What is a medical student?
Definition – medical students are individuals who are enrolled in a medical school at a university – they are pursuing a career as a doctor, so may eventually become a GP, hospital physician or surgeon, psychiatrist, or any other type of doctor you may have met.
The road to becoming a doctor is a long one and requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance.
Length of training – most medical courses are five years (range 4-6). The 4 year courses are postgraduate ones that are designed for people who already have an undergraduate degree. This could be a degree in anything, but most students have some form of biomedical science degree. Medical apprenticeships are starting in the UK in 2023 as well.
After qualification, they often do 5-10 more years training to become a senior doctor (such as GP or hospital consultant).
Type of training – medical students undergo rigorous academic training which involves a combination of lectures, small group teaching, practical laboratory work, clinical rotations and clinical skills workshops.
Courses are often divided up into about 2 years ‘preclinical’ (mainly medical science lectures) and about 3 years ‘clinical’ (mainly working in hospitals and GP surgeries). But there are many different arrangements and styles.
Range of topics studied – medical students study a wide variety of topics during their course, including anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, GP, hospital medicine and surgery. There is also a lot of focus on non-science topics too, such as communication skills with patients, law and ethics, and the social side of medicine.
Examinations – medical students are required to pass a series of rigorous examinations before they can practice medicine independently – culminating in ‘finals’ at the end of the last year. These exams include the usual written ones, as well as simulated patient interactions and assessment of clinical skills.
Pressures – medical students often face significant stress and pressure throughout their training, as they are expected to master complex medical concepts and techniques, whilst balancing other demands such as family, finances (significant debt), and personal health.
Summary
We have described what is a medical student. We hope you understand it better now.
Other resource
https://www.myhsn.co.uk/top-tip/what-is-a-medical-student
Last Reviewed on 13 March 2024