Career/life change

missbiggles1

Outofoffice wrote: »

At the time I started I did want to progress in my current organisation. However, I was young and inexperienced and that has now changed along with my ambitions for my career. So I thought about what I would like to do and I've always had a dream of helping other in a medical profession. Hence, the ambitious idea of becoming a GP....although it is in the very early stages, I can see it may not be entirely realistic....but why not try eh?

Although your Third isn't going to help (perhaps self fund a couple of additional units in the future to pull your grade up?), you might like to look at the the NHS Graduate Programme which is currently recruiting.

http://www.nhsgraduates.co.uk/about-the-nhs/

Alternatively, you could look at admin jobs in the NHS and work your way up.

Paully232000

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Although your Third isn't going to help (perhaps self fund a couple of additional units in the future to pull your grade up?), you might like to look at the the NHS Graduate Programme which is currently recruiting.

http://www.nhsgraduates.co.uk/about-the-nhs/

Alternatively, you could look at admin jobs in the NHS and work your way up.

the minimum grade for entry is a 2:2, and by the looks of it the OP is on for getting a 3rd.

Savvy_Sue

Outofoffice wrote: »

So I thought about what I would like to do and I've always had a dream of helping other in a medical profession.

Does it have to be 'medical'? Have you thought about any of the complementary therapies? it would still be hard work, but counselling and massage are two things which have helped keep me reasonably sane and healthy ...

missbiggles1

Paully232000 wrote: »

the minimum grade for entry is a 2:2, and by the looks of it the OP is on for getting a 3rd.

I thought s/he'd need to pull her grade up for this but thanks for the confirmation..

SomeRandomGuy

Polarbeary wrote: »

Why not try nursing, physio, speech therapy, occupational therapy, radiography or dietics if you wanted to work in healthcare? They are still very competitive and you would need to ensure you had the relevant qualifications and volunteer in hospitals but that might be another route?

Because they aren't medicine? Aren't those professions full of enough 'failed medics' as it is?

I have a lot of sympathy for you OP because I always wanted to be a doctor but for one reason or another I never got the qualifications. Now I'm a similar age to you I realize it is just a pipe dream that would be incredibly difficult to achieve.

I spend a lot of time reading medical info out of interest and because of my own health problems. Have you researched the current situation of general practice in this country? GP moral is incredibly low, workload and pressure is huge and the pay is nowhere near what the tabloid papers would have you believe.

Getting into med school is incredibly competitive, at undergrad level you are competing with 18 year olds with fistfulls of A* GSCEs and A-levels and many extra curricular awards. For grad entry you are competing with people who have at least 2:1 degrees in related subjects and often many years of experience working as nurses/physios/other health care roles.

Using the allied health professional training as a stepping stone to medicine it would be very tough at age 30. To get a degree to become an allied health professional, (3 years), then get some experience (3 years) then go back and go for graduate entry medicine (4 years). At this point you are aged 40 and a junior doctor with 5 years of training ahead of you to become a GP

It isn't impossible but it is very hard, especially if you have kids and no financial provisions. I suggest you investigate Access to Medicine courses - contact the tutors and have a serious discussion about what is required.

Do you actually have any relevant healthcare work experience? I would suggest a year of relevant experience is going to be the minimum requirement.

SomeRandomGuy

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Sometimes realism is a greater kindness than optimism.

Harsh but true. I would love to do it myself but it just isn't realistic given my circumstances.... OP describes a situation that is even more challenging with a child and mortgage.

And to be honest having a bad degree is worse than having no degree. It will probably reduce the funding available and perhaps unfairly it will reflect badly.

Also why GP? Try reading the GP magazines like pulse....... the comments are full of burned out GPs (many not even that old) that are desperate to get out of the profession due to the unsustainable work load, hostile media, demanding patients, aggressive GMC, etc, etc. Few are making it until official retirement age before going part time or giving up completely. People who go down this path age 30 would just be qualifying at the kind of age when many GPs start to find the workload impossible to maintain......

And it costs a ton of money too. UKCAT to get in and all sorts of professional exams and membership bodies to join along the way (e.g. AKT, CSA) all of which cost a fortune. To become a GP you still have to do the foundation/specialist training which involves clinical rotation in hospitals......... i.e. lots of long, long hours, not just sitting a cosy GP surgery 9-5.

Ronaldo_Mconaldo

My sister studied medicine at University. Is now working as a locum doctor earning about a grand a day. She works one week then takes two or three weeks off. Some of the stories she told us when she was studying were brilliant, some of them pretty horrifying. Anyway, the OP has no chance.

LongTallKatie

I am rather surprised at many of the negative comments on here from people who assume the OP can't achieve the dream they have. Is it really impossible to imagine that someone can't have a complete change of career and start from scratch, working hard to do what they really want to do regardless of how long or how much is costs!

Paully232000

LongTallKatie wrote: »

I am rather surprised at many of the negative comments on here from people who assume the OP can't achieve the dream they have. Is it really impossible to imagine that someone can't have a complete change of career and start from scratch, working hard to do what they really want to do regardless of how long or how much is costs!

possibly negaitve, but just as much realistic.
In an ideal world maybe they can achieve their dream regardless of how long or how much it costs, but realistically no.
She can change her career and start again, yes; however changing to a GP, no.

skint_chick

How are you planning on financing the course even if you do get the GCSE's A Levels/Access course required? You wouldn't be able to take tuition loans for the full course length - you can have 6 years funding (5years medical degree + 1 year) - 3 years previous Open Uni degree (even if you didn't take any loans) so you will only receive loans for 3 years of medical school. You'll have to cover the first 2 years on your own - £9,000 tuition plus living expenses. That's in addition to funding A levels/Access course which could be done part-time while working but would take twice as long.


You would need to check that nursing would be considered a professional degree - if not then your previous study won't be considered a higher qualification and you'll get no student finance support.


Maybe you could look into volunteering in a care home/working with people with disabilities to get started - I work with socially isolated older adults and this is how I got started. It's very rewarding and doesn't need as much financial and life upheaval