Still unsure of what degree (2 Viewers)

[randomuser246]

Quick q, are u (op) aiming for post grad med? If so, I would choose the B/science degree and aim for post-grad med at USYD. That's just my personal opinion and I'm a bit swayed by uni prestige. Ultimately its up to u.

I have thought about it but not sure

 

[carrotsss]

Is it possible to be enrolled in 2 degrees and then decide before uni starts. I know I don’t have long but I’m so conflicted. I’ve told my family that I was going to do paramed but that was before the offer for science

if both are uac offers then I believe you can’t

 

[rh_06]

I found some other posts that may be of help:
https://www.reddit.com/r/unsw/comments/1ed55eu https://www.reddit.com/r/unsw/comments/v8v22a

 

[rh_06]

if both are uac offers then I believe you can’t

nah u can enrol in two degrees as long as u get offered them from seperate rounds. Reason is cos UAC only allows u to accept one offer pre round from whichever is placed as ur highest preference. but u can still accept an offer in round 1, then another in round 2, and enrol in both degrees.

 

[enoilgam]

I have received offers for multiple degrees at different unis but still unsure of what I should do. Offers have been med sci, pharma, paramed, science and similar. I hacve enrolled in paramed but an having second thoughts mostly because of an offer of Usyd science. I have never been set in a specific degree as I think I would enjoy most things. Any advice on what I should do. My main concern is that I want to be able to get a good job with decent pay but doesn’t have to be amazing. I have considered med but feel like I can’t risk my chances of getting in. Sorry for the long post any advice is appreciated

I wouldnt be doing Paramed or Pharmacy unless you fully understand what those professions entail. With paramed, it is shiftwork which can be very hard on the body as well as your personal life (I live with a health care worker who does shift, its a huge burden). You will also be working in a very unglamourous job, despite what TV depicts, 99% of your job will consist of dealing with elderly patients (who often times will be bouncing from nursing homes to hospitals because no one wants to deal with them and secretly the system wants them to die to end the burden) and druggies. The remaining 1% will be those special jobs like car accidents and sick kids.

Pharmacists these days have been reduced to retail work with a bit of health work thrown in the mix. Pharmacists are very qualified people, but for the majority who work in retail pharmacy, the job has been heavily downgraded by the healthcare system/government.

I wouldnt be picking either career unless it was a passion, if you have picked them because "you dont know what else to do", I would do something else. Both are quite restrictive degrees and have little use beyond those specific professions.

 

[idk123233]

I wouldnt be doing Paramed or Pharmacy unless you fully understand what those professions entail. With paramed, it is shiftwork which can be very hard on the body as well as your personal life (I live with a health care worker who does shift, its a huge burden). You will also be working in a very unglamourous job, despite what TV depicts, 99% of your job will consist of dealing with elderly patients (who often times will be bouncing from nursing homes to hospitals because no one wants to deal with them and secretly the system wants them to die to end the burden) and druggies. The remaining 1% will be those special jobs like car accidents and sick kids.

Pharmacists these days have been reduced to retail work with a bit of health work thrown in the mix. Pharmacists are very qualified people, but for the majority who work in retail pharmacy, the job has been heavily downgraded by the healthcare system/government.

I wouldnt be picking either career unless it was a passion, if you have picked them because "you dont know what else to do", I would do something else. Both are quite restrictive degrees and have little use beyond those specific professions.

yes i understand, im planning on doing pharmacy if i continue with it i will be aiming for industrial pharmacy or hospital pharmacy if possible. as of now i am aiming to get a non standard entry into medicine if i cannn or i will be tranfering into physio/radio (the degrees i wanted but my atar was a bit lower to how much was needed). i was going to pick medical science, however i found pharmacy to have at least a career with it

 

[idk123233]

I wouldnt be doing Paramed or Pharmacy unless you fully understand what those professions entail. With paramed, it is shiftwork which can be very hard on the body as well as your personal life (I live with a health care worker who does shift, its a huge burden). You will also be working in a very unglamourous job, despite what TV depicts, 99% of your job will consist of dealing with elderly patients (who often times will be bouncing from nursing homes to hospitals because no one wants to deal with them and secretly the system wants them to die to end the burden) and druggies. The remaining 1% will be those special jobs like car accidents and sick kids.

Pharmacists these days have been reduced to retail work with a bit of health work thrown in the mix. Pharmacists are very qualified people, but for the majority who work in retail pharmacy, the job has been heavily downgraded by the healthcare system/government.

I wouldnt be picking either career unless it was a passion, if you have picked them because "you dont know what else to do", I would do something else. Both are quite restrictive degrees and have little use beyond those specific professions.

I dont know what else to dooo :'), i have always wanted to work in the healthcare fielddd, but ive also got an offer in law/com as thats were my strengths lie

 

[rh_06]

I dont know what else to dooo :'), i have always wanted to work in the healthcare fielddd, but ive also got an offer in law/com as thats were my strengths lie

If u do a B/Med sci, you can probably have a career as a surgical tech with further study or experience. Thats my plan, to part time work whilst studying for gamsat or med, should I not get in straight away.

I've also got a law/media & law/med sci offer... hope I dont regret rejecting those

 

[Eagle Mum]

Pharmacists these days have been reduced to retail work with a bit of health work thrown in the mix. Pharmacists are very qualified people, but for the majority who work in retail pharmacy, the job has been heavily downgraded by the healthcare system/government.

The ‘health work’ that pharmacists do can make a huge difference to the health and functioning of the general population.
These include:
Blood pressure checks
Blood ‘screening‘ tests for glucose, cholesterol, INR (for patients on warfarin), HIV etc
Immunisation
Medical certificates for sick leave from work

Pharmacists are also the experts at drug interactions and give advice on how any particular drug might affect the metabolism of other drugs and therefore warn of the possibility of inadvertent ’overdose’, which even the prescribing doctor may not be aware of.

Because these address common issues in the community, the potential impact of pharmacists can be huge (though likely under-appreciated).

 

[Eagle Mum]

Yes u can be enrolled in 2 degrees. U can even do 2 degrees at the same time i.e one at unsw and another at usyd.

I once interviewed a candidate who studied full time medicine at USyd and full time law at UNSW concomitantly. I don’t know how she did it (or why) but her referees confirmed she did and she was the successful applicant for the staff specialist position.

 

[enoilgam]

The ‘health work’ that pharmacists do can make a huge difference to the health and functioning of the general population.
These include:
Blood pressure checks
Blood ‘screening‘ tests for glucose, cholesterol, INR (for patients on warfarin), HIV etc
Immunisation
Medical certificates for sick leave from work

Pharmacists are also the experts at drug interactions and give advice on how any particular drug might affect the metabolism of other drugs and therefore warn of the possibility of inadvertent ’overdose’, which even the prescribing doctor may not be aware of.

Because these address common issues in the community, the potential impact of pharmacists can be huge (though likely under-appreciated).

Just to clarify, my post wasn't directed at Pharmacists but rather governments/the system who have systematically devalued the profession. Pharmacists are extremely qualified and should be valued more, however the profession at the moment has evolved into being more focused on retail/sales as opposed to healthcare. That's why I think pharmacy requires more thought before entering. My partner was going to study pharmacy and in her gap year, she worked at one. She quickly discovered the above which is what prompted her to shift to nursing.

 

[Eagle Mum]

Just to clarify, my post wasn't directed at Pharmacists but rather governments/the system who have systematically devalued the profession. Pharmacists are extremely qualified and should be valued more, however the profession at the moment has evolved into being more focused on retail/sales as opposed to healthcare. That's why I think pharmacy requires more thought before entering. My partner was going to study pharmacy and in her gap year, she worked at one. She quickly discovered the above which is what prompted her to shift to nursing

Yes, your original and follow up comments are both very clear about how highly you value pharmacists, but I do actually think that pharmacists outside of hospitals have and do take the opportunities to provide a range of services which greatly benefit many.

 

[idk123233]

If u do a B/Med sci, you can probably have a career as a surgical tech with further study or experience. Thats my plan, to part time work whilst studying for gamsat or med, should I not get in straight away.

I've also got a law/media & law/med sci offer... hope I dont regret rejecting those

yeahhhh i dont wanna regret not choosing something that i had the option offffff, idk why but picking what to do is so much harder than actually getting in

 

[idk123233]

If u do a B/Med sci, you can probably have a career as a surgical tech with further study or experience. Thats my plan, to part time work whilst studying for gamsat or med, should I not get in straight away.

I've also got a law/media & law/med sci offer... hope I dont regret rejecting those

thats coool, could u expand of the surgical tech thing that sounds so interestinggg

 

[rh_06]

I once interviewed a candidate who studied full time medicine at USyd and full time law at UNSW concomitantly. I don’t know how she did it (or why) but her referees confirmed she did and she was the successful applicant for the staff specialist position.

Oh wow... kudos to them lol. That's such a flex tho lol. Imagine ur title being 'MD. JD. ___'

 

[rh_06]

thats coool, could u expand of the surgical tech thing that sounds so interestinggg

Ill try my best to explain from my understanding. I'm also just about to enter my first yr of uni and still nosing around some things. From what i've been told/what I've read, a surgical tech basically prepares the operating theatre for surgeries, including sanitising/preparing the tools and machines. During the surgery, they'll likely be assisting the surgeon by handing the correct tools or instruments - In a way, they have to predict/know what the surgeon will do or use next e.g. which suture. I've also heard that for most of these rolls, either the surgeon themself, or the surrounding nurses can take this role. On top of that, I read that surgical techs are considered on the 'lower end of the hierarchy' below nurses- I honestly cant say anything abt it and thats js what I read on the internet. Might not be the case in Australia tho, but if someone can clarify please do.
Also, from what i've heard from my friend who js got in med school, as a career, it can be quite draining or boring (apparently) since your basically studying what a doctor would and also participating in operations minus the prestige and pay. - But as a student interested in a future career in healthcare, it can be quite beneficial for a number of reasons:
- Experience- this can be valuable for applying for later jobs or internships/fellowships in med school
- You become familiar with the hospital setting/the work load/routine
- You get to 'shadow' surgeons in a way
- building connections with your surgeons or hospital etc. Can be beneficial once your a doctor yourself.
- You get paid (for a student, ig its better than nothing but I'm not sure how good being a surgical tech is as a permanent/long term career)

The way I see it, being a surgical tech can be a part of my path to post grad med if I fail the gamsat (which I plan on sitting throughout my uni degree, so roughly max 8 times- after a successful attempt, Im going to apply for med school right after my degree- no break.) so I can study for the gamsat whilst working. I might also consider doing a masters or honours etc.

You might want to fact check everything I've said since I'm not as knowledgable on this stuff yet.

 

[Hehehe22]

yeahh i got law and comm too, but yeahh most likely pharma. will u be trying for med later?

If you don't mind me asking, is this UNSW law? If so, what was your LAT score and ATAR?