Some things to consider.

So finally made it in to medicine and it feels great... the first few months have turned my world upside down. So I guess ill start with explaining how the GEMP program is laid out... GEMP1/year 3 and GEMP2/year 4 are essentualy one year consisting of 11 blocks (a block is generaly a system of the body this is true for all 9 blocks except for the first 2) after this GEMP 3/year 5 and GEMP 4/ year 6 is mostly clinical where more time is spent in the hospital. In terms of test these are normaly a multiple choice question papers and short answer questions. I got my leter of acceptance on the 21st of december, the date does change each year but its usualy around this time. If you are considering the route I decided to take, I think its important that you consider accomadation and all the other important things involved with starting at a new university as it does become quite rushed, medical school usualy opens around the 5th of January. The next thing is your final results, if you are currently studying, often these become a slight issue at the end as wits request an official copy with the universities stamp, these can be difficult to obtain by the date that wits requires it but normaly the people involved are understanding and will help you out. The next post will cover the first block.

If you have any questions please comment below.

So what's next?

I applied to the graduate entry medical program (GEMP) in my third year, the wits GEMP is a program offered by the Witwatersrand (wits) university that allows a graduate to jump into third year medicine based on passing a placement test and your marks at university, the test is known as the WAPT and covers mainly the 2nd year work done by medical students.  The requirements and all the information can be found on the wits website under faculty of health science. Despite the fact that any degree can apply there are some requirements like chemistry and math’s etc., it is at this point that doing a medical related degree can be to your advantage, although if you do a degree that is less time consuming it kind of evens out as this allows for more time to study for the test. Anyone interested in this should plan ahead as leaving it to the last minute can be overwhelming, it is a lot of work but perseverance will get you the results you need.  For more info on the GEMP click here http://www.wits.ac.za/academic/health/academicprogrammes/undergraduate/20190/gemp.html

If no university accepts you even after a degree in South Africa then what?

Well if no university will accept you after a B.Sc. then you can try the numerous alternatives overseas, For those that are considering this there are many universities in China as well as Mauritius where you will find high numbers of South Africans due to the shortage of space in South Africa, the only downsides to going overseas is the price and the fact that you will need to write a test to be allowed to practice in South Africa upon completion of your degree( once again I stand corrected on this point as some of the universities in Mauritius say that your internship is done in south Africa so I'm not 100% sure if the entrance board exam will still apply). The last alternative is  to go into an alternative medical field such as emergency services, pharmacology, occupational health, nutrition or sports science just to list a few, there are many more.

B.Sc.(Not my first choice)

Where to start... I guess you could say that at first medicine was not my first choice and I was slightly interested in other fields but as time went on I became more and more interested in becoming a doctor, by grade 10 I was set on getting into medicine, I worked really hard in grade 10-12 yet like thousands of South Africans I failed to get into medicine straight out of school, for those of you who don't know universities in south Africa receive around 9000 applications for medicine of which they can only take around 250.

                                                                       

Since my first attempt didn't work out it was suggested that I do a B.Sc. and try and jump into medicine within the first 6 months of university (the first 6 months of B.Sc. and MBCHB/MBBS are the same, so most universities use this to top up the class if there are extra spaces). My first week at campus came as a shock, when the head of the department asked how many of you are doing B.Sc. to get into medicine and about 800 of the 1000 students put their hands up I thought that there was no hope, never the less I was there and so I tried to do my best. My first year was tough as the adjustments of living alone away from home combined with the gap between school and university can be overwhelming. Apart from the downsides first year can have its good times like the great people you meet from different places, all enriching your life in some way.

After the tough first year I found my "happy place" and despite the harder work I started really enjoying university my marks went up and all was great, third year went even better. I guess this is partly due to the type of work you are doing in these years, the first year is very broad in B.Sc. for instance you will cover basic science and then in your second and third years you will specialize into the type of B.Sc. you have selected and in my case this was human physiology, for those of you who do not know medicine, especially your first two years is composed of physiology( how the organs and the body  function) and anatomy ( the structure of organs and the body).

B.Sc. is only a three year course and at the end of each year you can apply for medicine at the institute you are studying at ( important to note that other institutes will not accept students that are studying until there degree is complete) the chances of getting in after the first 6 months are nearly impossible as there are not many people that choose to drop out of medicine and the fact that universities will only accept you into medicine if you have a two year clean record-what this means is that your marks have to be really good for two years with no sups/50% or failed subjects and chances are that if you have good marks, you would have gotten in within the first 6 months.

Just some important points to highlight about B.Sc., the reason most people do a B.Sc. is to get into medicine the rejection letters that most universities give out often say that an alternative is to do a B.Sc. and try again in the first six months and as mentioned above, if you know you are unable to do extremely well in those first 6 months, then I would advise against this as most B.Sc. degrees are pointless without specialization. For those who are really trying for medicine but don't have the time or finances, I would suggest either doing a degree that is easier or is an alternative to medicine that you like and can use if medicine doesn't work out and trying to get into medicine with those marks. Universities will normally accept any post graduate student given that they have done chemistry, biology and math’s at university level ( this is my understanding... Please first check with each of the relevant universities before making any decisions.) The main difference is with a B.Sc. you can apply after the first six months. A B.Sc. also is a really good course to get into the medical field as it teaches you a lot of detail on parts of medicine, this may come as an advantage if you make it into medicine.

Welcome

The road to medicine

My name is Richard and this blog is a journal of my experience on becoming a doctor in South Africa, the purpose of this blog is to help others who may want to pursue the same path or for those of you who may just need some encouragement. I am willing to help in any way I can, if you have any questions about medicine,BSc or the GEMP please feel free to leave a comment and I will try and respond as soon as I can. Please note that this blog is in no way affiliated with any of the Universities in South Africa.