r/premeduk

I have spent the last 6 months as the Senior Lead Resident Doctor for my trust. For those that don't know, this allows me to sit in executive and board meetings, and essentially gives a link for resident doctors at the most senior level in a trust. The role itself is an absolute gimmick, but it has been an eye opening experience. What I can now say that most resident doctors have absolutely no idea what is happening behind the scene.

While we are sitting here posting about training posts and this and that, the extent of the financial pressure of the NHS is absolutely insane. It's made me come to the conclusion that most of these people have absolutely no idea, and the NHS is essentially unviable in the long-term. If the tory party was doing what is happening now people would be rioting in the streets. The extent of the budget cuts being expected from certainly my trust and pretty much all others is orders of magnitude higher than the worst of the worst during the austerity years, and probably any time in the entire history of the NHS.

We are talking about real terms cuts to the tune of something like 5-15% over the next couple of years. During the worst of austerity, most trusts budgets were frozen or just didn't rise as much in real terms compared to historical averages - these are actually genuine real terms cuts and by a humongous amount. The scale of staffing cuts on the horizon is shocking. Just this year my trust is being expected to reduce staffing costs by over 5% (i.e. literally hundreds of staff less) and similar numbers for the next and the next year. And this is not like in previous years where they could overspend and say oopsie and the government would bail them. They have been told in no uncertain terms that if they miss their agreed targets they will lose their jobs.

It's hard to believe a few months ago we were talking about a workforce crisis, when actually looking down the barrel we are looking at trusts massively reducing staffing, again quite possibly to the highest extent in NHS history. Every senior manager that I have spoken to, and I have interacted with all of them up to the CEO and many of them have been around the block has said that this is by far the worst financial pressure that they can ever remember.

Remember that we have been talking about how the Conservative Party has destroyed the NHS by underfunding it over a decade and all they did was merely increase by a few % above real terms. Absolutely insanity now that the party which is supposed to "save" ARRR NHS is actually actively reducing trust's already threadbare budgets. Honestly how is any of this actually viable in the long-term. Instead of fixing the chronic understaffing secondary to the workforce crisis, they are now actively and aggressively cutting back on staffing.

I personally think political leaders need to have a proper discussion with general public what they actually want from the NHS, because these people are literally living in cloud cuckoo land.

I am currently a HS student in Alberta, Canada and I intend to pursue medicine. I've been fortunate to receive offers from McMaster BHSC, considered one of the better "pre-med" (there aren't any, but it is typically well regarded), alongside two medical school admissions in the UK and a few still pending in Ireland, through the Atlantic Bridge system.

Let us grant that I receive an admission letter from Ireland.

For those who have had a similar experience, either with the Irish med pathway as an IMG or, alternatively, those who took an undergrad in Canada such as Mc BHSC, how did you weigh—and how would you now weigh—the prospect of guaranteed medical school admission as an IMG vs. the nature of a Canadian undergrad and the often cumbersome process of the Canadian medical school admission process?

My current perception of the two options are as follows---correct me if any parts are too idealistic or just inaccurate:

Canadian undergrad pathway (McMaster BHSC):
Cost: ~$300K - $350K (4 yr undergrad + 4 yr medical school including rent, food, etc,.) Note: I am from AB, so presumably I would be renting the entire duration.)
Mc Master historical matriculation rates to medical school: ~60-80%
Residency match rates: high 90s (~95%+)

Pros:

1. Cheaper
2. Higher potential ceiling in terms of medical specialization

Cons:

1. Lackluster backup if med school does not work out. While ~60-80% of students end up going to medical school from Mac BHSC, this does leave 20-40% of students with a health sciences degree that is not necessarily the most versatile.

Direct to Irish med:
Cost: ~$500K-$600k (5 yr program W. IBDP, including rent, food, etc,.)
Match rates back to Canada/US: Some of the websites boast figures in the high 80s to low 90s. Unsure how accurate this is. I presume this figure is higher than it actually is, as individuals who deem themselves unqualified do not go through with this application cycle to begin with.

Pros:

1. Reduced downside risk. If I do not match back to Canada or the U.S., practicing in the UK is always an option (+ the option of transferring to North America after becoming a fully licensed physician, but of course not ideal).
2. Save at least 2 years. If we presume the average age of 1st yr medical student is 23-24, the time saved is ~3 years.

Cons:

1. Expensive/potential debt
2. Lower ceiling in terms of medical specialty: IMGs are typically limited to IM or FM in Canada, and in the U.S. only the initiated elites are granted the privilege of more competitive specialties.
3. NHS is not the best healthcare system to work in.

If you were in my shoes which path would you prefer?

Thanks for taking time out of your day to help!

I have a few offers - any advise/opinions are welcome 🤗

Currently deciding between:

ARU 5 years A100 Medicine
Southampton BM6 6 year Medicine (EXTRA Y0, Foundation)

I will be moving to the university city with my family

Please read the below

ARU:
Full cadaveric dissection
All hospitals within 60 minutes form the campus by car
No need for hospital accommodation
NHS bursary only needed in Y5 (FINAL YEAR)
Reputation is still developing
Spiral curriculum
Harder research access - but it’s manageable probably
Placements in Y1: once every fortnight - total 15 days
Placements in Y2: 2 week Gp, 4 week Hospital
Placements Y3: community placement 2x per week all year
Placements Y4/5: mostly all time
Social life is pretty inactive / campus seemed empty

Southampton:
Prosection
Extra Y0 - would have to deal with revisiting alevel content with more clinical detail
Great social campus
Enter Y1 as a 22 year old 😂
Easier research access
NHS bursary needed in Y4 and Y5 (FINAL TWO YEARS)
Reputation is established
Spiral curriculum
Placements:
Y1 to Y3, all within Southampton region commutable (Up to 90mins by car)
Y4/Y5: Would probably need hospital accommodation, which is provided (NOT SURE HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS)

I'm a resit student and got an unconditional offer from Lincoln (only offer) but I know nothing about the uni and the graduates from there? Do they produce good quality doctors/ surgeons? I know it's new. Do you think it's worth reapplying after results day to a better uni?

basically i (international btw) got 3 med offers but i still need to achieve my grades for it in august.

one of my med offers is on ucas while my other 2 have been applied to using a different direct portal for the university in which i have previously paid a deposit for one, and i have a much later deadline for the other.

assuming i accept my ucas med offer and firm it now:

1)by when should i pay the 5k deposit?

2)how and when can i reject my ucas offer if i want to post-august results day?

Hi !! Just received my only Offer for GEM !!! Very excited. What are some things I should know/buy before Med School ?? I already have a Littmann Cardiology IV. I've found indemnity insurance. I have a book on medicines/drugs. What are some other things?? Thank you. ❤️

since unis don't give a course spec, it's hard to know where to stop, especially when technically everything is fair game. but realistically for Year 1, how do you even know how much is enough? yes, eventually you have to know it all, but right now the question is where the line actually is because i can't learn it all

Sleep is fundamental to me. To all of humanity, yes, but ESPECIALLY to me. Would I still be able to get at least 7/8 hours a night as a doctor? Or should I expect frequently disturbed sleep, a destroyed sleep pattern and only a few hours a night? I need to know. 🙏

As someone who’s just sat highers, i’m confident that I’ll get my five A band ones. Ive always wanted to go to do cambridge medicine, which obviously quite competitive (I understand I’ll need super, UCAT and that stuff). But i keep thinking back to when I did 8 Nat 5s, 5 were A band ones, chemistry and biology were A band 2s and French was a B. Im really worried that these grades will mean cambridge won’t even look at my application, let alone an interview. Im genuinely stressed about it. I wanted opinions on genuinely how much my nat 5s will reflect, and whether if i still have chance.

This may be a strange query, I have previously suffered with self harm and have obvious scarring on my arm. I no longer do it and have an incredible therapist which is really helpful. Would I fail my occupational health check over this? Is there a specific time frame you need to be clean for? I really don’t want to lose the opportunity to do medicine over past struggles but my scars are clearly not just simple scratches so I’m worrying if that would make me unfit to practise?
Any help would be amazing

So there is only 3 days left for offers from waiting list to go out, any success stories abt waitlist in the last few days or shud i take this as a rejection cuz honestly idk how to feel hopeful being an intl student

Hi guys! I am in my last year PhD in leukaemia research and throughout these years I found my passion is to be a doctor and want to make it happen.

I plan to get everything ready and join 2028/29 application rounds but I saw entry requirements for UK med school GEM are very general and not quite measureable. I was wondering how much postgrads experience like Master and PhD help the application? Many says it is required to do some healthcare related work, does healthcare research like working with my colleagues who are doctors in the lab OK for the requirement?

Many thanks!

My background: BSc & MSc in Genetics, PhD with Leukaemia focus, top unis

I’m in my early 20s and seriously considering doing a medical degree. I was studying at LSE when my previously chronic migraine became constant at the start of my 2nd year. It’s been constant for over 3 years now and I’m AT LEAST a couple of years from being well enough to return to any form of academia. However, I’ve just been put on the list for neurostimulation surgery so I’m trying to be hopeful for the future!

Things are difficult with my current university, I’m not sure if I’m able/can attempt to return to complete my degree. What position would this put me in if I was to apply for medicine? Has anyone entered medicine from the same starting point?

If anyone has been in a similar position with illness or injury when did you decide you were well enough to apply?

I got A*AA (History, Maths, English lit) at a-level so no chemistry, is it worth trying to do this as an A-level before? Or, is it best to pursue an access to medicine course?

I’m also quite interested in academic medicine and maybe combining my degree with medical anthropology are there any unis particularly good for this?

Any advice or thoughts on my situation would be much appreciated.

Thank you! 🫶

On average

Hi all. I am 22, and left high school early due to extreme bullying, lots of personal problems outside of school, and going into the care system. Since then I’ve struggled with complex PTSD.

Despite all of this, I still pushed through and got my GCSE mathematics, and level 2 English. I then did an Access to HE nursing course.

What is the best route for me to go into medicine? Would it be GAM, or is there another route that may suit me more?

I’m really passionate about becoming a doctor; however, I just don’t know which path to choose.

Thank you, and I look forward to everyone’s suggestions. Take care :)

Very open question I understand, but due to my circumstances, GEM would be better for me in terms of funding etc. I just want to get your guys perspective, how different is GEM vs undergrad. I understand the pace would be quicker etc… but are the exams tougher? Or what else?

I keep seeing completely different advice online. Some people say 6–8 weeks of focused revision is enough, while others say you should start really early and do a little bit every day for months. Coming from a non-science background, I honestly can’t tell what’s realistic anymore 😭

I don’t want to underprepare, but I also don’t want to burn out or peak too early either. How many hours per day were people actually doing when they started preparing properly?

Hello,

I was a 4th yr international medical student at a UK university. Due to significant extenuating circumstances, specifically a parent’s cancer diagnosis, I failed my OSCE resit by 2 marks.
I had passed the written component on the first attempt and had never repeated a year before.
There were no fitness to practise concerns.

I requested permission to repeat fourth year, but the university denied this. I then went through the appeals process, which was also unsuccessful.

I am now leaving with an exit award, but the university has offered me the opportunity to complete an intercalated year and obtain an honours degree.

I am still extremely committed to pursuing medicine, and I am hoping that completing the intercalated honours degree could strengthen my position for graduate entry medicine.

I was wondering whether anyone has experience or knowledge of how a medical school dismissal/exit award may affect applications for graduate entry medicine, particularly in the UK or Ireland.

Are there any schools that may be more open to considering applicants in this position, especially where there were no fitness to practise issues and clear extenuating circumstances?

Should I take the do another year, take the honours and reapply for GEM,
or get into med in europe and maybe try for America/USMLE??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

For a bit of context,

I’m 21 and I finished my BSc in psychology last year but I knew my final classification was still nowhere near enough to opt for a transitional route into med. It still stings a bit to this day knowing that I could’ve had my priorities checked and started earlier.

Even now I look back at A-Levels and GCSEs wishing I could’ve devoted more to studies if I properly thought about where this could lead to.

After graduating, I knew that if this was what I wanted to pursue then I was definitely going to have to put the work in. I also began thinking that this just seemed like an unrealistic goal given my position.

I still keep it as a dream bear in mind but at the same time it appears as something impossible of a mountain to climb.

So I spent a year being unemployed and trying to figure out my next course of action.

Now I can proudly say that I’ve just started my first ever, professional, full time job as a Healthcare Support Worker!

But questions still come up in my head.

Am I doing the right thing? Is this what other people have done? Have people been in my position before?

I’m so passionate and keen to learn about this career that it just feels it’s right for me to chase it. I’d love being able to make a change in someone’s life and I have such a fascination with how science works and how the body functions.

So whether you’ve just started, are going through it or have been through it. I’d love to hear some words of wisdom from you.

I just feel I’m at a stage right now where I’m really trying to figure my life out.

Do most live near the school? Or is it more common to live at home with family?