Medical Thread

[abbas]

hey,

just saw this thread and would be happy to contribute if required.
I'm a medical student at a UK university, so if there is anyone intending to apply to the UK, and would like advice/ have any questions, then feel free to ask.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

BarakzaiAbdali, does one have to take Premed in College to apply to Med school?

Salaam Wrorre,

Haider Bangash is correct. See if one of you can scan through my prior answers as I have answered this question previously. I will try to do so again on Thursday for your benefit. Perhaps any supporters of this particular thread can cut and paste what I wrote previously regarding various undergraduate approach that can vary as wide as applying with a degree in Music to a Degree in Engineering. You can basically apply with any undergraduate degree, but as Bangash saib has written, you merely need the right prereq courses.

I will answer on Thursday with further specifics to give more detailed advice on the prereqs and give various examples of competitive and primary care schools and what they require as prereqs.

Until then, as I mentioned, if anyone gets a chance, they can collect what I wrote previously as a preliminary answer to unhiddentruth saib.

I will also answer Bangash Saib's question alongside of the question you asked since both overlap.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

hey,

just saw this thread and would be happy to contribute if required.
I'm a medical student at a UK university, so if there is anyone intending to apply to the UK, and would like advice/ have any questions, then feel free to ask.

Salaam Wrorre,

Perhaps you can best answer what I asked Dreamer earlier:

Dreamer wrorre, if you get the time, can you post for the sake of some of our UK colleagues how getting into the system there works? I have really not of an idea at all when it comes to the undergrad to medical school transition. I know British folks who went through their equivalent of residency, but not much more.

1) How does one get into medical school in the UK?
2) How does one get into the most competitive institutions?
3) What should one be doing at the high school/undergrad? equivalent levels over there.
4) What are the premiere institutions or the best of the best for medical schooling?

[Laila]

BarakzaiAbdali, does one have to take Premed in College to apply to Med school?

I was gonna ask a similar question. What major (undergrad) would put one on advantage when applying to a med school? I am a Biochem major. And how hard/easy is MCAT?

@unhiddentruth, as far as I've heard, you don't have to be a pre-med (as an undergrad) to apply to med school. You just need to be sure to take all the required math and science courses you need to get into medical school. That's the pre-med part: it's generally just a name for that group of courses and not a college major. Like I am a Biochem major and a pre-med.

To answer both of your questions, No you do not need to complete Pre-Med for Medical school.

For medical school, you do not have to major in science or math. You can major in anything: English, Sociology, History, etc.

However, you have to take the required courses in order to apply to medical school during undergraduate.

These courses that need to be completed are as follows:

1 year of General Chemistry
1 year of Organic Chemistry
1 year of General Biology
1 year of English
1 year of Physics
1 year of Calculus

^ However, they are the very basic courses.....and in order to be a competitive applicant...you will need to take way more than that.

However, medical school does recommend a science major, but you do not have to....it is your choice.

To be more clear...no major as Pre-Medicine exists. Pre Med is considered for those students that are majoring in the health/science department: Biology BS, Cell and Molecular Biology, BioChemistry, Genetics, etc.

So because i am a Biology major, i am considered to be in Pre-Medicine because of my declared major. I hope that makes a little sense

You definitely have to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). It covers:

Biology
Chemistry & Physics
Verbal Reasoning
Essay Composition

Usually a student that is serious about their status for medical school, will take it more than once, ideally. But hey, if mashallah you get a perfect score of 45-50....then you do not need to take it again. However, i dont mean to discourage anyone, i have never met anyone that has gotten a good score the first time. The test is available twice a year: April and August. And you can take it as many times you want. You do however, want to at least get a 30 on it.

Also, a student going down the medical route, I have to be honest, has to have at least a 3.5 GPA. You should shoot for a 4.0 GPA. Your grades mean so much when it comes to applying, medical schools want to see competitive students that can really excel.

My first year college GPA was a 3.5, and i was told i have to do harder. This semesters GPA was a 3.7, and i am still working my way up to a 4.0.

Also, you have really do countless hours of volunteer work. You definitely need more than 3,000 hours of work. You can do this at:

hospital
clinic
nursing home

Do not expect to get paid, remember why you are doing it. I have been working at my hospital for nearly 9 months. I do no get paid at all, though i work my butt off at work.

Also get some shadowing done. What that means is work with a doctor. You will have to get permission first and go through some legal things because practicing medicine with a patient is very confidential, so for you to want to foreshadow a doctor will take some time, i had to wait 3 months to foreshadow a MD. And it was for only one day a week during a summer a couple of years ago. They company took it very serious.

Also it takes about 3-5 months to volunteer at a hospital. You will have to take a physical, criminal background check, etc. So its a long wait.

Also it takes years to get into medical school, normally. Its a very competitive field, and its not taken lightly.

You have to complete 4 years of Undergraduate. And then it is Medical School, which is normally 4 years. Do not mistake Medical School as a Masters/PHD. It is actually higher.

Medical Schools do like students that have completed a Masters, so do keep that in mind.

Students in the US that have just finished Medical School, will be in between $ 200,000 - 300,000 student debt :/ i know it sounds scary. But there are ways around it so that it gets paid off in time...such as working in an underserved clinic for some good amount of time, or working in third world countries for like an organization or the UN.

Through this brutal route for medical school, here are some advice my parents always give me:

* Make yourself stand out....show the medical field who you are, what you can do, and how can you help the world.
* Never give up! Its a long process, and many will feel that its too much. But if you have passion in it, dont let yourself down.
* You are doing something for humanity, so as you are taking it serious, do have fun with it
* Also, the salary is very, very, very nice

[BarakzaiAbdali]

To answer both of your questions, No you do not need to complete Pre-Med for Medical school.

For medical school, you do not have to major in science or math. You can major in anything: English, Sociology, History, etc.

However, you have to take the required courses in order to apply to medical school during undergraduate.

These courses that need to be completed are as follows:

1 year of General Chemistry
1 year of Organic Chemistry
1 year of General Biology
1 year of English
1 year of Physics
1 year of Calculus

^ However, they are the very basic courses.....and in order to be a competitive applicant...you will need to take way more than that.

However, medical school does recommend a science major, but you do not have to....it is your choice.

To be more clear...no major as Pre-Medicine exists. Pre Med is considered for those students that are majoring in the health/science department: Biology BS, Cell and Molecular Biology, BioChemistry, Genetics, etc.

So because i am a Biology major, i am considered to be in Pre-Medicine because of my declared major. I hope that makes a little sense

You definitely have to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). It covers:

Biology
Chemistry & Physics
Verbal Reasoning
Essay Composition

Usually a student that is serious about their status for medical school, will take it more than once, ideally. But hey, if mashallah you get a perfect score of 45-50....then you do not need to take it again. However, i dont mean to discourage anyone, i have never met anyone that has gotten a good score the first time. The test is available twice a year: April and August. And you can take it as many times you want. You do however, want to at least get a 30 on it.

Also, a student going down the medical route, I have to be honest, has to have at least a 3.5 GPA. You should shoot for a 4.0 GPA. Your grades mean so much when it comes to applying, medical schools want to see competitive students that can really excel.

My first year college GPA was a 3.5, and i was told i have to do harder. This semesters GPA was a 3.7, and i am still working my way up to a 4.0.

Also, you have really do countless hours of volunteer work. You definitely need more than 3,000 hours of work. You can do this at:

hospital
clinic
nursing home

Do not expect to get paid, remember why you are doing it. I have been working at my hospital for nearly 9 months. I do no get paid at all, though i work my butt off at work.

Also get some shadowing done. What that means is work with a doctor. You will have to get permission first and go through some legal things because practicing medicine with a patient is very confidential, so for you to want to foreshadow a doctor will take some time, i had to wait 3 months to foreshadow a MD. And it was for only one day a week during a summer a couple of years ago. They company took it very serious.

Also it takes about 3-5 months to volunteer at a hospital. You will have to take a physical, criminal background check, etc. So its a long wait.

Also it takes years to get into medical school, normally. Its a very competitive field, and its not taken lightly.

You have to complete 4 years of Undergraduate. And then it is Medical School, which is normally 4 years. Do not mistake Medical School as a Masters/PHD. It is actually higher.

Medical Schools do like students that have completed a Masters, so do keep that in mind.

Students in the US that have just finished Medical School, will be in between $ 200,000 - 300,000 student debt :/ i know it sounds scary. But there are ways around it so that it gets paid off in time...such as working in an underserved clinic for some good amount of time, or working in third world countries for like an organization or the UN.

Through this brutal route for medical school, here are some advice my parents always give me:

* Make yourself stand out....show the medical field who you are, what you can do, and how can you help the world.
* Never give up! Its a long process, and many will feel that its too much. But if you have passion in it, dont let yourself down.
* You are doing something for humanity, so as you are taking it serious, do have fun with it
* Also, the salary is very, very, very nice

Thanks for the help. If you ever need help with anything like that research position you are looking for send me a line. Are you on the East Coast?

[Laila]

^ Your welcome. I am glad to have helped. I just saw the questions our members were posting, so i thought i would pitch in.

I am actually living in California.

I will definitely let you know if I do need help, but alhamdillullah my parents are both licensed physicians, so i get all the help i need

[Admin Khan]

BarakzaiAbdali,

Is it really worth going to med school? I mean, when you graduate you end up with ~200K debt, and there are many other majors that such as petroleum engineering that have just as competitive salaries. In my opinion, you should only go into the medical field if you really enjoy it. Don't go into the field just for the money. I am noticing a trend of people applying to Med school out of peer pressure or for the $. By the time you graduate, and by the time you finish paying of the debt, one wonders if it's truly worth it. Hell, why doesn't one just get a Ph.D and take up a professorship. With just a bachelors degree, Computer Science majors make over 100K. And, according to many sources it's an extremely valuable degree.

Caveat:
my concern is very genuine. I was always interested in medical, however, no one has ever been able to persuade me into the field though. I guess because I have a strong interest in other fields? Your thread is very helpful.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Thanks for the help. If you ever need help with anything like that research position you are looking for send me a line. Are you on the East Coast?

Would only add regarding the MCAT the following:

The committees I sat on in the midwest highly preferred a single time at the exam. It is used for screening in the filtering programs they utilize to screen applications (more on this later).

At my old institutes they looked at the second out of the two scores if the second was higher. For instance, if one got a 35 the first time and a 28 the second time they did not take the higher score into account then... it raised eye brows and created issues for applicants if the second score was lower. Here at the new institute I am at, a single bad score gets you filtered out in those screening programs (but that is rare).

However, if someone gets a 30 the first time and a 35 the second time, they appreciate that. A retake at 32 or above is a risky move though unless one is confident.

That being said, I also saw a single bad score counter balanced by a middle of the road score in the low thirties and the committee I sat on a few years ago at my old institute weighed the other accomplishment of the applicant (research, contributions abroad, GPA at a good institute, etc.) so as Laila is saying, you can overcome a bad score, but you have to also know where you are applying.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

BarakzaiAbdali,
Is it really worth going to med school? I mean, when you graduate you end up with ~200K debt, and there are many other majors that such as petroleum engineering that have just as competitive salaries. In my opinion, you should only go into the medical field if you really enjoy it. Don't go into the field just for the money. I am noticing a trend of people applying to Med school out of peer pressure or for the $.

With just a bachelors degree, Computer Science majors make over 100K.

Excellent point.

Many parents from the subcontinent, Arabia, and central asia push their kids into it for the wrong reasons. You need to see the life a resident or an intern lives to really understand what you are sacrificing. I encourage people to find a physician member of their family that is in training (and not in some cush private practice somewhere) and just spend a single day with the them (or preferrably a single two hours of a busy admissions all night call) in the ICU and you'll see how intense it gets. In good institutes its just you, the resident 1st (intern), 2nd, or 3rd year all alone getting train wreck patients that are sick as all heck and ready to die on you. Now with the ACGME approved work hour changes, the interns may get it easier, but the seniors get it twice as hard. You learn very quickly that the greed component gets counterbalanced by intense work that takes away years of your life. You gotta love what you do when you take care of these patients otherwise you start to hate your life and get fatigue. That is why I am so devoted to academic medicine that couples patient care to research. It gives you the chance to advance science and disperse it all over the world and still provide for your family.

However, that being said, the field allows you to be flexible as I noted in the threads above, and to take on multiple roles in the law, business, engineering, management, political, and research level.

I loved engineering when I did it, but at the same time, I found that I have more range as an engineer in the world of medicine.

I mainly started this thread as a sort of way to encourage and inform those about my field for the right reasons.

I also want each of these kids to then remember what went on here and take on their own role of helping other deserving and hard working Afghans (and Muslims in general) to find their way into the field.

We will talk more about the debt and how to resolve it in the future. I hate talking economics because I think it cheapens the discussion and introduces greed (money can be the root of a lot of evil), but I will do so to make a point and help better answer your question. In the states, the AMA and other organized medical communities control supply and demand and limit spots so you are pretty much certain that you will be employed as a medical doctor and able to quickly pay off those loans (which is why they are so easy to get for medical students at such low interest rates). Physicians generally have a nearly 100% job occupancy rate. I personally do not advocate interest laden loans and prefer the Islamic route if possible and they are out there.

Engineering on the other hand was more susceptible to the ebbs and flows of the economy and you are expected to travel with the job, like a rolling stone. That becomes hard when you want to raise your family up. When I entered my engineering schooling it was the Clinton era and jobs were booming. The bubble was about to burst in the Bush era when I completed that training and the ability to secure a job in the field plummeted by 32% for fresh graduates. I was one of the fortunates who would have been able to find employment at an entry level position with advancement, but it was risku. However, capable engineers who are technically sounds can always make it work somewhow. At some other point, we can discuss what I think plagues engineering education and makes it so that the average American engineering graduate is not as technical as his predecessors in years prior.

However, seeking job stability alone, similar to monetary gain in general ought not be the primary drive. We are here to serve and to heal against the odds, not to take advantage of them.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

BarakzaiAbdali,

Is it really worth going to med school? I mean, when you graduate you end up with ~200K debt, and there are many other majors that such as petroleum engineering that have just as competitive salaries. In my opinion, you should only go into the medical field if you really enjoy it. Don't go into the field just for the money. I am noticing a trend of people applying to Med school out of peer pressure or for the $. By the time you graduate, and by the time you finish paying of the debt, one wonders if it's truly worth it. Hell, why doesn't one just get a Ph.D and take up a professorship. With just a bachelors degree, Computer Science majors make over 100K. And, according to many sources it's an extremely valuable degree.

Caveat:
my concern is very genuine. I was always interested in medical, however, no one has ever been able to persuade me into the field though. I guess because I have a strong interest in other fields? Your thread is very helpful.

Another point might be that the PhD is a noble and academic pursuit, but your preceptor can completely limit your time to graduation based on what he subjectively judges to be your progress. He basically dictates the committee in some ways.

At the end of the day, people are having to conduct not only the lengthy PhD process in some fields, but supplement that with the new trend of possibly two posdoctoral periods is also a lengthy endeavor.

So when you weigh the time from undergrad to PhD to postdoctoral candidacies and balance that against the MD time + residency + fellowship, the outcome may not be all that different.

In fact, many basic science PhDs are very rigorous. And as I noted the MDs have learned to control their supply and demand via congress and other measures. That is why the number of physicians is so far outweighed by the number of patients. The shortage is artificially created in some ways. The other fields have not been as able to justify doing so.

Moreover, Physicians control flow into the country as well and limit numbers in this way as well (however as a country the US is still far more open to outsiders coming into medicine than other countries).

Once again, these are all economic measures, and I do not advocate using them alone to consider your profession. Do it because you want to find your niche in either excellent patient care, top notch research, or teaching others and mentoring.

*Perhaps Toramana, yourself, and others in the PhD track can comment on how they see the medicine track in comparison to those points I made regarding graduate studies. That way those that are considering hard science graduate studies versus Medicine can be better informed about the pros and cons.

[Laila]

BarakzaiAbdali,

Is it really worth going to med school? I mean, when you graduate you end up with ~200K debt, and there are many other majors that such as petroleum engineering that have just as competitive salaries. In my opinion, you should only go into the medical field if you really enjoy it. Don't go into the field just for the money. I am noticing a trend of people applying to Med school out of peer pressure or for the $. By the time you graduate, and by the time you finish paying of the debt, one wonders if it's truly worth it. Hell, why doesn't one just get a Ph.D and take up a professorship. With just a bachelors degree, Computer Science majors make over 100K. And, according to many sources it's an extremely valuable degree.

Caveat:
my concern is very genuine. I was always interested in medical, however, no one has ever been able to persuade me into the field though. I guess because I have a strong interest in other fields? Your thread is very helpful.

Lala to be fully honest with you. I ask my self this all the time. My own father, who is a doctor himself, does not want me to go to medical school.

Yes i know, spending 12 years of your life and being in $300,000 debt is crazy....and it drives people insane.

However, it all comes down to the individual. Some people see themselves going through all of this, and thinking its worth it. Some will say 'Hell with it.' and just not want to do it.

But Admin khan, there is an alternative option to medical school. And that is PA school.

PA is a physician. Actually, if you go to your doctor, you might not even know if he is a PA, MD, or DO. Since they have the same credentials, but work under a different license.

A PA is a masters program, and most of the time, they do go higher to a PHD in Public Health

PA school is an option to medical school, and a quite smart and more realistic to some folks.

1) PA is in high demand. In the next 5-15 years, they will be looked at greatly, and hired more than MDs.
2) PA school is very limited in the US. There are only 8 PA schools in the state of California. Only 8 throughout this huge state!
3) The program is very picky with its applicants. They want young folks that have great stamina and well sharped minds.
4) You have to have double the experience in health care, more than a medical school applicant. Reason is, PA does not take MCAT, in fact, majority of schools do not take GRE or any other test. They take a high GPA in demand and thousands and thousands of hours of medical experience.
5) Its a 2-3 years program, depending on the school. It is more intense than medical school, because its a shorter time period; however, that means its much more intense.
6) The student debt is *half* of what a medical school student will have.

PA is my backup plan...if in the future, medical school does not work out for me, PA is a great option. I will still be working in a clinic or hosptial. I will still be seeing and treating patients....and i will still be having the same salary as a MD and same respect.

If it was not for Afghanistan and for its people, i will be honest, then i would not put myself through this route.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Lala to be fully honest with you. I ask my self this all the time. My own father, who is a doctor himself, does not want me to go to medical school.

Yes i know, spending 12 years of your life and being in $300,000 debt is crazy....and it drives people insane.

However, it all comes down to the individual. Some people see themselves going through all of this, and thinking its worth it. Some will say 'Hell with it.' and just not want to do it.

But Admin khan, there is an alternative option to medical school. And that is PA school.

PA is a physician. Actually, if you go to your doctor, you might not even know if he is a PA, MD, or DO. Since they have the same credentials, but work under a different license.

A PA is a masters program, and most of the time, they do go higher to a PHD in Public Health

PA school is an option to medical school, and a quite smart and more realistic to some folks.

1) PA is in high demand. In the next 5-15 years, they will be looked at greatly, and hired more than MDs.
2) PA school is very limited in the US. There are only 8 PA schools in the state of California. Only 8 throughout this huge state!
3) The program is very picky with its applicants. They want young folks that have great stamina and well sharped minds.
4) You have to have double the experience in health care, more than a medical school applicant. Reason is, PA does not take MCAT, in fact, majority of schools do not take GRE or any other test. They take a high GPA in demand and thousands and thousands of hours of medical experience.
5) Its a 2-3 years program, depending on the school. It is more intense than medical school, because its a shorter time period; however, that means its much more intense.

PA is my backup plan...if in the future, medical school does not work out for me, PA is a great option. I will still be working in a clinic or hosptial. I will still be seeing and treating patients....and i will still be having the same salary as a MD and same respect.

If it was not for Afghanistan and for its people, i will be honest, then i would not put myself through this route.

OK all, I am done with my patient notes and grant writing for tonight. I will return Thursday. Best of luck and keep asking and answering questions.

[Laila]

Excellent point.

Many parents from the subcontinent, Arabia, and central asia push their kids into it for the wrong reasons. You need to see the life a resident or an intern lives to really understand what you are sacrificing. I encourage people to find a physician member of their family that is in training (and not in some cush private practice somewhere) and just spend a single day with the them (or preferrably a single two hours of a busy admissions all night call) in the ICU and you'll see how intense it gets. In good institutes its just you, the resident 1st (intern), 2nd, or 3rd year all alone getting train wreck patients that are sick as all heck and ready to die on you. Now with the ACGME approved work hour changes, the interns may get it easier, but the seniors get it twice as hard. You learn very quickly that the greed component gets counterbalanced by intense work that takes away years of your life. You gotta love what you do when you take care of these patients otherwise you start to hate your life and get fatigue. That is why I am so devoted to academic medicine that couples patient care to research. It gives you the chance to advance science and disperse it all over the world and still provide for your family.

However, that being said, the field allows you to be flexible as I noted in the threads above, and to take on multiple roles in the law, business, engineering, management, political, and research level.

I loved engineering when I did it, but at the same time, I found that I have more range as an engineer in the world of medicine.

I mainly started this thread as a sort of way to encourage and inform those about my field for the right reasons.

I also want each of these kids to then remember what went on here and take on their own role of helping other deserving and hard working Afghans (and Muslims in general) to find their way into the field.

We will talk more about the debt and how to resolve it in the future. I hate talking economics because I think it cheapens the discussion and introduces greed (money can be the root of a lot of evil), but I will do so to make a point and help better answer your question. In the states, the AMA and other organized medical communities control supply and demand and limit spots so you are pretty much certain that you will be employed as a medical doctor and able to quickly pay off those loans (which is why they are so easy to get for medical students at such low interest rates). Physicians generally have a nearly 100% job occupancy rate. I personally do not advocate interest laden loans and prefer the Islamic route if possible and they are out there.

Engineering on the other hand was more susceptible to the ebbs and flows of the economy and you are expected to travel with the job, like a rolling stone. That becomes hard when you want to raise your family up. When I entered my engineering schooling it was the Clinton era and jobs were booming. The bubble was about to burst in the Bush era when I completed that training and the ability to secure a job in the field plummeted by 32% for fresh graduates. I was one of the fortunates who would have been able to find employment at an entry level position with advancement, but it was risku. However, capable engineers who are technically sounds can always make it work somewhow. At some other point, we can discuss what I think plagues engineering education and makes it so that the average American engineering graduate is not as technical as his predecessors in years prior.

However, seeking job stability alone, similar to monetary gain in general ought not be the primary drive. We are here to serve and to heal against the odds, not to take advantage of them.

My parents used to tell me how many students were depressed during residency. While my mother was pregnant with me, she was in her 2 year of residency in general medicine. She was working 16 hours a day at the ER

[Laila]

OK all, I am done with my patient notes and grant writing for tonight. I will return Thursday. Best of luck and keep asking and answering questions.

Sure no problem

[Dreamer]

Dreamer wrorre, if you get the time, can you post for the sake of some of our UK colleagues how getting into the system there works? I have really not of an idea at all when it comes to the undergrad to medical school transition. I know British folks who went through their equivalent of residency, but not much more.

1) How does one get into medical school in the UK?
2) How does one get into the most competitive institutions?
3) What should one be doing at the high school/undergrad? equivalent levels over there.
4) What are the premiere institutions or the best of the best for medical schooling?

1 Two routes of entry... either undergrad (bulk of people) or post grad
MBBS/MBChB usually lasts 5 years in duration exception being the shorter condensed version which lasts 4 years... this is usually taken by Dentists in order to gain entry for Maxillo facial surgery training but also by other post graduates.... seats are limited and competition is fierce... many post grads failing entry to the post grad course of 4 years opt 2 apply for the undergrad 5 year course which is still as competatitve
Entry requirements at undergrad level include AAA or at the very least AAB with an A grade at A level being a must in Chemistry... bulk of people do A level Chem, maths and physics or Biology but at least 2 "science" and maths here is included as a science have 2 be taken.... so bulk of people enter medical school at age 18... for those of the people who are post grads applying for eother the post grad or under grad course they must have achieved a 1:1 or a 2:1 in their degree... in addition both courses now require an entry exam ( not around in my day!) top marks are expected and individual med schools have their own level of acceptability at this point... an interview usually follows for short listed candidates... an Offer is made then to those candidates who are successful... the offer can be conditional ( bulk of people) stating that they must achieve such and such grades at A level ( people apply before the Alevels are sat hence the condition) or the on offer can be unconditional if u already have the grades
Typical setup of most medical schools is 2 years doing "basic sciences" such as path. pharma physiology etc and thenyrs 3,4 and 5 are clinical
2 One can only apply to 4 medical schools... if u aply for medicine u are barred from applying for dentistry and vise versa... this is meant 2 show commitment or something.... The London medical schools are a bit more competative as is Edinburgh and Oxford and Cambridge but all are going 2 give u the same thing at the end....

3 already answered in 1... but do extra curricular stuff as well because they love that and please dnt say u read the Lancet or xyz because they will ask u abt it at interview if thats what uve written

4 already answered but the best medical school in my onion is Edinburgh and Imperial


at the age of 23 u get ur degree (if u entered at 18 and passed all ur exams) and then ur a Dr
our system for post grad Dr training is thus:
when U qualify ur rank is "Houseofficer" or FY1 and u do a housejob.... this is made up of 4 months General surgery, 4 months of General Medicine and either another 4 months of gen surgery/medicine again or an area that interests u... I did Obs and gynae... in these attacments u are the 1st point of call for the nurses and patients... u see, assess and formulate management plans as well as start treatments and do procedures... u do on calls and nights and weekends etc
after Housejob ur rank goes up 2 FY2 or general SHO.... here u do another 3 four months of attachements but this time all choices can be left 2 u.... u generally pick frm a list... usual combs are like trauma and orthopedics/A and E and General medicine etc
after FY2 u chose Specialisation.... u then become an SHO in that field only... this lasts for 2 years... u must pass membership exams of the speciality have chosen... u then become a Registra and this lasts for 5 years... u become a senior registra as the years go by.... u then take ur exit exam and become a consultant... if u chose Family medicine or GP ur registra yr lasts 1 year and the SHO years are made up of doing attachments in various specialities 2 give u a broader knowledge... 1 can also switch specialities but it means starting at the beginning... a lot of surgeons and internal physcians for example eventually move in2 Family medicine as its more relaxed and pays better