• Question: What subjects do i need to more focus to become a doctor and could you suggest me what is the top and the best degree that can a doctor have please. thank you

    Asked by anon-281870 on 9 Mar 2021. This question was also asked by anon-287525.
    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 9 Mar 2021:

      The normal way into medicine is to do a medical degree but medical schools are heavily over subscribed. An alternative is to do a standard science degree…. chemistry or biology… and then do a postgraduate medicine course. At school you need to make sure and have As across the board for whatever science and maths subjects you choose to do.

    • Photo: Jesko Koehnke

      Jesko Koehnke answered on 9 Mar 2021:

      Like Martin said: Extremely competitive, you need nothing but As. I think that biology and latin help, as does a rudimentary understanding of physics and chemistry. And you need to be able to memorize an incredible amount of information very quickly, thousands of pages. Science is very different in that respect.

    • Photo: Atia Azad

      Atia Azad answered on 10 Mar 2021:

      Hi,

      I think it’s good to have a plan B because as mentioned by the others, medicine is competitive. The key to a successful interview is to not care too much about the result of the interview. You need to think about several career paths that make you happy in case one does not work out. Hope this helps and good luck!

    • Photo: Ane Valera

      Ane Valera answered on 10 Mar 2021:

      First of all, be aware about the entry requirements you have for medicine. As people have said, you need high grades to access that degree in science and if you have them, go ahead! If you feel that is your election and you meet the entry requirements, that’s what you should do.

      Another option is going for some biological sciences degree and later on focus on a specific medical related subject, but that’s up to you!

    • Photo: Amy Sanders

      Amy Sanders answered on 10 Mar 2021:

      Medicine is an extremely competitive degree to get into, you need all As at GCSE and A level and also something that is going to make you stand out.
      I’d definitely suggest looking at other courses that may interest you, and there’s a possibility that if you do a science degree you can apply to medicine through the Postgraduate route. A new role within the NHS called a Physicians Associate has opened up in the last few years, as a way to alleviate some pressures on medical doctors without requiring the full five year degree.
      There are other ways you can help patients, e.g. by becoming a clinical scientist or nursing. Nurses are hugely undervalued as they provide a lot of the one on one care with patients

    • Photo: Zuzanna Konieczna

      Zuzanna Konieczna answered on 10 Mar 2021:

      All my doctor friends were super focused on biology in high school, and it certainly helped! Chemistry can be very helpful too – if you break it down, the human body depends on reactions and molecules. A background in chemistry also helps understand how drugs work. It sounds like you are very passionate about it, so keep learning science, be curious and try to get as much science experience/exposure as possible! 🙂

      I have friends who went straight into their medical degree, but also quite a few who studied biomedical sciences at uni. Some of them enjoyed it so much that they are now trying clinical research, and some of them are doing postgraduate medical courses as originally planned!

    • Photo: Zahra Rattray

      Zahra Rattray answered on 13 Mar 2021:

      You will need to have a strong foundation in Biology and Chemistry, but it is also good to study other subjects like psychology and maths. You will need to get As to get into medical school. But have you considered other degrees where you can make medicines and do research into human health? As others have mentioned, it is good to have a backup plan. The best way to find out is to speak to a careers advisor in your school, go to open days or read prospectuses from different universities.

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