Graduate Entry To Medicine: Improve your chances of success. Phil Clarke Senior Careers Adviser Careers, Employability & Skills

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1 Graduate Entry To Medicine: Improve your chances of success Phil Clarke Senior Careers Adviser Careers, Employability & Skills

2 1. Course options for graduates 2. What do Medical Schools look for? 3. Work experience and why it matters 4. Application/selection processes & funding 5. Tips for writing an effective personal statement 6. Next steps & Plan Bs 7. Further help & information OVERVIEW OF SESSION

3 This is an overview use this as a starting point Aim is to discuss ways to increase your chances of success Information as accurate as possible Some things hard to be precise about Do your own research BEFORE WE START

4 GRADUATE ENTRY TO MEDICINE KEY POINTS Why Medicine? Medicine is VERY competitive (and expensive) to enter Who will you apply for? If only QUB, how strong a commitment to Medicine do you have? Graduate entry or traditional 5 year entry? What else do you need to increase your chances?

5 WHAT DO SCHOOLS OF MEDICINE LOOK FOR? A well-rounded, motivated individual, ie: Strong and consistent academic performance Ability to get on with people interpersonal/ communication skills Ability to work in a team Relevant work experience in a caring role Leadership skills/ position(s) of responsibility Evidence of hobbies/interests Some idea of how the NHS works / current issues QUB mentions Empathy Problem-solving Ethical Reasoning Communications

6 HOW TO APPLY UK Through UCAS By 15 Oct year before entry (both Medicine and Dentistry) RoI Through CAO By 1 February in year of application for Graduate entry

7 GRADUATE ENTRY NON-GRADUATE ENTRY 4 years 14 courses in England 1 course in Wales 4 courses in Republic of Ireland None in N Ireland or Scotland More intensive than regular courses More competitive Less expensive (relatively) Open to non-grads/grads 34 Medical Schools in UK 5 courses in RoI Less pressurised Potentially more expensive Longer TYPES OF COURSES

8 GRADUATE ENTRY TO DENTISTRY 5 Dental Schools offer graduate entry programmes Graduate entry courses normally 4 years; standard degrees 5 years Prefer 2:1 or above in a degree with a large element of biology or chemistry

9 MEDICINE AT QUB Medicine at QUB (info from School Feb 2014) Between 50 and 60 admitted into a year of 261 students for the last two years Apply to take UKCAT summer before UCAS application The selection process for Medicine involves two stages: Cognitive Ability involves consideration of previous academic performance, including school, college and university grades as appropriate, as well as UKCAT score Top ranked candidates then move to next stage Non-Cognitive Ability - This will comprise around 9-10 multi-mini interviews (MMIs) designed to objectively evaluate non-cognitive skills Decisions about whether or not to make a conditional or unconditional offer will be based solely on interview performance Queen s School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science 2014 entry statement Policy statement being updated for 2015 entry

10 UKCAT (UK CLINICAL APTITUDE TEST) The UKCAT does not contain any curriculum or science content; nor can it be revised for. It focuses on exploring the cognitive powers of candidates and other attributes considered to be valuable for health care professionals. Multiple choice format and takes 2 hours: Verbal Reasoning (22m) Quantitative Reasoning (23m) Abstract Reasoning (14m) Decision Analysis (34m) Situational Judgement (27m) Can be taken at variety of centres in N Ireland and ROI Spend around hours in preparation for the UKCAT. This is the mount of preparation done by the highest scoring respondents to our survey. UKCATSEN for candidates with special educational needs

11 UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT - OVERVIEW In many ways this is the most important part of UCAS form There is no correct way of writing a personal statement Make it relevant to Medicine The statement should reflect you, your motivation to do Medicine, your personality, skills, experiences, insights etc Use language which reflects your motivation Avoid copying other statements how do you know they re any good? Also anti-plagiarism technology may be used Be extra careful to avoid spelling/grammatical errors Take your time - don t submit your form at the last minute Seek advice on writing/reviewing your statement

12 WRITING AN EFFECTIVE PERSONAL STATEMENT - 1 Why you want to study medicine and why you are applying at this stage your commitment to Medicine, factors influencing your choice, how your current degree fits and links with Medicine Describe your work/voluntary experience and what you learned reflect on your working experiences and what you learned from them that s relevant for Medicine Describe other relevant life/work experiences if they have bearing on your application eg developed relevant skills

13 WRITING AN EFFECTIVE PERSONAL STATEMENT 2 Other interests and conclusion eg extracurricular activities at Queen s that demonstrate you are a rounded, 3-D individual Your conclusion should summarise whole statement why you feel you will make a good doctor etc, keep this punchy, probably not more than 3 or 4 lines long Vital for statement to demonstrate relevance and reflection

14 Time spent in a hospital and/or GP environment can offer insights into what doctors do and the environments in which they work Other placements etc can give you hands on experience of working with people It can help you decide if this is the right kind of work and environment for you WHY IS WORK EXPERIENCE IMPORTANT?

15 WORK EXPERIENCE Work experience is also an essential part of your application to medical school. Getting a place at medical school is no longer just about getting the right grades. It is essential that you prove that you are a well rounded individual who wants to be a doctor for all the right reasons. You need to demonstrate a wide variety of skills and experiences and show that you have a realistic view of what a career in medicine involves. (From MedSchoolsOnline website)

16 I would definitely recommend that students do not just shadow a consultant or GP prior to attending medical school, but also do some work experience that lets you really get chance to talk to patients. My advice to anyone looking for a place as a medical student is to get some general experience of hospital or GP medicine, and to supplement this with something different, so that you stand out at your interview. QUOTES FROM MEDICS

17 Hospital and GP related experience useful but will be limited in scope May be competing with school pupil work experience programmes Other health-care or health related settings are worth exploring eg community health centres, care homes, hospices, special schools etc Doesn t have to be exclusively 'clinical experience' paid or voluntary work with types of people you will come into contact with as a doctor is good eg elderly, children, people with mental or physical disabilities etc Check out insurance issues especially for public sector employers - useful website for voluntary work MAKE IT RELEVANT...

18 Workshops, recruitment events and talks with a range of charities, employers and other external organisations volunteer@qub.ac.uk STUDENT VOLUNTEER QUB MON 24 FEB SUN 2 MARCH

19 Funding is a major issue to consider Schools may require evidence that funding is in place for the full course Check your options thoroughly with your funding body! How will you fund the degree? BROAD FUNDING OPTIONS

20 Advice for Northern Ireland students applying for accelerated 4 year programmes seems to be that you will have to pay full tuition fees yourself. To help cover living costs you can apply to Student Finance NI for a student loan for maintenance, and possibly other benefits, if eligible For standard 5+ year degrees you again have to pay tuition fees yourself throughout the course. You can also apply to Student Finance NI for: a student loan for maintenance and other benefits, if eligible There doesn t seem to be the entitlement to the Year 5 DHSSPS bursary as you are studying a second degree. GOVERNMENT FUNDING

21 Charitable trusts Some funding available eg BMA Medical Educational Trust etc Access/discretionary/other institutional funding May be available depending on circumstances and institution Check with individual Schools of Medicine OTHER FUNDING OPTIONS

22 Medical Schools UK FURTHER INFORMATION Schools-A-Z.aspx NHS website mme.aspx The Student Room (page on graduate entry to medicine) Info on Medicine in RoI and beyond Medical Schools Online British Medical Association UCAS CAO UKCAT GAMSAT Queen s Careers Funding and

23 ARE YOU IN CONTROL? 6 THINGS TO DO 1. Research all course options 2. Increase your chances with maximum number of applications 3. Explore and develop work experience options 4. Register for Degree Plus and get credit for nonacademic achievements 5. Develop a Plan B 6. Get help from your Careers Adviser and others with personal statement, applications, help with developing work experience etc.