The Essential Guide to Becoming a Doctor, Third Edition

292 Pages·2010·2.688 MB·English

by  Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison, Benjamin Turney(auth.)

The Essential Guide
to Becoming a Doctor
The Essential Guide to Becoming a Doctor, Third Edition
Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison and Benjamin Turney
© 2011 Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison and Benjamin Turney. ISBN: 978-0-470-65455-2
The Essential
Guide to
Becoming
a Doctor
THIRD EDITION
Adrian Blundell
BMedSci, BM, BS, MRCP, MMedSci, MAcad MEd
Consultant,
Health Care of the Elderly and General Medicine,
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
Richard Harrison
BMedSci, BM, BS, MRCS, MD, MRCGP
General Practitioner
Windsor
Benjamin Turney
MA MB BChir MSc DPhil MRCS PGDipLATHE
Clinical Lecturer in Urology,
Nuffield Department of Surgery,
University of Oxford
Cartoons by
Rebecca Herbertson
BMedSci, BM, BS, MRCP, MSc, DM
Medical Oncology SpR
Sussex Cancer Centre
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
This edition first published 2011, © 2004 (BMJ Publishing Group), 2007, 2011 by Adrian Blundell, Richard
Harrison and Benjamin Turney
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blundell, Adrian.
The essential guide to becoming a doctor / Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison, Benjamin Turney ; cartoons by
Rebecca Herbertson. — 3rd ed.
p. ; cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-470-65455-2
1. Medicine—Great Britain—Vocational guidance. I. Harrison, Richard.
II. Turney, Benjamin. III. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Medicine—Great Britain—Popular Works. 2. Career Choice—Great Britain—Popular Works.
3. Education, Medical—Great Britain—Popular Works. 4. Vocational Guidance—Great Britain—Popular
Works. W 21 B658e 2011]
R690.B64 2011
610.69—dc22
2010024517
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This book is published in the following electronic formats: ePDF 9781444329759; Wiley Online Library
9781444329742; ePub 9781444329766
Set in 9.5/12 pt Minion by MPS Limited, a Macmillan Company, Chennai, India
1 2011
Contents
Preface to the first edition, vi
Preface to the third edition, vii
Acknowledgements, viii
1 A challenging career, 1
2 The application procedure, 10
3 Admission tests, 30
4 The year out, 34
5 Choosing a medical school, 42
6 Applying to Oxbridge, 64
7 The interview process, 71
8 Over 21s, 83
9 Life at medical school, 94
10 The medical course: early years, 107
11 The medical course: later years, 120
12 The intercalated degree, 133
13 The elective, 139
14 Finances, 145
15 House dog to top dog, 155
16 Working patterns and wages, 170
17 Life as a doctor, 183
18 Career options, 196
19 Training as a general practitioner, 219
20 Training in the medical field (becoming a physician), 228
21 Training in the surgical field, 240
22 Working abroad, 254
Appendix, 265
Index, 271
v
Preface to the first edition
So you want to be a doctor? Have you asked yourself why?
Doctors have a highly privileged role. Medics are involved in peoples’ lives
from facilitating their conception to dignifying their death. Medicine can
be a rewarding career despite constant concerns regarding hours, pay, and
working conditions. Consequently, competition for places at medical school
is high and on the increase.
Deciding to choose medicine is a decision that has lifelong and lifestyle
implications. Do you know that you will have to spend 5 years at university
and then up to 15 years before reaching the top of your profession? Do you
know what being on call means? Even more importantly do you have any
idea what life at university and a career as a doctor will be like?
Look no further because help is at hand. Here is the completely unbiased,
honest, and unadulterated guide to telling you everything you ever wanted
to know about being a doctor – and a lot more. From the initial application
right through to training in your chosen speciality – it’s all here.
We have written this book to help you make a decision about a career in
medicine. We hope that you find it helpful. Personally we had little or no
idea what we were letting ourselves in for. Lucky for us it was the right deci-
sion and we love it. Sadly for some it isn’t. Careful thought early on should
prevent this; remember there are other rewarding careers.
Life at university is fantastic, no arguments. Life as a doctor has great
moments, but be under no illusion, it is hard work, at times routine, and it can
be stressful. Read this book and embark on your career with your eyes and ears
open. Work hard but more importantly remember to take time to play hard.
Please remember that courses and application procedures change, as can
working patterns and practices. It is advisable to check the latest informa-
tion before applying.
Good luck!
Adrian Blundell
Richard Harrison
Benjamin Turney
2004
vi
Preface to the third edition
Despite the growing number of places available for medical students, uni-
versities are expecting more and more from applicants. Required A-level
grades are becoming higher, admission tests have been introduced and a
greater emphasis than ever before is being placed on extracurricular activi-
ties and work experience. Training as a medical student and life as a doctor
has changed considerably since the first edition of this book, nearly ten years
ago. The idea of being a doctor can be very different to the reality. Do your
research, and plenty of it; if you still want to become a doctor, then go for it –
there are few more rewarding careers for those who choose wisely.
Our reasons for writing this book have not changed and our general
advice hasn’t either. However many of the specifics are continually changing
and will continue to do so with the recent change of government. It is essen-
tial to keep up to date, even at an early stage of your career.
We wish you every success in your future career, whatever you choose.
Adrian Blundell
Richard Harrison
Benjamin Turney
2011
vii
Acknowledgements
We are extremely grateful to the following people for their contributions
and comments:
Julian Boullin Specialist Registrar in Cardiology, Southampton
University Hospitals NHS Trust
Tim Brabants Specialty Registrar, Acute Medicine, Nottingham
University Hospitals NHS Trust
Eleanor Dittner Foundation Year 1 Doctor, Nottingham
University Hospitals NHS Trust
Torquil Duncan-Brown General Practitioner, Litchfield
Bryony Elliott Specialty Registrar, Sherwood Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust
Alice Gallen Final Year Medical Student, University College
London
Alex Glover Foundation Year 2 Doctor, Nottingham
University Hospitals NHS Trust
Adam Gordon Clinical Lecturer in Medicine of Older People,
Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing, University
of Nottingham
Rebecca Herbertson Specialist Registrar in Medical Oncology,
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS
Trust
James Hopkinson General Practitioner, Nottingham
Emma Lane Foundation Year 2 Doctor, Palmerston North,
New Zealand
John MacFarlane Consultant Physician and Professor of
Respiratory Medicine, Nottingham University
Hospitals NHS Trust
Sir Peter Morris Former President of the Royal College of
Surgeons of England
viii
Acknowledgements ix
Pip Parson F oundation Year 2 Doctor, Royal Derby Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
David Powis Assistant Dean and Director of Teaching and
Learning
University of Newcastle, Australia
Zudin Puthucheary Clinical lecturer in intensive care, Institute of
health and human performance
University College, London
Jamie Read 5th Year Medical Student, Peninsula Medical
School
Anna Rich Specialist Registrar, Respiratory Medicine,
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Jeremy Snape Consultant Physician, Sherwood Forest Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Gemma Wilkinson General Practitioner, Nottingham
Chapter 1 A challenging career
1.1 Medicine or not
The decision to study medicine at university should not be made without
a great deal of thought and research into the reality of life as a doctor. At
the age of 17 it can be difficult to know whether you want to go to univer-
sity at all, let alone study for at least 5 years. Your future career ideas should
be discussed with family and friends but the final decision needs to be an
individual one. Those around you are likely to have differing views; parents
and teachers may feel that medicine is a respected profession and possibly
encourage you to take this path but some doctors may try to dissuade you.
Speak to as many students, doctors and other healthcare professionals as pos-
sible in order to gain as many opinions as possible. Ask individuals to justify
their reasoning for choosing medicine as a career and to explain why they
would or would not recommend it; without experiencing life as a doctor, it
is difficult to know what it will really be like. We all know friends who have
avoided medicine following their personal experience with one or both par-
ents as doctors. In comparison many students, after experiencing their own
family life, do decide to follow in their parents’ footsteps. Although relatively
common, try not to be persuaded or coerced into studying medicine by your
family – it is YOUR decision and YOUR career for the rest of your life.
For older candidates, the decision is even more difficult. A mature student
needs to be certain that the decision to study medicine is the right one as
often there is more at stake; each applicant will have their own personal cir-
cumstances but returning to student life may involve leaving paid employ-
ment and moving a family around the country.
1.2 Career planning portfolio
A useful starting point on the application pathway is to buy a scrapbook or
folder for developing into a useful resource full of ideas and information. Early
The Essential Guide to Becoming a Doctor, Third Edition
Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison and Benjamin Turney
© 2011 Adrian Blundell, Richard Harrison and Benjamin Turney. ISBN: 978-0-470-65455-2
1
2 The essential guide to becoming a doctor
pages should be dedicated to listing your possible career or degree choices.
For each decision produce a table with two columns headed ‘Advantages’ and
‘Disadvantages’.
Possible advantages of a career in medicine
(cid:129) Five years at university
(cid:129) Interesting
(cid:129) Virtual guarantee of job following graduation
(cid:129) Reasonable salary
(cid:129) Respected profession
(cid:129) Diverse range of specialties
(cid:129) Option to use both intellectual and technical abilities
(cid:129) Continual advances in the profession
(cid:129) Sociable work environment
(cid:129) Good team-working opportunities
(cid:129) Managerial and leadership opportunities
(cid:129) Structured career
(cid:129) Transferable skills
(cid:129) Opportunities for working abroad
If you find the disadvantages column dominating at any point, then think
carefully whether this decision is correct. Portfolios are used extensively in
the medical profession, from medical students to senior doctors, as a record
of training that can be used as evidence of competence (i.e. the ability to
carry out one’s job). Your portfolio can be divided into different sections:
academic; work experience diary; extracurricular activities; employment;
managerial, leadership and organizational skills; university choices; com-
mitment to medicine (or other degree); newspaper/journal articles; cur-
riculum vitae. Rather than just listing achievements, it is sensible to reflect
on your experiences, for example what were the good and bad bits and how
they have helped towards your future career choice. This will develop into
an essential resource that will aid your future career choice decision and will
be useful to look through prior to interviews.
Possible disadvantages of a career in medicine
(cid:129) Five years at university
(cid:129) Long hours
(cid:129) Lots of exams
(cid:129) Risk of mistakes