Misconceptions in medicine

There is a lot that can be said (and that is said) about a medical degree and someone studying it. However, until you actually live it, it is hard to gauge what’s truth and what is false. When you’re considering a future in medicine, there are a lot of misnomers that cause quite a bit of concern and can actually deter people from choosing it as a career. Here’s hoping that we can clear up any misconceptions you have so you can make an informed decision as to if a medicine degree is right for you.

 

I’m not naturally smart, so I don’t stand a chance getting into medicine  – False.

Admission into medicine is very competitive, but a good UMAT® Exam score will go a long way towards securing a spot and is achievable even to average students, provided you prepare for it intelligently. A quality UCAT Exam preparation course for instance, can raise your score significantly within a short period of time. They say hard work never goes unrewarded. The benchmarks for getting into medicine is high, we're talking 96+ ATAR, 90+ UMAT® Exam. Not all of us are naturally brilliant and that’s okay. People forget that these numbers that we work for are just benchmarks, very important benchmarks and are absolutely considered in the picking process but just benchmarks none the less. What most people forget about is that at most universities, your interview is 1/3 AT LEAST of the criteria, sometimes more. If you are truly passionate about medicine and want it for all the right reasons (This is also different for everyone), then this will show in your interview. If this is true, then you will have also worked your butt off to prepare for the UMAT® Exam and studied hard throughout the HSC® Exam. It comes back to a thing my dad used to say to me when I’d come back from an exam a bit down in the dumps because I thought it was hard: “As long as you did your absolute best, the rest will fall into place”. Like he was about most things, he was right, you don’t have to be the dux of your school, if you want it enough, you’ll work hard for it.

 

A medical degree is harder than anything else – False.

A medicine degree is hard, but it is only as hard as you make it. Not that anyone should settle for a pass grade, but you will quickly learn that if you do only just pass, then you have still passed and that’s a big thumbs up from the rest of us.

 

You can’t work whilst studying medicine – False.

You may actually find that a good job might not only make you money, but be a good source of socializing and provide a good outlet to exercise your thought outside of medicine. Speaking from experience, I have juggled 4 different jobs at one point and although I recommend that to NO-ONE, it can be done. My point is, if you want to keep a job, or if you need to work a few hours a week, it’s not by any means impossible. Just be careful not to make too many commitments (i.e. agree to 4 different jobs) and let it get in the way of your study.

 

You essentially give up your social life when you start – False.

This comes down to your ability to prioritize and get yourself together. If you don’t want to lose your social life and you love your friends, you don’t have to give them up! Admittedly, since your schedule is pretty full up with uni work, you may have to make a bit more of an effort to try and stay as social as you may have in the past, but it's not un-doable. Get a diary and use it to keep on top of your medicine timetable, university deadlines, work commitments and social events. At the beginning of each week, sit down with your diary and write out a plan accounting for all those mentioned before and allocate study and social time.

Domestic students won’t get an internship when they finish - False

There have been a lot of rumours flying around recently about this, but let's put it into perspective. The government invests a HUGE amount of money and time into you as a medical student. They wouldn’t build a building in the middle of the CBD and let it go to waste, no because that would be pointless. The same goes for domestic students and internships, they won’t let your 4-6 years of study go to waste and you will have a job at the end.

 

I should mention here that with the recent announcement that Western Australia wanted to start an undergraduate medicine degree, this might come into jeopardy. We have enough places NOW for undergrad and post-grad interns but if we include another 200 or so students into that pool, it could get a little overcrowded. But moral of the story is that this is not something you should worry about, you will finish with a job.