinical settings after a few years. This is how Oxford and Cambridge teach, but you won’t find it anywhere else.
Integrated teaching describes how theory and clinical teaching is integrated, and you’ll find this on Integrated Medicine Courses. This Medical School teaching style is recommended by the GMC and is seen in most Medicine Courses.
Problem-based learning teaching is patient-centric and means you’ll be exposed to patients very early on during your studies. It was pioneered by the University of Manchester and has been adopted by most Medical Schools – but the level of focus on problem-based learning will vary with each University.
With problem-based learning, you’ll be given a medical case that you need to solve and learn from. There’s often a tutor to help guide you, and you’ll mix group work with self-directed learning. This combination helps you to develop your communication skills, teamwork and problem-solving skills – and boosts your personal responsibility and respect for others.
The basic structure of problem-based teaching sessions are:
In small groups, you are presented with a ‘problem’ or case study
Your group will brainstorm possible hypotheses and solutions, and decide what you’ll need to learn in order to ‘solve’ the problem at hand. These are called your ‘learning objectives’
The key difference between this and other teaching styles is that you come up with your own learning objectives based on the cues in the scenarios you are presented with
You go away and gather all of the information you need. This is usually in the form of private study and reading, but can also include lectures, teaching and clinical placements
You then present your findings to your group and facilitator to compare notes
Case-based teaching is when the Medical School will use a case to pique your interest and then focus on the skills and knowledge you’ll need to solve it. This Medical School teaching style usually means you’ll work in small groups over short periods – but it’s backed up with traditional methods like seminars, lectures, dissection, and more.
Case-based teaching is less common, and at the moment it’s only offered by Liverpool, Cardiff, and Glasgow.
Enquiry based teaching is when you look at questions, problems and scenarios instead of being given facts. It puts you in charge of your own learning because this Med School teaching style is more about how you learn, rather than a lecturer teaching you. The emphasis is on you identifying and researching issues and asking questions so you can develop your knowledge.
Enquiry based learning is similar to problem-based learning, but with a stronger focus on empowering you to shape your learning. It’s only offered by Birmingham at the moment.
Useful Resources:
https://www.themedicportal.com/
https://www.medicaldoorway.com/universities/ - Medical Schools in Europe
https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGnHVIAguEM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U7pLqG3dUU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlSSNy7JdTg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLHEceCTV0y4rm5GUhPTc_g