W.A.M.S.

Work experience is a requirement for nearly all medical schools. Work experience should not be seen as a hurdle to climb, but part of the decision making process in finding out whether medicine is really for you. Although most universities recognise that it is not always possible to gain work experience in a medical setting, work experience in any 'caring' setting is required.

When you are at your work experience, keep a diary. This will help you to reflect on your experiences and will help you remember certain things when writing your personal statement and at interview. Don't get too hung up on remembering endless procedures or diseases - think about what the doctor does, how do they communicate and how do they work as a team? Can you think of any examples? This is far more important than reciting endless facts.In your interview, you may be asked questions about where, when, and most importantly, what you gained from it.

Not sure where to start looking? Some of the pointers below should help.

• Phone your local National Health Service Trust. Many trusts now have education departments with people specifically employed to help with obtaining work experience.
• Speak to your own doctor. Your GP may be able to pass you onto a friend or another surgery. if they can't take you on themselves.
• Use your existing contacts - if you have a friend/uncle/cousin/distant relative who is a doctor then try them!
• Speak to your school or your local branch of Connexions, who may be able to help.
• Phone the admissions department of your nearest medical school; they may have a contact.

Remember, work experience a few hours a week over a few months looks better than a one-off stint. However, it's what you get out of it that counts - 'quality rather than quantity'.

Again, hobbies and interests are vital to an application to medicine. Good grades alone are not enough to gain a place at medical school! Life skills, such as being able to care and communicate well with others, are just as important. Hobbies and interests can help you develop those all important skills needed as a doctor and as a medical student. Things like playing a musical instrument, playing sport, Scouts, cadets etc. all count. And it's even better if you've progressed through your hobby e.g. gained a qualification or are now using your skills to coach younger people.

Tell the medical school how long you've been doing it, why you do it and if you have achieved anything. Commitment is really important here. You should also reflect on your experiences and say what skills you've developed. Important skills to note include leadership skills, communication, commitment etc. If you have hobbies which you can show have helped you develop those skills, and explain how they have helped them develop, you will be on your way to a much stronger application.

Although this is not an essential part of the application to medicine, it does add an extra bow to your UCAS form. Again, its all about identifying the skills you have gained from doing that job, not necessarily the things you did. And if you can link those skills to the medical profession, your application will look much more impressive.

Why not try and get a job as a Health Care Assistant - then you can earn money while gaining valuable experience! If you can't find a job in a caring setting then any job involving customer service e.g. bar/waiting and shop work all need communication skills.

Doctors must be fit to practise medicine in line with guidance provided by the General Medical Council in the document Good Medical Practice. The fitness to practise standards applied to doctors also apply to medical students, in terms of both physical fitness and appropriate behaviour.

In general it is a good idea to phone your GP well in advance so you can get a list of all of your childhood vaccines. KEEP THIS safe! It will be needed when you start at medical school and at some of your hospital or primary care placements.

Hepatitis B
It is important that you check with each medical school about their policy on hepatitis B. Some medical schools expect you to be immunised for starting the course and others are more flexible. This will form part of your conditional offer, the same as A. Level grades. Without this you may not be granted a place.

The vaccination process can take up to nine months, as there are a number of injections and a blood test. So... you must start early! Before you book an appointment, check that your GP has the vaccine in stock and also whether they will charge you for it.

Tuberculosis
You should have all been immunised against TB at school with the BCG vaccination. Usually medical schools will check the size of the scar as this can indicate the effectiveness of the injection. If your scar is too small then you may need to be tested. This is something that usually happens in the first couple of weeks of term, along with other health checks.

For those people who suffer from dyslexia, it is best to contact the medical schools directly.  Many people with dyslexia manage fine at medical school.  Each university will have a department which is able to deal with the specific nature of your problem and help you out such as study skills and recommending extra time for exams.  However, for those with severe dyslexia it is done on a case by case basis.