what is the graduate way to medicine

the graduate way

3+4 3+1+5 4+5 1+5

the amount of years one can be spending studying at university until they are qualified as a doctor in the UK. it is a long ass haul.

every doctor in healthcare will know of another doctor taking an unusual route to medicine. this is the graduate way.

3+4 (three years UG + graduate-entry medicine)

pros: the most common template. three years of biomed. four years of medicine. bish bash bosh. you’re in healthcare.

disadvantages: four year medical degree courses are notoriously competitive - limited places and high admission scores required. depending on the uni, the first year is basically your only pre-clinical year so can mean two years squished in one. intense but not impossible. you’ve got this far after all.

3+1+5 (three years UG + one year elsewhere + five year medicine)

pros: wedge a different non-uni / non-typical degree year in between your studies. a common tip given to many 20 year olds is to go travelling so why not do a different degree / new university / new job for a year.

disadvantages: a five year UK course will mean you have to pay tuition fees for at least four of those years. a five year course will mean you should try and make friends with the younger ones - mentorship and welcome drinks and all that.

4+5 (four years UG + five years medicine)

pros: a four year undergrad suggests you’ve done a placement year, pharmacy, opthalmology, nursing, physiology or an extended undergrad with an integrated masters - so you’ve probably got some skills beyond a typical undergraduate.

disadvantages: you’ve spent a decade in uni, possibly without a job. that’s simply a lot of debt racked up. taxes are coming and you better have a plan for that compounding interest rate.

1+5 (one year biomed transfer + five years medicine)

pros: the hollywood option. time and financially efficient. you may miss out on the BSc but tuition fees should be covered.

disadvantages: the rarest pokemon (7 out of 300 in my medical school year were transfers). uni admissions can play with places and requirements - even during the application cycle so be prepared to do the full degree at worst.

so what’s the takeaway

graduate medicine is long, can be increasingly competitive depending on the course and university you apply to.

if you’re 18, i would really recommend you to evaluate the financial implications of taking on potenially a five year medical course and paying the tuition fees.

if you’re 21 and post-graduate, if a four year course is your only option, there are private loans and charities available to help with the five year option.

if you’re 26 and post-medical school, i hope you’ve enjoyed university because its time to start paying taxes.

university is fun but costly. lots of experiences, skills and reflections to take onto your next job. so live it up.

what’s the alternative

• europe
• leave med
• choose biomed