Getting Into Medical School 2010 entry (Getting Into Series) [Paperback]

I would advise every student who has identified the medical profession as a future career to read this guide --Newscheck

The expert guide to getting a headstart on the competition

This guide approaches the process of application to Medical School in a realistic and logical way. It starts by helping would-be applicants decide if this is the right choice for them and whether they have a good chance of success with their application. Current medical issues that can come up in interviews are also discussed as well as how to handle interview questions. Other chapters include information on procedures for non-standard applications and what to do if made an offer. Finally, the book offers some examples of personal statements and advice from members of staff at UK medical schools. MPW Guides explain the complex procedures for getting into higher education. Written by acknowledged experts in a clear, concise format, they go beyond the official publications to give would-be students straightforward and practical advice on how to secure a place on the course of their choice.

The medical profession continues to be an extremely popular career choice and competition for a place on a medical course is notoriously high. In order to have a chance of success you'll not only need dazzling grades and a wealth of work experience under your belt, but an application that will demonstrate your passion and commitment to a career in medicine. Getting into Medical School takes an honest look at what it really takes to win your place at medical school and take the first steps towards your chosen career. It contains practical, detailed advice on the entire aplication process, including: How to secure valuable work experience Guidance on preparing a brilliant UCAS application How to handle admissions tests, including UKCAT and BMAT Tips on making a great impression at interview --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Steven Piumatti is a Director of Studies and Careers Advisor at Mander Portman Woodward. He is in charge of the Medical programme and runs work experience and interview preparation programmes for potential medics and medical students. He has also written the Trotman/MPW Getting into Dental School guide.

Getting an offer The idea of preparing for an interview is a relatively new one, and there are still many people who feel that you can’t (or shouldn’t) do so. Nevertheless, there is a fundamental weakness in the theory that the panel will somehow dismiss what you say and how you look as they unerringly uncover the ‘real you’. Wise and experienced though the interviewers may be, they do not have the ability to examine the deep recesses of the soul. They cannot ignore the words you didn’t mean to say or supply the ones you left out. Making your interview a success Success in an interview, like success in any other human activity, depends on preparation and practice. The first time you try to do something, you usually get it wrong, if only because unfamiliarity leads to nervousness. Practice is particularly important because medical schools rarely give a second chance to someone who makes a bad impression at interview. To help you practise, this chapter lists many typical questions and includes discussion on how to answer them. There is a section on how you can take charge of the interview and encourage the interviewers to ask you the questions you want to answer. There is a list of sample questions for a mock interview and, finally, there is a brief explanation of what will happen after your interviews. The questions included here are real questions that have been put to applicants over the last two years. They have been gleaned from students who have faced interviews, from admissions tutors and through sitting in on the real thing. As explained later, you cannot prepare for the odd, unpredictable questions, but the interviewers are not trying to catch you out, and they can be relied on to ask some of the general questions that are discussed here. For many questions, there are no ‘right’ answers and, even if there were, you shouldn’t trot them out parrot fashion. The purpose of presenting the questions, and some strategies for answering them, is to help you think about your answers before the interview and to enable you to put forward your own views clearly and with confidence. When you have read through this section, and thought about the questions, arrange for someone to sit down with you and take you through the mock interview questions on pages 57–9. (If you have the facilities, you will find it helpful to record the interview on video, for later analysis.) You might be interested in the views of four medical professionals, quoted in the November 2002 edition of the Student BMJ, on the qualities that they look for. This views will not have changed and in fact are time and time again emphasised by professionals in this field. ‘An understanding about what being a good doctor entails from both the profession’s point of view and the patient’s point of view; a significant, meaningful experience of working in a healthcare environment or with disabled or disadvantaged people; an understanding of the importance of research in medicine; an awareness of the ethical issues associated with medical research; good oral communication skills and evidence of flexible and critical thinking.’ Peter McCrorie, Director of the Graduate Entry Programme at St George’s ‘The innate characteristics of a good doctor are beneficence and the capacity to engage with the knowledge necessary for informed practice.’ Dr Allan Cumming, Associate Dean of Teaching at Edinburgh University ‘I think that you are born with some personal qualities, such as the ability to get on with people, to empathise with their distress, to inspire confidence in others, and to carry anxiety. Such qualities are very difficult to train into a person. A good doctor also needs knowledge and the experience of implementing that knowledge.’ Mike Shooter, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists ‘A medical student needs to be bright – not least to cope with a lifetime of assimilation of new concepts and knowledge. The ability to communicate, the ability to work as part of a multi-professional team, empathy and a non-prejudicial approach are qualities that should be expected in all healthcare professionals. There is also, however, a need for diversity and a need to resist any move towards personality conformity.’ John Tooke, Dean of the Peninsula Medical School Finally, don’t forget that medical school interviewers are busy people and they do not interview for the fun of it. Neither do they set out to humiliate you. They call you for interview because they want to offer you a place – make it easy for them to do so! Typical interview questions and how to handle them Why do you want to become a doctor? The question that most interviewees dread! Answers that will turn your interviewers’ stomachs and may lead to rejection are: • I want to heal sick people • my father is a doctor and I want to be like him • the money’s good and unemployment among doctors is low • the careers teacher told me to apply • it’s glamorous • I want to join a respected profession, so it is either this or law. Try the question now. Most sixth-formers find it quite hard to give an answer and are often not sure why they want to be a doctor. Often the reasons are lost in the mists of time and have simply been reinforced over the years. The interviewers will be sympathetic, but they do require an answer that sounds convincing. There are four general strategies: The story (option A) You tell the interesting (and true) story of how you have always been interested in medicine, how you have made an effort to find out what is involved by visiting your local hospital, working with your GP, etc. and how this long-term and deep-seated interest has now become something of a passion. (Stand by for searching questions designed to check that you know what you are talking about!) The story (option B) You tell the interesting (and true) story of how you, or a close relative, suffered from an illness that brought you into contact with the medical profession. This experience made you think of becoming a doctor and, since then, you have made an effort to find out what is involved . . . (as before). The logical elimination of alternatives In this approach you have analysed your career options and decided that you want to spend your life in a scientific environment (you have enjoyed science at school) but would find pure research too impersonal. Therefore the idea of a career that combines the excitement of scientific investigation with a great deal of human contact is attractive. Since discovering that medicine offers this combination, you have investigated it (and other alternatives) thoroughly (visits to hospitals, GPs, etc.) and have become passionately committed to your decision. The problems with this approach are that: • they will have heard it all before • you will find it harder to convince them of your passion for medicine. Fascination with people Some applicants can honestly claim to have a real interest in people. Here’s a test to see if you are one of them: you are waiting in the queue for a bus/train/supermarket checkout. Do you ignore the other people in the queue or do you start chatting to them? Win extra points if they spontaneously start chatting to you, and a bonus if, within five minutes, they have told you their life story. Applicants with this seemingly magical power to empathise with their fellow human beings do, if they have a matching interest in human biology, have a good claim to a place at medical school. Whether you choose one of these strategies or one of your own, your answer must be well-considered and convincing. Additionally, it should sound natural and not over-rehearsed. Bear in mind that most of your interviewers will be doctors, and they (hopefully) will have chosen medicine because they, like you, had a burning desire to do so. They will not expect you to be able to justify your choice by reasoned argument alone. Statements (as long as they are supported by evidence of practical research) such as ‘and the more work I did at St James’s, the more I realised that medicine is what I desperately want to do’ are quite acceptable and far more convincing than saying ‘Medicine is the only career that combines science and the chance to work with people’, because it isn’t! --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Introduction A realistic chance Approximately two out of every five students applying for entry to medical school gain a place. Many of those who are rejected are excellent candidates with good GCSE results, high predicted A level grades and a genuine belief that medicine was the right career for them. So why are they unsuccessful? Clearly, not everyone who wants to become a doctor can get into medical school as there are a fixed number of places available. However, many good candidates do not give themselves a realistic chance of getting an interview because their preparation is not as thorough as it ought to be. If you are to prepare effectively for your application, you need to start early – ideally two years before you are due to submit it to UCAS. However, even in a short period of time (a few months), you can put together a convincing application if you follow the advice in this book. According to the latest available statistics from UCAS on entries and applicants for the 2008 application cycle intake into medical schools there was a 8% increase on applicants compared to the 2007 numbers. By the October deadline in 2009, UCAS had received 15,181 applications for medical school places from UK students and a further 3626 applications from international students. Therefore in 2009, nearly 19,000 students were battling for the 8000 places that are available at UK medical schools. The data table belows gives some comparisons and data on the 2008 application cycle. INSERT TABLE 1 (Waiting for permission to use this) http://www.ucas.co.uk/about_us/stat_services/ http://www.ucas.co.uk/about_us/stat_services/stats_online/annual_datasets_to_download/ NB. 2009 application cycle statistics are not available until mid – February 2010. The grades you need Table 8 (pages 135–7) shows that, with a few exceptions, the A level grades you need for medicine are AAB. You might be lucky and get an offer of ABB, but you won’t know that until six months before the exams, so you can’t rely on it. Some medical schools now require AAA. As a general guide, candidates offering qualifications other than A levels are likely to need the following: • Scottish: ABB in Advanced Highers • International Baccalaureate: around 35 points including 6, 6, 5 at Higher Level (including Chemistry) • European Baccalaureate: minimum of about 70% overall, with at least 80% in Chemistry and another Full Option science/ mathematical subject. But there’s more to it than grades . . . If getting a place to study medicine was purely a matter of achieving the right grades, medical schools would demand AAA at A level (or equivalent) and 10 A* grades at GCSE, and they would not bother to interview. However, to become a successful doctor requires many skills, academic and otherwise, and it is the job of the admissions staff to try to identify who of the thousands of applicants are the most suitable. It would be misleading to say that anyone, with enough effort, could become a doctor, but it is important for candidates who have the potential to succeed to make the best use of their applications. Non-standard applications Not all successful applicants apply during their final year of A levels. Some have retaken their exams, while others have used a gap year to add substance to their UCAS application. Again, it would be wrong to say that anyone who reapplies will automatically get a place, but good candidates should not assume that rejection first time round means the end of their career aspirations. Gaining a place as a retake student or as a second-time applicant is not as easy as it used to be, but candidates who can demonstrate genuine commitment alongside the right personal and academic qualities still have a good chance of success if they go about their applications in the right way. The admissions staff at the medical schools tend to be extremely helpful and, except at the busiest times of the year when they simply do not have the time, they will give advice and encouragement to suitable applicants. Admissions The medical schools make strenuous efforts to maintain fair selection procedures: UCAS applications are generally seen by more than one selector, interview panels are given strict guidelines about what they can (and cannot) ask, and most make available detailed statistics about the backgrounds of the students they interview. Above all, admissions staff will tell you that they are looking for good ‘all-rounders’ who can communicate effectively with others, are academically able and are genuinely enthusiastic about medicine – if you think that this sounds like you, then read on! Reflections of a doctor The words below from a qualified practitioner and then from a mature student embarking on a career in medicine express and reflect some of the many challenges and rewards that you also may face in your own journey to become a doctor. Like every journey, the grandest ones start with the first minuscule step. “There is a true joy in qualifying as a doctor. All the hurdles of getting into medical school and the midnight oil burnt to pass the countless exams are behind you, and for the first time in our life you have the honour of putting the initials ‘Dr’ in front of your name. It’s better than being knighted. However, your journey through medicine is only just beginning. Ahead of you lie more hurdles and the difficult choices of what field to specialise in. Anyone considering medicine will understand the rewards of medicine: the privilege of caring for others and being let in to their most private world; the opportunity to be an advocate for the most vulnerable in society; the respect that comes from being in the most trusted profession; the variety of work; the intellectual challenge; and the chance to work in a team of like-minded individuals. There are many challenges as well. All new doctors will need to sub-specialise, and that requires more exams. Gaining the experience to become a good doctor requires putting in the hours, day and night. Expectations are ever higher and consumer demands can lead to difficult consultations and litigation. While making people better can be heart warming, making mistakes or seeing people become sicker and die can be heart wrenching. One of the early decisions to make is whether to become a general practitioner or a hospital doctor. The first phase in your career is to gather all the knowledge and skills required to become certified in your chosen area. The second is to build on your experience and confidence, and often to sub-specialise in discrete clinical areas. The third stage is to act as a mentor and leader of more junior colleagues. All three stages provide the chance to develop interests in education, research or medical management. Medicine is a broad church that accommodates varied brethren, from the compassionate to the technical, the intellectual to the practical. There is one theme that is common to all: the desire to improve the well-being of individuals and communities. While the work can be stressful, and the responsibility can sometimes be crushing, being a doctor will always be occupying and fulfilling.” Dr John Wright – Director of Clinical Governance and Operations Medical Director at Bradford Royal Infirmary Patrick is a genetics graduate who is now studying A level Chemistry over a year. He currently holds four offers subject to him receiving an A grade in the June examinations. Patrick writes: Medical school is a completely different world. It gives you a very accurate reflection of what life in the profession will be like, stressful but uniquely absorbing at the same time. This is a mature reflection on a course that is the same for students of any age. For any student who has an intention to study this course, preparations should have begun long ago. You cannot fail to appreciate the importance of work experience and how much of a role that will play in your acceptances. In my interviews, work experience was called into question and the experiences I learnt from them were dissected (excuse the pun) at great length. If nothing else, work experience confirms whether this is the right choice of career for you and believe me, from experience, you have to be sure. That is the best piece of advice that I can give any student, know what you want and work for it. Any problems ask, the more contact you have with an admissions tutor, the more they will believe that you are dedicated on what you wish to achieve. You cannot be expected to know everything and therefore people do not mind being asked questions. Blagging in this career is never advisable! Many people I know have applied for a similar career, some have got in, others – and really able candidates – have not, simply because they have not convinced the interviewer that they have thought through every aspect of this course. Be true to yourself, it is a hugely rewarding career, but in order to help others, you must really want to do it. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.