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Location, location, location
There are 41 medical schools and one post graduate medical school around the UK approved by the Medical Schools Council. This means there’s plenty of choices when it comes to choosing where to study. Whether you prefer a busy capital city like London or Edinburgh or lean more towards a less-bustling location like Southampton or Plymouth, there are several medical schools across the UK to choose from.
To see where you can study medicine in the UK, look at the list of medicine degrees on offer.
The balance between theoretical and practical learning
A medicine degree will involve a variety of work. If you dread hundreds of essays and reading lists longer than most toddlers' Christmas lists, you’ll be pleased to know that a large chunk of a medicine degree involves work placements.
These placements normally take place in university campus hospitals and will expose you to the different specialities available in medicine. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with patients, learning how to build rapport and show empathy towards their situation.
Career variety
After two years of study and two years of practical foundation training, you can choose an area of medicine to specialise in. There are over 60 areas of specialism including anaesthesia, psychiatry, radiology and surgery. Medicine itself is an umbrella term for a long list of specialist areas like cardiology, dermatology and neurology too.
Samantha James, who studies medicine at Cardiff University, says: "Every week you learn about a different speciality and can see yourself doing it. It's very hard to not be fickle because it's all so interesting and diverse. I know that I could never get bored doing medicine because the patients will be different, and medicine is constantly evolving."
There is plenty of opportunity after graduation too. You could end up working at a hospital, at an institute of science, in public health care or somewhere else entirely.
You won’t get bored
The field of medicine is constantly developing. There will always be new things to learn which means that you won’t ever find yourself twiddling your thumbs. Whether you decide to change specialisms or stick with your current field, you’ll struggle to get bored in a career that provides so much choice.
Life-changing career
How many people can come home after a long day at work and know they've really changed, or even saved, someone's life? Working in medicine gives you the chance to make this difference, whether that is operating in a hospital theatre or working in a research lab to develop new vaccines.
Samantha believes that "Medicine really is an absolute privilege. To be allowed into someone's life and to be trusted by someone is special. You do feel like you can make a change. You’re in a special position where you can make a difference."
Great for a people person
Communication is key in medicine. You’ll be dealing with colleagues, mentors, patients and their families. It’s important that you can communicate well and appropriately with anyone. Work placements throughout your studies will allow you to develop these skills.
Teamwork is also a huge part of medicine. The levels of cooperation between doctors, nurses and other practitioners must be constant. If you enjoy working within a team and thrive off learning from others, then studying medicine will be a good choice.
An extremely valuable career
People look up to and respect those in medicine for many reasons. You’ll have gone through a long process of training, achieved very good grades and you’ll be improving people’s lives. Those who work in medicine play a hugely important role in society. Respect comes with the territory.
Job prospects
Until humans stop getting ill or into accidents, there will always be a demand for medical professionals. Most medical students are in work within six months of graduation.
According to the Labour Force Survey on the 2020 unemployment rates in the UK, the unemployment rate for medical practitioners was 0.75%. The Covid pandemic has only increased the demand and need for those with a medical degree.
You could work abroad
Earning a medicine degree in the UK will allow you to practice in most countries around the world. You typically won’t need any extra qualifications but may need to apply for a license to practice in that country. A medicine degree will give you flexibility with your career aspirations if you do want to live and work outside the UK.
Earn a reasonable salary
Money shouldn't be the deciding factor when choosing what to study but knowing that you can earn a decent future salary does help.
According to the NHS careers website, doctors in their first year of foundation training can earn a basic salary of £28,243. It then jumps to £32,691 in the second year. The basic salary for those in specialist training is anywhere between £38,694 and £49,036. Consultants can earn a basic salary of between £82,096 and £110,683. As a GP, salaries can range from £60,455 to £91,228.
Header image: Photo by Luis Melendez on Unsplash
