Should I go into medicine?

With GAMSAT® Exam coming up and the academic year well and truly over, I often get questions from friends of mine as to whether they should make the transfer to medicine. As a recent medical graduate and a tutor at GradReady, I am often well placed to give them a frank and honest idea of what the entry requirements are like, the medical school experience, and the various ups and downs of both of these journeys. As a new graduate, I often forget the excitement and thrill that I had at starting medical school, and the overwhelming positive experiences that I had at the start of my medical journey – and I keep trying to be as positive as ever to our medical hopefuls in encouraging them to chase their dreams, but I believe it is as equally as important to be realistic about that journey.

I write this blog reflectively from giving some advice to a friend of mine recently, but also in the hope that it will give cause for reflection from you as well. With the number of applicants to medicine ever increasing, it is certainly getting more and more difficult to get into medical school. GAMSAT® Exam scores have increased, interviews have gotten harder, and the strain of the approximately 18 months of preparation to enter the profession can be overbearing.

I solemnly do believe that the hardest aspect of medicine that I have experienced so far is getting into medical school. I think many of our very hard working students here at GradReady can take solace in that fact; it is relatively down-hill from here (…relatively)! Indeed, it is quite impossible these days to rock up to the GAMSAT® Exam and expect to achieve a passing score that many of my colleagues seemingly did a few years ago. Neither is it really possible, or practical, to aimlessly read textbooks for 3 months, like I did, and expect to be able to tackle the specific type of GAMSAT® Exam questions with authority.

Sitting to take the GAMSAT® Exam requires discipline and focus, probably more than anything else. No matter how clever or intelligent any of my friends are who approach me to discuss their likelihood of entering medicine, the determinative factor that will grant them entry is their attitude. Having direction and patience in your study will be the most important aspect over the next few months – every moment counts, and wasting hours upon hours of that time planting your head in an unrelated textbook will do practically nothing for your preparation.

During your preparation, it is crucial that you receive some direction in your study, and you actually focus on specific GAMSAT Practice Questions and Materials. As ACER produces such broad guidelines as to what you should be studying (i.e. ‘Year 12 Chemistry’), it is quite futile to attempt to master every section to the broadest limits that you are set. Having direction, tailored practice, and ongoing support will not only help you be actually ready to tackle the GAMSAT® Exam, but you will also feel ready and have that confidence.

These are the points that I emphasised to my friend – I outlined how she needs to be serious about her preparation and do the hard yards for the next few months to be able to reap the rewards. A chance to interview at a medical school is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it is worth the hours upon hours of preparation to get you there! But we just have to make sure that every hour is useful and not wasted!

For more information, check out our other article How to Become a Doctor in Australia.