Medicine is one the UK’s most competitive courses and the universities which offer the course are at the higher end of most typical university rankings. Out of around 130 total universities in the UK, there are currently 37 medical schools. All of these are members of the Medical Schools Council and are considered to be some of the top areas of study for medicine worldwide. 

To become a GP, you'll need to complete:

• a degree in medicine, recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC)

• a two-year foundation course of general training

• specialist training in general practice.

Medical degrees are available at undergraduate level (taking five years to complete) and graduate level, which typically takes four years. The British Medical Association has further information about applying to medical school as a graduate.

Entry into medicine is very competitive and your motivation and commitment are rigorously assessed. You may be required to complete the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) or BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). Find out how to prepare for the UKCAT.

 * BMAT is being withdrawn 2024 : https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/bmat/

Following your medical degree, you'll need to complete a two-year foundation programme, which consists of:

• Foundation Year 1 (F1): allows you to take supervised responsibility of patient care in a variety of settings. Once you've successfully completed F1 you can be granted full registration by the General Medical Council (GMC).

• Foundation Year 2 (F2): you'll remain under supervision but will take on increasing responsibility and make management decisions. At the end of F2, you'll get the award of Foundation Achievement of Competence Document (FACD), which allows you to enter a general practice training programme. More information can be found at The Foundation Programme.

The specialist training in general practice takes at least three years to complete. This includes 18 months as a speciality registrar in a range of hospital roles, followed by another 18 months as a GP speciality registrar in general practice.

You will also need to pass the exams for membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and will then be awarded the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). This means you can then gain entry to the GMC GP Register, and start applying for jobs.

Medical Doctor Apprenticeships 

The NHS confirmed pilot funding for a new Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeship in January 2023.

The apprenticeships are also part of the NHS England Long Term Workforce Plan, which will see the biggest expansion of training in its history to help upskill, retain talent and create a healthcare workforce fit for the future.

Apprentices will earn a wage while training to nationally recognised standards, and like most degree apprenticeships, they won’t have to pay any tuition fees. The first applications for the small pilot scheme are likely to open in spring, with the aim that the first apprentices start in September 2024.

How can I apply for a doctor apprenticeship?

Start dates are yet to be confirmed and we expect candidates will be able to apply to the pilot scheme from spring, with first candidates to start from September 2024.

Those who are interested in applying should periodically check  NHS Jobs  or the government’s  Find an Apprenticeship website for any apprenticeship vacancies.

For your information:

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/05/nhs-doctor-apprenticeships-everything-you-need-to-know/

Deadline for Medical application through UCAS is typically MID-OCTOBER. 

Choosing a course:

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/

You can apply for 4 medical schools and the 5th choice can be used for a different course. 

GCSE and A-Levels required for medicine

While ultimately the grades you get at A-levels will be considered first, this does not mean that your GCSEs are not important.  Most medical schools tend to look at the overall picture when it comes to assessing prospective students.  You stand a much better chance, wherever you are looking to study medicine, of being accepted on to the course if you have a strong academic history overall.  So it is obviously very important that you do your best at GCSE level. 

In order to study medicine at most universities in the UK you need to, as a standard, have at least five A* or A grade GCSEs in subjects including Maths and English.  You also need to have at least a Grade B in a Science subject.  Whether it is Chemistry, Physics or Biology is not often particularly important, unless the medical school you are interested in has stipulated this in its entry requirements. 

Medical degrees always require at least AAA at A-level and grades have to be achieved in hard science subjects like biology and chemistry with physics or mathematics considered next most useful.  

For individual medical schools entry requirements please click here  : https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/what-a-levels-do-you-need-to-be-a-doctor/ 

Work Experience

Work experience is recommended to be undertaken to support your application to study medicine. 

The value that work experience brings to a medical school application cannot be underestimated. In a competitive area of higher education with more applications for courses than available places, having a relevant employment history, no matter how brief, can really enable you to stand out from the crowd and be seen as an ideal candidate. Volunteer positions are usually subject to background checks, which does take time, so bear this in mind and act swiftly. 

Making your application guidance:

https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/making-an-application

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/ucas/

Personal statement help :

https://www.themedicportal.com/blog/checklist-for-your-medicine-personal-statement/

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/personal-statement/

https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2374/msc-infosheet-personal-statement.pdf

https://www.studential.com/personal-statement-examples/medicine-personal-statement-examples

Shortlisted applicants will be invited by medical schools for interview. There are several types of interview so it is recommended that applicants learn about the different types used . 

Panel interviews

These interviews usually involve a panel of two or three interviewers. The interviewers can be a mixture of clinical and faculty staff, a senior medical student or a ‘lay’ interviewer (a member of the public). Panel interviews can be either structured, where specific set of questions are followed, or semi structured, where questions can be influenced by the interviewee’s answers so the process is more conversational. Panel interviews can be 20–30 minutes long and some medical schools require two interviews to be completed over two days.

Multiple-mini interviews

These interviews are often referred to as MMIs and consist of seven or eight different ‘stations’, or small interview scenarios. Each station will assess candidates for specific attributes and will only last for a short time. Stations can range from discussing personal statements and experience (like in a regular panel interview) to more practical scenarios that involve candidates interacting with an actor who will be playing a role. Before MMIs, candidates are briefed on the structure of their interview and given an opportunity to ask questions. It is worth researching or contacting the medical school before an MMI to find out what information is available about each station.

Assessment Centres

Assessment centres involve a variety of interview formats and tasks, and can take up to an entire day to complete. Tasks might include completing written work, group interviews and individual panel interviews. Medical schools should provide applicants with all the relevant information before the interview, but finding out as much as possible from the medical school is advised. 

1. Tell us about yourself.

2. Take us through your personal statement.

3. Why do you want to be a doctor? What do you want to achieve in medicine?

4. What have you read or experienced in order to prepare you for medicine?

5. Why do you believe you have the ability to undertake the study and work involved?

6. Why do you want to be a doctor, rather than another profession that is caring or intellectually challenging?

7. What do you think being a doctor entails, apart from treating patients?

8. What branch of medicine do you think would interest you? Why?

9. When you think about becoming a doctor, what do you look forward to most and least?

10. What impact do you hope to make in the field of medicine?

11. What one question would you ask if you were interviewing others to study medicine? What would you most like us to ask you in this interview?

12. Why study medicine rather than any other health care profession? How do you think medicine differs from other health professions?

13. What aspect of healthcare attracts you to medicine?

14. Why do you want to be a doctor? If you were to become a doctor, how would you wish your patients to describe you and why?

15. What steps have you taken to try to find out whether you really do want to become a doctor?

16. What things do you think might make people inclined to drop out of medical training?

17. There are many different ways of helping people. Why do you want to study medicine, rather than working in any other health or social care professions?

18. Can you tell us about any particular life experiences that you think may help or hinder you in a career in medicine?

19. How would you dissuade someone from going into Medicine.

20. How old are you when you become a consultant?

The values

So what are the values? There are six values that all staff – everyone from porters, physiotherapists, nurses, paramedics and gardeners to secretaries, consultants, healthcare scientists and phlebotomists – are expected to demonstrate:

• Working together for patients. Patients come first in everything we do

• Respect and dignity. We value every person – whether patient, their families or carers, or staff – as an individual, respect their aspirations and commitments in life, and seek to understand their priorities, needs, abilities and limits

• Commitment to quality of care. We earn the trust placed in us by insisting on quality and striving to get the basics of quality of care – safety, effectiveness and patient experience right every time

• Compassion. We ensure that compassion is central to the care we provide and respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain, distress, anxiety or need

• Improving lives. We strive to improve health and wellbeing and people’s experiences of the NHS

• Everyone counts. We maximise our resources for the benefit of the whole community, and make sure nobody is excluded, discriminated against or left behind.

General Medical Council 

What they do and why : 

The work they do is set out by the Medical Act 1983 and it covers five areas.

• The medical register

• Standards for doctors

• Education and training

• Revalidation

• Addressing concerns

https://www.gmc-uk.org/about/what-we-do-and-why

Professional standards :

The professional standards, set out in 11 categories, provide a framework for ethical decision making in a wide range of situations.

https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/professional-standards-for-doctors

Getting into Medicine and some Alternatives:

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/choosing-a-medical-school/foundation-courses/

https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/making-an-application/entry-requirements?type=medicine-with-a-gateway-year 

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/graduate-entry-medicine/medicine-transfer-schemes/#pathways

Other courses/ job profiles that may interest you: 

Research/ Science areas

• Genetics 

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/genetics

• Pharmacology 

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/pharmacology

• Biomedical Science 

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/biomedical-sciences

• Sport Science

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/sport-science-and-coaching

• Health or Bio Informatics

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/health-informatics

Helping others areas

• Pharmacy 

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/pharmacy

• Nursing

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/nursing

• Midwifery

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Careers%20in%20midwifery%20final%20for%20website.PDF

• Optometry 

• Occupational Therapy 

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/occupational-therap

• Nutrition 

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/nutrition

• Medical Social work 

• Genomic Counsellor 

• Clinical Psychologist 

• High Intensity Therapist 

• Radiographer 

All UK medical schools now require applicants to have experience in a caring or service role, either paid or voluntarily, in health or related field, as well as direct observation healthcare.

You can get a placement in a range of healthcare settings, such as a GP practice, hospital or even internationally.  Keep in mind that it will take some time. You may need to apply to many places before you get a positive response.