Questão 46 - UNIFENAS Tarde 2024

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Real-Life stories – why I chose medicine

 

We asked several medical students why they chose to study medicine and to give some advice to those considering it as a career choice.

 

Read their stories below

 

"A career in medicine has always been at the forefront of my mind, I may not have got there in the orthodox way by leaving school and heading straight to medical school, but finally I am there!

After school I went to university to study biology at both BSc and MSc level. I was not the kind of student at my school that was deemed academically good enough to study medicine. I enjoyed the degree but knew a career in biological research was not for me, and on completion of my thesis I started a job with a pharmaceutical company as a sales representative. I enjoyed my job, it was straightforward, social and well-paid, it was a role I was able to fill well, but it was not in any way what I saw myself doing for the rest of my working life. After much debate and advice, I had nothing to lose in making a massive effort to get into medical school. The only job I knew that I wanted to do was medicine. I secured a place on an Access to Medicine course, which got me back up to speed and into the swing of studying again, and from there I secured a place at medical school. Getting the acceptance letter was a very emotional and life-changing day. One I will never forget.

Studying medicine is a privilege, to me medicine is the ultimate career. What other career can you chose which provides constant mental stimulation, a continuous opportunity to learn and progress, flexible working and a decent salary. But most importantly, a career in medicine empowers you to help people, to be respected by others and to feel job satisfaction in a way that is impossible to feel in many other careers. The opportunities are endless, and the choice vast, however along with this comes huge responsibility to individual patients, the population as a whole and the team in which you are working. In addition, the NHS may receive a great deal of press about its status, but at a time where many people are being made redundant, doctors are still in the same demand. I had to put a great deal of thought into the viability of studying medicine at the age of 27, although jobs are not guaranteed they are still readily available." (Kate, Brighton)

"Why medicine? I'm a geek; I love science, and I love challenges. I also really enjoy working with and understanding people. I chose medicine because it offered me the opportunity to integrate these interests and apply them in a very practical profession. From examining patients to phlebotomy to suturing, it's not just about memorizing information, medicine is very much about applied skills. I'm now in my fourth year and I find it hugely rewarding to put together all the pieces of the puzzle- the history elicited with good communication skills, the knowledge of human biology and the findings from examination and investigations to suggest a diagnosis and be told it was the right one! Medicine is my second degree and the decision to stay a student for another 5 years when my friends were all in gainful employment wasn't an easy one. But it was the right one for me." (Catherine, Aberdeen)

Available at: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/doctors/why-study-medicine/why-i-chose-medicine Accessed: September 7, 2023.

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