why medicine?

what does ‘research’ mean in med school?

• scientific studies in genetics, disease patterns, etc.

• drug development

• clinical research involving patient data and trials (clinical trials)

• teaches you how to critically analyse scientific information, which is a skill needed to make informed clinical decisions

why medicine?

• motivation comes from a mix of personal experiences and academic reasons

personal experience

• mummy, abdominal hernia for a while

• the switch before surgery vs after surgery was really incredible to see

  • she was in a lot of pain almost everyday and would cry

• seeing firsthand the impact of doctors and the things made possible by medicine

• planted the idea that this is a meaningful career and i want to get involved with this

• visiting my mother in hospital

• the other patients in the bay were quite noisy → overstimulating

• doctors were calm, patient and showed empathy and compassion towards my mother

• i want to mirror this compassion

the joy of helping people

• ms otabil school

• yr 10 work experience in a primary school

• tutoring chem students as a yr 12 prefect

• reflecting on all of these experiences has made me realise the joy of helping people: it’s very satisfying to know that you’ve helped someone

• medicine is like a lifetime of helping people

work experience in a care home

• saw the impact of compassionate care

• working closely with the residents showed me how much small acts of kindess matter

• things like having a chat during lunch, playing board games or making jigsaw

• witness a team of people working to care for vulnerable people

• improving people’s lives is a meaningful thing → holds personal significance

• privledge of helping people on a daily basis and privledge of being trusted by patients to help them, it’s a huge and very difficult responsibility, but i feel kind of motivated by that responsibility

academically

• helping people is intertwined with scientific knowledge and problem-solving

• applying science to help people and applying science to patient care

• chemistry is my strongest subject in school → chem is a lot of problem-solving

• the profession will allow me to keep on learning throughout my life _→ my learning won’t just stop after i’ve graduated from my degree

• this lifelong learning will help me to continually grow and develop as a person

• doctors and physicians develop a really deep understanding of medicine, and develop a high problem-solving ability and a high level of knowledge of medicine

• it’s a very intellectually stimulating job and i’ll be encouraged to challenge myself everyday

• links back to opportunitu of continually developing as a person

overall, blends humanity and this mission of helping people with science

what are the challenges/drawbacks of medicine?

poor mental health

• a Guardian article - Jan 2025

  • almost 2000 doctors surveys, over 60% compassion fatigue

    • developed through facing ongoing crisis-like situations

  • 85% of GPs who had had suicidal thoughts blamed it on their jobs

overcoming compassion fatigue

• recognise that you have limited control over other people’s pain

• letting go of things you can’t change

• practice gratitude for small things

risk of burnout (hopelessness)

• the cause of this burnout: persistent stress, due to heavy workloads and understaffing, working long hours, working beyond shifts → stress + exhaustion → burnout

  • data from 2024, 1/3 of doctors are struggling/working beyond shifts/feeling unable to cope, and 48% of GPs also feel into this category too

habits to overcome burnout

• don’t forget how lucky you are, recognise all the things there are to be thankful for

  • opportunity to futher your education is a priveledge

  • opportunity to help people during their most trying moments is a blessing

• have a decompression ritual

  • an activity that signals to your brain that ‘i am away from work, i can relax’ and brings you genuine joy and will recharge you

  • for me, this would be swimming

• recognise burnout early: constant exhaustion, lack of motivation

what do you understand about the role of a doctor?

• the role of a doctor is immense, lifelong commitment

• to truly be a successful doctor, you must dedicate your life to the profession

• very big responsibility

• extremely challenging

  • unpredictable hours

  • high stress levels

  • risk of burnout

  • emotional drain from difficult cases

  • having to have difficult conversations

  • risk of compassion fatigue

• deep satisfaction from being trusted by patients to help them

• making a positive impact on people’s lives daily

why medicine over nursing?

nursing

• more 1-on-1

• developing a deeper relationship with patients

• lifting, moving, supporting patients

doctors

• focused more on problem-solving

• managing teams to provide effective care

• perform more complex procedures

• opportunity to explore medical science in more depth

overall

• both are equally important and needed in the NHS

• their differences complement each other

• nurses are important → support patients emotionally, monitor patients and notice early signs of complications, early detection saves lives

• doctors have a more detailed education of medicine and greater expertise in identifying symptoms

importance of GPs

• first point of contact

• primary care provider - the initial healthcare professional a patient would see for a health concern

• educate patients about their health

  • informing them about potential risks

  • offering lifestyle advice

  • discussing treatment options

why Leicester?

rankings and reputation, their curriculum, good opportunities provided by the course, good city life

ranked pretty highly in a lot of league tables (4th good times - 8th guardian)

high reputation for research

• 2021 Research Excellence Framework ranked Leicester 2nd in the world for research in Clinical Medicine

• Leicester researchers develop Kidney Symptom Questionnaire which covers the 13 most common symptoms reported by people with kidney disease who do not need dialysis or a transplant

  • questionnaire to be used across the UK

  • excessive tiredness, poor appetite, needing to urinate often

integrated curriculum

• mixture of lecutures, interactive group work, clinical teaching

• hospital ward experience in the first year (in block or out block)

  • hands-on from the beginning

  • early patient contact which allows you to develop patient skills and professional skills from an early stage

  • able to connect theory with practice, making complicated topics easier to understand which means you’ll be able to recall them better

good opportunities:

• full-body dissection in first year, not a lot of med schools offer

  • dissecting a body and exploring human anatomy with my own hands will make me remember things better → long-term retention

• Clinical Teaching Fellows - resident doctors teach you for a year

  • very skilled on explaining difficult concepts → better learning

  • serve as approachable role models

  • can guide you because they’ve been where you’ve been

  • support you through challenging times

• first year students provided with iPads

  • study material and resources delivered onto these iPads

• summer ball, winter ball

city life:

• good restaurants

• lots of parks

• good shopping

• diverse and multicultural so I won’t feel out of place

• why Kent?

• integrated curriculum

  • mixture of lectures, small group work, dissection

    • learning delivered through a range of methods

  • clinical placements within the first term of the first year of the course

    • hands-on from the beginning

    • early patient contact which allows you to develop patient skills and professional skills from an early stage

    • able to understand the needs of patients

    • range of settings to learn about the variety of healthcare roles

    • able to connect theory with practice, making complicated topics easier to understand which means you’ll be able to recall them better

• dissecting a body and exploring human anatomy with my own hands will make me remember things better → long-term retention

• buildings are new, technology is new, specialist modern facilities

• anatomy labs

• full-body dissections

• GP and hospital simulation suites

  • more immersive experience

• student at both Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Kent

  • benefit from having access to facilities at both

  • libraries, cafes, shops

  • student-led sport clubs

  • MedSoc - run events throughout the year and have a variety of sub-societies

    • able to meet new friends and also people who can mentor me

• well-connected to London, weekend trips

• access to the Eurostar (Ashford station for the Eurostar)

  • weekend trips to Paris or London

  • opportunity for exploration

why Queen Mary’s?

• course structure 

• city life 

• research 

• how will you contribute to life there?

what would you do if you don’t get into medicine this year?

short term

• reflect on where I went wrong

  • e.g. low UCAT score, start prep earlier

  • PS lacked the depth to truly convey my passion for medicine?

  • lack of clinical experience?

long term

• gaining more work experience and volunteer so that i can grow as a person and enhance my application for the next cycle
  

challenge of re-applying

• trying to not feel discouraged, dealing with the disappointment of being rejected

• accurately reflecting on where the previous application fell short

• however, setbacks shouldn’t chase you away from your goal of studying medicine

• important to remind yourself of why you applied and maintain that motivation to reapply