Why study medicine?

This page looks at the reasons why you might want to study medicine. It mentions the things you should consider and helps you think about whether medicine is the right career for you.

Why study medicine?

A career in medicine can be very rewarding. It may appeal to you because:

    • you can make a real difference to people’s lives by helping to alleviate pain and suffering
    • it’s a respected profession
    • there’s a wide choice of careers – in fact there are over 60 specialties and there are opportunities to get involved with teaching, research and management
    • the day-to-day work can be very varied
    • you will face all kinds of practical and intellectual challenges
    • once you graduate, you’ll earn a reasonable salary and this increases with experience
    • doctors will always be in demand

Why study medicine? you may ask. The course comes with near-impossible entry requirements, difficult content, a hefty amount of contact hours, at least five years of study (expensive!), and you’ll be moving on to an extremely demanding profession. But if you think you’ve got the ability and the dedication, or just need some gentle persuasion, here’s eight reasons to study medicine.

1. Excellent graduate prospects

A quick glance at our Medicine subject league table tells you that students at the majority of universities all find themselves in professional-level employment within six months of leaving. In fact, the lowest graduate prospects score is 98% – pretty good if you ask us. Provided you pass the degree, you’re almost guaranteed a place as a foundation doctor, firmly cementing your position on the first rung of the doctor career ladder.

2. Doctor’s salaries

It’s no secret that medical professionals are fairly well remunerated. The basic starting salary for Foundation Year 1 doctors is £22,636, increasing to £28,076 in Foundation Year 2. Stay in the profession and you may well be earning six figures by the time it comes to retirement – now there’s a compelling reason to study medicine.

3. Practical & theoretical

Universities aim to equip their medical students with the skills required to become practitioners, so it makes sense that the course involves a large proportion of practical work. Students spend most of their time on placement in teaching campus hospitals. Placements are designed to expose students to a variety of medical specialities and gives them the opportunity to interact with patients.

But it’s not just hospitals, hospitals, hospitals – there’s a lot of complicated theory behind it all, hence the demanding entry requirements. For those who seek a balance between theory and getting their hands dirty, medicine may be for you.

4. Status

The Complete University Guide certainly isn’t one for perpetuating the status quo but there’s no denying the fact that doctors are traditionally held in high esteem. A tradition which still applies to some extent today.

5. Transferable skills

A medicine degree may appear to be one in which its participants are resigned to a career as a doctor. The reality is that medical graduates are highly regarded in almost all walks of life. So if you decide to pursue other avenues you shouldn’t be in too much trouble. A medicine degree will develop your professionalism, communication skills, time management, ability to work as part of a team, research skills…..the list goes on.

6. Giving back to society

As a student and later in your career you’ll be having a direct impact on people’s lives, and for the better more often than not. If you’re a conscientious person a career in medicine will certainly satisfy your sense of duty. Most doctors will cite this as being a major reason for choosing a career in medicine.

7. International elective

All UK medicine courses comprise a 6–12 week elective period, the chance for students to study away from their home medical school. Most students use this opportunity for travel, experiencing a different culture, partaking in relief work and seeing how medicine is practiced in another country.

8. Career and course variety

There are many different branches of medicine – this will be reflected in your course, and later in your career. One day you may be studying neurosurgery and the next learning about chiropody – quite literally looking at the human body from head to toe.

The training pathway

After gaining your medical degree, you take a two-year Foundation Programme. This is followed by training either as a GP (currently lasting three years) or in a specialty (taking five to eight years). See diagram below, or download the diagram of the UK medical education and training framework.

medical training time-line