EASYUNI Ultimate University Guide 2013 July Issue | Page 36

Health science, biomedical research and medical technology
are applied in contemporary medicine to treat injury and disease.
Although they are usually given through medicine or surgery,
there are also therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external
splints and traction, prostheses, biologics, ionising radiation
and others.
The medical profession is an absolute must for the human
society. They are the ones that make a real difference to people’s
lives. With a person’s life in their hands, it is de?nitely not an easy
profession. The period of training to become a fully quali?ed
doctor is lengthy and the training itself is challenging. Your
strong interest in science and passion for helping others will be
driving you to keep going through the ups and downs of the
training period.
Other than your real commitment to the ?eld, if you want to
enter a top medical school, you will have to show exceptional
grades in science subjects, especially chemistry and biology, since
you will be dealing with these subjects most of the time in your
career. To show your commitment, you will need to gain work
experience at a local healthcare centre, private consultancy or
another type of care facility such as an old people’s care home.
Keep in mind that this course is highly challenging, with intensive
and time-consuming workload
and an endless demand
on intellect. It may also be
emotionally draining at times.
Before deciding on a location,
keep in mind that medical
training structures are different
depending on countries.
Other than that, the medical
quali?cations gained in
one country might not be
recognised in others.
A medical school is a tertiary
educational institution – or part
of such an institution – that
teaches medicine. The degree
programs offered are usually
Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine,
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, Master’s
degree or other post-secondary education. A physician/associate
program is usually offered in many medical schools. Although
the entry criteria, structure, teaching methodology and nature
of the medical programs vary in different countries, medical
schools are often highly competitive using standardised entrance
examinations to narrow the selection criteria for candidates.
In most countries, the study of medicine is completed as
an undergraduate degree not requiring any prerequisite
undergraduate coursework. However, more places are rising
for graduate entrants who have completed an undergraduate
degree, including some required courses. In the United States and
Canada, almost all medical degrees are second entry degrees and
require several years of previous study at the university level.
Medical degrees are awarded to medical students after the
completion of their degree program, usually ?ve or more years
for the undergraduate model and four years for the graduate
model. Curricula are usually divided into preclinical sciences
(biochemisty, genetics, pharmacology, pathology, anatomy
and physiology among others) and clinical rotations (internal
medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and obstetrics
and gynaecology among others).

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EASYUNI Guide 2013

What Will You Be Studying
Most medical schools offer a four-year programme, where the
?rst two years will be spent mostly in the classroom and lab. You
will also be studying the fundamentals that you will need in the
art of medicine and patient care. Undergraduate science courses
will equip you with the basics needed to delve deeper into the
good – and more complicated – stuff. So, this is where you will
be putting your knowledge into good use and start learning
about the intricacies of the human body.
It might vary from school to school, but these are roughly what
you will be studying during your ?rst two years – neurosciences,
microbiology, pathology, physiology, clinical psychiatry and
behavioural medicine, human anatomy, genetics, cell and
tissue biology/histology, clinical ethics, biochemistry, human
development and pharmacology.
Some schools also offer courses that deal with things you
may encounter as a physician that aren’t necessarily sciencebased, such as how to interact with patients in an effective
and respectful manner; public health issues; gender, race, and
religious issues in medicine; death and dying; and the legal or
economic aspects of the healthcare profession.
The last two years of medical
school is when you will be
practicing medicine. Most of
your time will now be spent in
completing rotations in hospitals
and clinics where you will learn
by observing and doing. A little
of everything will be covered
such as obstetrics, family
practice, psychiatry, surgery
and emergency medicine. While
your third-year rotations are more
fundamental, you will be able
to choose rotations in areas that
interest you in your fourth year.
You will need to begin applying
for residency late in the third year
or early fourth year. Hopefully,
you have decided on what you want to specialise with the
various rotations that you have completed so far so that you can
choose the residency programme that interests you. After the
application, you will be interviewed and you will need to prepare
a residency personal statement. Residents are also eligible for
medical licenses after the third year.