The first couple months of medicine

PCMS stands for preliminary concepts in medical sciences... To me it stood for what did i get myself into, if anyone tells you medicine is easy they were doing it wrong. I guess looking back its not as bad as it seemed, but the 1st block is a big adjustment and a lot of work it consist of 6 main subjects mainly pathology, pharmacology, immunology, microbiology, bio stats and bioethics. The PCMS block is essentially the only block in which there is set structure to subjects, in the following blocks there are themes but more on that later. The biggest adjustment is the limited time for everything, in the PCMS block lectures start at 8am and end at 5pm everyday for most of the block and then you end up with about 3 days to study for the test at the end of the block... It sounds hectic but you get used to it pretty fast, the work inst hard but its a lot of work. The thing with PCMS is that it helps to level the playing fields, especially for those who come through to the GEMP program with little medical background... In all the subjects listed above it seems that PCMS covers a broad amount of work that will be touched on in more detail in the following blocks, a lot like a foundation for everyone to build on. The hardest part of the block for most is going to be pathology but with a bit of dedication this can be overcome, pathology pops up a lot in the following blocks, so giving it some attention from the start is not a bad idea. I guess for most of the subjects its dependent on if you've ever done them. But like I said looking back its not that bad and definitely do able.

LOTS-So the second block of the year is the LOTS block which stands for life on the streets, this block covers most of the themes that carry on through out the year, its not a full on focused clinical block but rather jumps around from git to HIV etc. The block is quite relaxed for many and gives you a bit of a breather after pcms, don't get me wrong its still important to continue to work hard through this as their is a lot of information. In the first week of the block you will receive your first case normally this is little Anna, you will start working through the case with your pbl group and the case will go on through the week with 3 pbl sessions the first on the Monday, then pbl2 on Wednesday and then a pbl3 on Friday. The first pbl session is an introduction to the case and is normally facilitated, during this session students are meant to receive information on the case and come up with a diagnosis and the test they would request, while the second pbl session is just group work where you receive more information on the case including the results you requested in the first session, the last session is a plenary ie. A session where the entire case is reviewed and the coordinator for that week will answer anything that is not understood. The pbl process runs every week from the beginning of lots till the end of 4th year. The cases are usually related to the topic of the week and helps you get a understanding of the main presentation, diagnosis and management of the most common problems. The other new thing that's introduced in the LOTS block is HPD/ hospital practice days, these are days where you get to dress up like a doctor and go into the hospitals, these normally happen on a Thursday so the mornings are spent in a hospital that you are allocated to and then a clinical skills session in the afternoon, these are normally quite fun and you will have to pay attention as the stuff taught in these will make up the practical exam. The HPDs are intended to allow you to practice the skills you learn and its important that you use them from the start to avoid coming up to the OSCE not having practiced. The last new objective is journal entries these are a reflection of the block, that has to be completed at the end of each block except the last of each year, the journal entry must be two pages long and can be on anything that stood out for you during the block, their are a few topics you have to cover but for most entries you choose the topic. generally the lots block is good, just don't be to relaxed as it can seem boring and stuff you think you know, but attending lectures is important.

CVS-Finally into the clinical blocks, stuff just got serious and much more focused. The
CVS block is definitely one of the best blocks of the year and one of the most important, that being said it is definitely worth your while going to class and paying attention. The work in the block comes up throughout the year so learn it well to prevent it haunting you later. One of the practical aspects taught in this block is how to read an ECG their are normally two practical sessions, these must be attended as i can assure you they are worth your while. The block is six weeks and their is quite a lot of pathology and physiology to master, the first weeks pbl case may catch you of guard but after that you should get the hang of it. Each week focuses on a specific issue as with the blocks that follow. The outline for this block is: Week 1- general physiology and anatomy, week 2- heart failure, week 3- hypertension, week 4- acute coronary syndrome, week 5 - ineffective endocarditis and week 6- genetic cardiac diseases. The week on hypertension is worth paying attention in, as it comes up again and again due to it being a common problem in our westernized world. The cardiac block is a great way to start the clinical blocks have fun and enjoy it.

After the above the blocks mostly follow a similar format and I'm sure you will get the hang of it. If you have any questions leave a comment below.

A work in progress

this post is just to let you know that this blog is something I do when I have free time and due to this not always being available, post may be quite spaced out, but I am willing to answer questions at any time... please feel free to ask.

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.