Help next steps for a medical degree?

Rebelle: Help next steps for a medical degree?
Hey
I am a politics student just about to go into my 3rd year. For the past 7 years (i am 19) i have been trying to figure out what i would like to do when i left school and due to my lack of ideas as to what i wanted to do and a science department that wasn’t brilliant in teaching or resources, i chose no science subjects apart from a scottish standard grade in chemistry. I found i was good at chemistry but i also found strengths in english and languages and was almost forced down that path as i didn’t want to attend science classes taught by men and women who were constantly stressed and short-tempered.

To cut a long story short i chose a politics degree as i found the concept new and interesting but it hasn’t turned out the case. six months ago my sister went to hospital after breaking her leg and the idea came to me of becoming a doctor. Now i have had six months contemplating it and despite the pressure and the upsets that must occur being a doctor, i feel drawn to becoming one, unlike those who watch grey’s anatomy and think it’ll be exactly like that, and helping others. I have friends who are training to be a vet and a forensic scientist respectively and i see how much pressure they’re under with their degrees. My only issue is due to my past decisions resulting in a less than satisfactory and now i am nearing my penultimate year of my degree, i would like to know is there any way of attempting a medical degree. I have done research regarding this but i feel as if i need guidance from someone else. I am beginning to believe that it may be too late.

xxx
Thanks
Yeah it is MCAT over here
I know it is gonna be hard and i have so many things going against me but i’ll use the opinions of answers on here and my own research to figure out if this is worth pursuing

Answers and Views:

Answer by Vic
It’s not really too late, but you have a long road ahead of you, and I really suggest that you take some time to weigh out the pros and cons.

First, I’m assuming you aren’t from the US? If so, I can’t be of that much help as far as schooling, but here in the US, you need 4 years of undergrad (any degree), 4 years of medical school, and 3-7 years of residency depending on your field.

Now, it’s not as simple as that, because you need to take all of the pre-requisite courses and do very well in them, and then take a medical admissions test (it is the MCAT here, not sure about Europe). To get into med school, you also need shadowing hours, volunteering hours, and a bunch of other stuff.

Definitely make sure you know what you’re getting into, many people think medicine is glamourous, but in reality it is a long and stressful road and a stressful career once you get into it.

Answer by aneurodoc125
You have to have outstanding grades in the Pre-med curriculum, and a really good overall average.
Pre-med is heavy in the sciences. It is both background for Medical School, and a weeding technique. There are a lot of wannabes out there, and few slots. That almost certainly means going back and getting the basic requirements. You can major in basket weaving if you like, just ace your sciences and the MCAT. That is not all that easy. If some of your English grades are marginal, you may be able to convince the Admissions committee that you really were not that into the field after you started. 3.8 GPA in Chemistry, Math, Physics,some Biology or Zoology, Comparative Anatomy
Hope you are good at memorizing. That’s what you will be doing for a while. Good luck.

Answer by Joan
You should consider becoming a physician assistant. It’s a career that’s been around in the states for about 35 years and has just been introduced into the UK recently. It is a shorter route to working in medicine and tends not to be the stress machine that a medical career is. I’m not sure about the prerequisites or the degree in Scotland, but I do know they’ve been recruiting PAs from the US because they want to develop the profession in advance of having native born graduates. Check it out. Here in the US PAs can practice medicine under the supervision of an MD – we can see patients, order tests, diagnose, prescribe and even assist in surgery. It’s worth looking into anyway. It takes 2-3 years after the prerequisites here.