What subjects do I need to study in high school in order to do medicine?

When medicine is your goal for university study, it is natural to put thought into what you can do whilst you are still in school in order to be prepared for the course and to maybe even put yourself at an advantage within it.

One of the main decisions this comes down to is the selection of subjects to study in high school and more specifically in your final years.

Common wisdom has always suggested that the objective sciences; chemistry, biology and physics- as well as mathematics- will put you in good academic stead for beginning a medical course and also provide foundations for a career beyond that.

However, do not take the common wisdom at face value, it may be that other subjects that you had not considered might better prepare you for the course and a career beyond.
 
The natural preface to this discussion is, of course, the fact that some courses require pre-requisite subjects. Examples of this include Monash University’s undergraduate medicine program that requires the study of English and Chemistry in order to apply. The same applies to the University of Tasmania. These subjects vary from university to university and obviously must be satisfied, but apart from that, what are some subjects that will give you a head start in medicine?

Biology. This is the obvious one as medicine is the application of many of these principles in the human patient. Not only this, many courses in their early years have a strong science focus in which biology features prominently. By being familiar with terminology and concepts, you will likely have a much easier time working your way through these aspects of your course content. In addition, almost every facet of medicine is applied biology. As such you will inevitably feel more comfortable with anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology and the whole glut of other fields that comprise most medical courses. In terms of subjects, you can choose to study that will give you a head start in medicine, biology is a no-brainer.
 
But what are the other subjects that might be able to help you along your journey to becoming a safe and competent doctor? Some of them might be a little unexpected…

Drama and theatre subjects, for instance, will equip you with a set of incredibly useful skills for studying and practicing medicine. As a doctor, you will be performing for other people your entire career, be it in clinical examinations when you must examine and speak with a patient in front of an examiner, when presenting research findings at conferences, talking to patients and being able to inspire confidence in those around you. These activities can all be derived from stagecraft, as they utilize skills of public speaking, self-awareness, being able to carry and present yourself in a particular way as well as understanding motivations of other people.

Languages can also be invaluable, whilst Latin and ancient Greek are very rarely taught these days, if you have the opportunity to study them, you will be well equipped to understand the plethora of terminology derived from these languages, including anatomical terms and the names of certain conditions. Languages other than these can also be invaluable. Once you are studying or practicing in a hospital, one of the greatest frustrations can be to be unable to make yourself understood by the patient. If you are in possession of a conversational level of skill in a language that is representative of a common non-English speaking group in your area (such as Italian in Adelaide) you will not only provide great comfort to the patient but save yourself time, energy and frustration. You may even be able to save someone’s life by being able to understand them in an emergency.

Whilst more esoteric, the study of philosophy may equip you with the skills to wrestle with some of the more complex ethical dilemmas in medicine such as giving blood products to Jehovah’s Witnesses who will refuse them on religious grounds.
 
So as you can see, the common wisdom may not be your best course when choosing subjects: there are other paths that will provide benefit. As a rule of thumb, don’t study the subjects you think you ‘should’ study, but rather the ones you enjoy or are good at.