Why the UK is a Great Choice for Medical Studies
Studying medicine is a hugely rewarding and worthwhile endeavour, and the UK is a great place to do this. Not only has Britain developed a reputation of being at the forefront of pioneering medical research and advancement (it was the first to develop the vaccine in 1798!), but it continues to enjoy a world-class reputation for medical teaching, research, and practice under its world-famous healthcare model, the National Health Service (NHS). This means your degree will be recognised and respected around the world, not least because British universities and hospitals offer comprehensive and extensive training in all branches of medicine, from General Practice and pathology to surgery and psychiatry.
A British medical degree offers countless options to choose from, and modular course structures mean you can tailor your learning to your strengths and interests. Moreover, medical training and practice in the UK are overseen by the General Medical Council (GMC), which is tasked with ensuring the standards of the curriculum, facilities, resources, and assessment of your degree, thereby adding another level of assurance that your education will be of the highest quality.
Understanding the UK Medical Education System
In the UK, the first step to becoming a doctor is to attend a university that offers a medical degree recognised and accredited by the GMC. These usually last five years (or four if it’s a graduate-entry programme) and will deliver your academic medical training, as well as clinical training in hospitals.
Following graduation, you will begin the Foundation Programme, which lasts two years and seeks to bridge the gap between theory and practice by providing supervised on-the-job training in clinical settings. This is effectively your first professional employment as a doctor and usually comprises six rotations across different medical specialities, enabling you to develop both clinical and interpersonal skills. During the first year you will be provisionally licensed to practise medicine, and at the end of the first year you can apply to the GMC to work unsupervised in General Practice.
Once you are a third of the way through your Foundation Programme, you will be required to choose your speciality, which will come after your Foundation Programme. This training can vary from three years (for a GP) to ten years (paediatrics).
Life as a Medical Student in the UK
There are many overlaps between life as a medical student and life as a student reading for any other degree, but there are some added differences. While much of your days will be taken up with lectures, essay-writing, and class-based learning in the form of seminars, you will also have practical sessions dedicated to anatomical dissection, clinical examination, and patient communication, among other things.
Additionally, given medicine is always developing and the boundaries of medical knowledge are continually being pushed, there’s an expectation that you will keep abreast of advances in medical knowledge, read medical journals such as The Lancet and The British Medical Journal, and take an active interest in your subject beyond the confines of the syllabus.
That said, while your degree will be highly demanding (and also rewarding!), there will still be time for extra-curricular activities away from your books, and this is positively encouraged by medical schools to maintain your interests and give you some respite from academic study.
Tuition and Living Costs
Tuition and living costs vary hugely for international medical students in the UK. This is because universities can set their own fees, and rent and living costs differ considerably according to location and lifestyle. International students can expect to spend between £30,000 and £70,500 per year on undergraduate fees at medical school, while living costs, on average, will fall in the range of £1000-£1500, depending on where and how you live.
With regard to financial assistance, EU students are entitled to tuition fee loans from the British government, but not maintenance loans or maintenance grants, while non-EU international students are not entitled to any governmental support. As such, many take out private loans with companies or banks to pay for their studies, or find support from institutional bursaries and scholarships.
Additionally, the NHS offers UK domestic students bursaries in their final years, but not international students, but some universities will do the same for international students to compensate for this. Some universities also offer guidance or bursaries to help international students plan for the cost of study. Hertfordshire, for instance, provides advice on financial planning and highlights potential scholarships and support where available.
Settling Into UK Life
British universities are diverse, multi-cultural institutions that welcome students from around the world, but your student life and experience can vary significantly according to where you end up. Depending on your university’s location, you could find yourself getting to grips with the fast pace of metropolitan life in London, or enjoying a quieter, more relaxed few years in Dundee. There’s always a compromise between the two available as well – universities like Hertfordshire lie just outside London, giving you the opportunity to enjoy the buzz of the capital while still benefiting from a calmer, more close-knit campus community.
Wherever you choose to study, your university will support you in settling into life there by helping you with accommodation, healthcare, social life, and much more. You will also be certain to meet a wide variety of people and bond quickly with your course-mates (medics stick together!). Moreover, given the UK’s relatively small size, it’s very easy to travel between places, so you’ll have the opportunity to explore other parts of the country and experience all Britain has to offer.
Applying as an International Student
When thinking about applying for medicine as an international student, it’s vital you look at your chosen universities’ entry requirements, including those specifically for international applicants. This is because universities often have additional criteria for international students to satisfy, such as certain scores to be obtained on English language tests, on top of the standard requirements in the form of grades and a good score on the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).
International students apply in the same way domestic students apply, through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), but do pay special attention to factors such as age of applicant (if this is a requirement), and the respective deadlines for international student applications, the UCAT, and any English language exam required.
Finally, remember to explore all financial assistance options available to you, including scholarships and bursaries from universities, charities, and private organisations, as these can be very generous!
