Medicine is a fascinating field of study which offers the ability to apply science to real life situations, working with other health care professionals to deliver excellent patient care. As a hospital doctor, you'll apply your medical knowledge and skills to the diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of disease and other medical conditions.
There are around 60 specialties to choose from. Some of the more common areas include:
- anaesthetics
- cardiology
- emergency medicine
- general medicine
- general surgery
- obstetrics and gynaecology
- paediatrics
- pathology
- psychiatry
- radiology
- trauma and orthopaedics.
Explore the range of roles and specialties.
Responsibilities
Specific tasks depend on your specialty - for instance, the work surgeons carry out on a daily basis is completely different from the workload of an accident and emergency (A&E) doctor.
Regardless of your speciality, as a hospital doctor you'll need to:
- monitor and provide general care to patients on hospital wards and in outpatient clinics
- admit patients requiring special care, followed by investigations and treatment
- examine and talk to patients to diagnose their medical conditions
- carry out specific procedures, e.g. performing operations and specialist investigations
- make notes and prepare paperwork, both as a legal record of treatment and for the benefit of other healthcare professionals
- work with other doctors as part of a team, either in the same department or within other specialties
- liaise with other medical and non-medical staff in the hospital to ensure quality treatment
- promote health education
- undertake managerial responsibilities such as planning the workload and staffing of the department, especially at more senior levels
- teach and supervise junior doctors and medical students
- carry out auditing and research.
To become a hospital doctor you must complete:
- a degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC)
- a two-year foundation programme of general training
- specialist training in a chosen area of medicine.
Medical degrees are available at undergraduate level and usually take five to six years to complete. If you've already got a degree in a subject other than medicine (usually a 2:1 or above in a science-related subject) you can apply for a four-year accelerated graduate entry medicine programme, also known as a graduate entry programme (GEP). The British Medical Association has further information about applying to medical school as a graduate.
There are also 'foundation' or 'gateway' degrees available that add a preliminary year to your medical degree. These have been brought in to help widen access to medicine. For more information, see the Medical Schools Council (MSC).
Entry into medicine is very competitive and your motivation and commitment are rigorously assessed. Most medical schools expect you to take one of the following tests:
- University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) - the most widely used test
- BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
- Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) - mainly used by medical schools that offer the GEP.
