Aspirant Medic

Applying to study medicine has been a huge learning experience for me. It was a daunting prospect, and it still hasn’t truly sunk in yet that come September I will be embarking on a new chapter of my life as I become a doctor. From the 16,500 people that apply to the 8000 medical places in the UK each year, I am honoured to be one of the lucky few chosen and I now need to rise to that challenge.

The applications process for medicine is something of an enigma. It is something that people get worked up about, there are more rumours, legends, stories and mistruths than there are facts. I want to try and share my experiences of applying, and hopefully it may be of some help to those applying in the future. I should make clear at this point that I am a graduate applicant, coming from a different degree and industry and so my experiences may not apply to everyone. I also want to say that these are only my experiences and opinions.

Lesson #1: If it is relevant to who you are, its relevant to your application

I think the thing that concerned me most about applying was work experience. Everywhere you go people scream you MUST shadow a doctor, you MUST spend time in a nursing home and so on. I think what people forget to mention is that while those things are important, the other things you have done are equally as important. Any jobs, any experience, if it is relevant to who you are as a person, then it is relevant to your application. I had very little direct healthcare experience, I didn’t shadow a doctor, I didn’t have any work experience in a hospital. What I did have was previous employment (5 years as a software engineer, 1 year running a company) and previous volunteering experience (3 years working with children with Aspergers). These experiences are fundamentally important to who I am as a person and why I applied to medicine, so they were fundamental parts of my personal statements.

One of the Glasgow admissions officers made this clear to me at the open day – many graduates, and indeed many applicants, fail to mention critical pieces of life experience because they instead focus on what they “think” the selectors want to hear. They couldn’t have been more explicit that everything about you is relevant – regardless of whether it is related to healthcare or not.

Lesson #2: You don’t need to be a savant at piano or play rugby internationally

Many people seem to be under the impression that to get into medical school you need to be some kind of a musical whiz or be famous worldwide for your sporting skills. I am neither. I remember getting very nervous over this when writing my personal statement. Over the past few years my focus has been on my career and my work – rather than on my personal life. That doesn’t mean I am a bore, I have an active social life. However, I found from the interviews what they are really interested in is whether you can wind down. They are interested in you, the whole person. A doctor has to be able to communicate and identify with people, so I think what they are really trying to work out is – are you a person? Do you socialise? Do you talk to people? Do you do something other than work? Remember becoming a doctor is an extremely stressful and demanding career, so they need to know you aren’t going to burn out.

The lesson here is again to be honest about what your hobbies are, and what your achievements are. Perhaps all your achievements are career or academically related and in your spare time you prefer to go the gym and go out with friends and play sports non-competitively (like me). That was pretty much my answer in my interviews.

Lesson #3: Be honest, be confident, be natural

At one interview, the interviewer openly said just be yourself, this is just a chat. I think they were right. At the end of the day, thats all you can be and trust me, it is significantly harder to pretend to be someone else. It also tends to be easy for interviewers to spot those who are being less than transparent.  Once you accept that, the interview becomes less nerve wracking and I think it is especially important when discussing ethical questions. Instead of focussing on what you think the interviewer wants to hear, it is easier to just give your own personal opinion – albeit while ensuring you highlight the opposing view. It is ok if the interviewer disagrees – in fact one of mine did on a particular ethical discussion. In fact I think its good if they disagree – it means you are engaging on some level and it lets you show you can be conciliatory, it lets you show you accept other points of view.

In one particular ethical discussion I was asked to choose between 4 options, and I replied in my view none were suitable for this particular case. That was my view and I went with it and explained why.

Be yourself!

Lesson #4: Know about the career you are applying for

Something that surprised me when I spoke to other applicants is that some had little understanding of the career they were actually applying for. They didn’t know about the career path, they didn’t know about the NHS and so on. I think this is a huge mistake. Large parts of my interviews were focussed on the NHS or on the career path of a doctor. Its not often I get irritated but I do think it is inexcusable to go into an interview and not know in-depth about the career you are applying for or the organisation you are going to be working for. This is no different than in any other industry.

I’m not suggesting you should know the intricacies of NHS bureaucracy, but you should know how it works and you should have some opinion on it.

Lesson #5: Don’t get flustered if you are being quizzed

This was easier for me as I had done many interviews before, but while being grilled it can become easy to become flustered. The problem then is you lose your swing and start to get nervous and things get worse. If you do get flustered then take a breath, think for a second, then push on. You can do it. In one part of an interview I was thrown off a little, and you have that moment where you want to just run for the door, but I took a breath, I considered it and I moved on.

For those applying in the next cycle best of luck, and please let me know if I can be of any help whatsoever. Aspiring Medics will be launching shortly and I hope it is of some use to you!

Dundee’s reputation has been increasing significantly over recent years as one of the premier centres of medical education in the UK. I can’t believe how many doctors and medical students I have spoken to who have said “try and go to Dundee, it’s on top of its game right now.” I am lucky enough to be interviewing at Dundee medical school next week so this post is going to summarise the curriculum at Dundee.

The Dundee curriculum is split into three phases and is known as a spiral in which an overview of future learning is provided in phase one and then built upon in the latter two phases. Patient contact, and clinical skills, are introduced in the first few weeks and then developed as the years go on.

Phase 1 (Semester 1)

In Phase 1, students are introduced to the basic principles required for the later study of the bodily systems that comprises phase 2. This includes anatomy (through dissection), biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, behavioural sciences and safe medical practice. In addition basic emergency care is taught and the Doctors, Patients and Communities course (DPaC) starts, with this running throughout all phases.

Phase 2 (Semester 2 – 6)

In Phase 2, students begin a systems-based approach to teaching. Each system is taught in terms of both normal and abnormal function, while clinical skills teaching and DPaC is integrated with the current system being taught. The final part of Phase 2 (Semester 6) is a transition block as students prepare for the change in the method of teaching in Phase 3.

Phase 3 (Semester 7 – 10)

In Phase 3 students progress to a task-based learning approach to the curriculum, where they utilise their knowledge of clinical practice to learn not only how to perform a task but why the task is being carried out. TBL is the main educational strategy in Phase 3, with specific tasks undertaken by a doctor (known as a core clinical problem), such as managing a patient with abdominal pain, providing the focus for learning. Students are expected not only to learn about the task or core clinical problem, but also about basic and clinical medical science, as well as generic skills such as prioritising.

In Year 4 students rotate through ten clinical attachments, including surgery and general medicine. In Year 5 students first undertake a six-week clinical elective that can be taken anywhere in the world. This is followed by seven four week blocks including two apprenticeship blocks.

Doctors Patients and Communities (DPaC)

DPaC aims to develop skills in and understanding of patient centred medicine, evidence and decisions and public health including health promotion, professionalism and relationships. DPaC in phases 1 and 2 is integrated with the systems-based teaching using simulated patients, problem-based learning scenarios, tutorials on core clinical problems and GP input on the systems. Teaching in DPaC is done in groups of ten to twelve with thirty-two core DPaC tutors half of whom are GPs and the other half are other healthcare professionals e.g. nurses, counsellors and so on. A significant portion of DPaC is undertaken in general practices throughout Tayside and Fife – one afternoon a week for the first 3 years. Other afternoons are taken up with ward teaching, clinical skills teaching, and sessions at the Ambulatory care centre.

In Year 1 DPaC begins with students spending one afternoon a week in a general practice and gain an understanding of how a general practitioner works. Students also visit a patient with a chronic illness in their own home – they follow up with this patient twice in second year and twice in third year. Patient-centred clinical method is at the core of DPaC with feedback on method through simulated video consultations as well as a focus on learning about human behaviour.

In Years 2 and 3 students move on to several new topics including ethics, global health care, accessing medical evidence and health promotion and screening. There is also a focus on teaching students how to communicate the risks of disease and treatments to patients.

In Phase 3 (years 4 and 5) DPaC teaching is centred around general practice attachments with students expected to consult with patients under supervision and also study a number of core clinical topics. In 5th year students have a further general practice attachment when can be either 1, 2 or 3 months in length, which can be taken in a wide range of practices throughout Scotland.

DPaC is assessed continually throughout using a variety of methods including presentations and written coursework. End of year assessments also include relevant questions.

Student Selected Components

SSC’s take up about 1/3 of the overall course. They are undertaken in Years 1 & 4 over the length of the year or semester and are undertaken in 4 week blocks in other years. They are designed to allow the development of skills in self-directed study, career development, literature reviews and research method. SSCs allow students to learn more about areas of medicine that interest them.

One thing that is important for medical school interviews is knowing about current medical news developments. I was fed up having to look through multiple news sources so I have collated all the sources I use and put them on the Medical News page above. This page continually pulls in stories from BBC News Health, Guardian Health, Reuters Health, and the NHS. If anyone wants to suggest anymore sources then feel free to leave them in the comments!

Enjoy!

I am now intensively preparing for my interview at Aberdeen Medical School on the 17th and I am actually quite excited. In my experience, regardless of where and what you are applying for, the first interview is always the most nerve-wracking and after that you start to get more confident. One of the good things about preparing for a medical school interview is that there is a lot of cross-over with things such as the next big development in medicine, medical news, ethics and so on not changing from medical school to medical school. At the moment I am working on augmenting that knowledge with specific knowledge about the Aberdeen curriculum and also news and research related to Aberdeen. This first post is going to be on the Aberdeen curriculum and as always this is just my interpretation of what I have read from various web sources and you should not take it as gospel!

Aberdeen operates an integrated systems-based approach to teaching spread over the five year length of the course. I have broken down each year below.

Year 1 

In Semester 1, students undertake a 12-week block on medical science and disease which is designed as a foundation for future learning. Students are also introduced to clinical method and communication skills.

In Semester 2, the systems-based course begins, and in my view crucially, clinical cases are used to highlight each of the systems. Thus relevant anatomy and biochemistry are explored for each system, as well as tests, treatments and disease progression. I think this is a really exciting part of the course because it allows you to understand what you are learning and why you are learning it in the context of the big picture. In the early years of my previous degree, we were taught abstract principles and deep minutiae but without any understanding of how they related to the real world which, in my view, reduces interest in the subject. The fact that Aberdeen teaches the systems in the context of clinical cases is quite exciting for me. Teaching of communication skills and clinical skills continues throughout this.

In addition, a parallel community course runs which allows us to get patient contact straight away. In Year 1 there are 12 half-day sessions and students have two tutors. One is a GP who normally holds the session in their practice, and the other is a member of a community-based specialty e.g. public health, mental health. Pairs of students are also attached to families and follow their progress throughout the year. I find this another exciting part of the course because, for me, it is important to get some patient contact early.

Year 1 also introduces the first student selected component of which there are 5 (one in each year). In Year 1 this is a group project lasting 4 weeks based on general scientific themes.

Year 2

Year 2 continues the systems-based approach to learning over the entire year. The community course, as well as clinical teaching and communication skills, continues in parallel and a second 4 week student-selected component is undertaken, this time focussing on molecular mechanisms of disease.

Year 3

Year 3 continues the systems-based approach to learning which clinical skills and the community course runs in parallel. In addition, a six week Medical Humanities module is undertaken which allows us to learn about areas out with medicine such as spirituality and history of art or even sign language. This is designed to “broaden our horizons” and offer opportunities in areas other than just medicine. A third student-selected component is undertaken this time focussed on public health and the year culminates in the first of nine five-week clinical blocks.

Year 4

In Year 4 we continue with a further eight five-week clinical blocks in a variety of specialties. The focus here is on developing diagnostic skills for patients of many different ages and with different medical conditions. At least one of these blocks take place in Inverness. Alternatively, students have the opportunity to undertake the Remote and Rural option where clinical blocks are undertaken at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness along with GP practices across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. One of the things I like about Aberdeen is the diverse range of opportunities for clinical attachments.

Year 5

Year 5 is known as an “Apprenticeship” year where we prepare to practice as a doctor. Interestingly, students undertake 3 rotations in specialties of their choosing (although it is likely that competition for places is high and you may not get your chosen specialty). This is broken down into one surgical specialty (which includes any surgical specialty, obstetrics and gynaecology or anaesthetics and intensive car), one medical specialty (which includes any medical specialty, paediatrics, and care of the elderly), and a rotation in either general practice or psychiatry. The students then undertake the final student selected component which is an individual elective often taken abroad. Finally, an advanced professional practice session is undertaken to pass over final professional skills needed for practice as a doctor. As with Year 4 students can undertake the Remote and Rural option for placements which allows them to take hospital placements in Inverness, Stornoway, Wick and Fort William to name a few. GP placements can be taken practically anywhere across Scotland including Argyll, the Western Isles, the Highlands and Orkney.