Medical Science as backup - by email (1 Viewer)

[Lexicographer]

Hey There,

I hope you dont mind helping me out but i thought you were the best person to ask.

Im currently in yr 12 and passionate to study med next year... I have done UMAT but
i dont think i will get an interview based on that. My UAI should be alright (>95)
but i reckon i will not get in to an undergrad course.

As i would still love to study somethign med related, not just to make my chances
easier down the track but rather because i am so passionate about the field i was
looking at med science. Do you think this course deals with many aspects of
medicine, i.e. would i enjoy med sci if i was to enjoy med?

Otherwise what are my options - is it easy to x-fer between courses after say 1st
yr, or should i do an undergrad then apply for a graduate med program

Thank you so much for your time!!

Firstly, don't rule out interviews until you've got the "sorry to advise" letter in your hand - even then you never know.

Medical Science is a good and wholesome course. It is, however, very little like Medicine. Medical science contains more in-depth content about the human body and the specific scientific knowledge we have acquired about its function (both normal and pathological), treatment, diagnostic analysis and myriad other things. The major difference is that Medical Science has no clinical component - you would be training to understand the body as a machine, a colony, a system...not a person. No classes on human interaction, personal observation or any other direct dealings with patients.

If you are into medicine for the scientific challenge, then you'll probably love medical science. However, if your big reason is "I want to help people", then be prepared to look elsewhere - you'll see no people here.

I would advise you to think long and hard about other careers you might happily live (and die) in - for me this was nanotechnology. Medicine is something you want to enter with alternatives, never think of it as the only possible end goal.