The UK’s health sector employs around two million people, with around 75 per cent of these working for the NHS. As the world’s largest publicly funded health service, the NHS has over 300 available careers. The constant demand for suitably trained staff means that there are always opportunities on offer across the NHS and the private and voluntary sectors for medicine graduates.

There is a vast choice of health-related courses on offer in the UK – in 2008/09, a whopping 188,885 students were enrolled on undergraduate programmes in medicine, dentistry and subjects allied to medicine (source: HESA).

Becoming a Doctor
To get on to a five-year degree in medicine you will usually need at least five GCSEs (A-C) including English, Maths and Science, plus three A-levels with at least grades AAB in subjects such as Chemistry, Biology and either Physics or Maths. Check the General Medical Counsel (GMC) website for a list of degree courses. If you do not have qualifications in science subjects, you may be able to join a six-year degree course in Medicine,  which includes a one-year pre-medical or Foundation year.
Following the five years of study, graduates must then complete a year in the post of pre-registration house officer, after which they apply for full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) and then opt either for general practice or hospital medicine.
Most doctors work within the NHS. There are also opportunities for those wishing to practise medicine in the armed forces, overseas aid agencies, prisons, hospital/research institutes, clinical trial organisations, private healthcare establishments, residential nursing homes, and air-ambulance services.

Application Considerations
Start planning your application as early as possible: the UCAS deadline for medicine and dentistry courses is earlier than for other subjects (October 2011 for entry to courses starting in 2012). Depending on which university you’re applying to, you may also need to take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT). For more information on the BMAT, see www.bmat.org.uk.

It could be an advantage, both when applying for your health-related degree and when looking for jobs, to have some relevant paid or voluntary experience, for example as a care assistant in a hospital or nursing home. For paid work, you could approach hospitals or care homes directly or check on the NHS Jobs website  (www.jobs.nhs.uk/). To volunteer or arrange a formal period of observation watching a doctor at work, you should contact the voluntary services co-ordinator or manager at your local NHS Trust.

Possible Career Path
General Practitioner
General Practitioners (GPs) listen to patients, explain their symptoms, carry out examinations, then reach a diagnosis and prescribe medication. They perform minor surgery, deliver babies and provide health promotion and teaching services.
Most GPs work up to 52.5 hours a week full time (this can include evenings and weekends). They may also be expected  to work an out-of-hours on-call rota.

Salary guide
Doctors in training earn a basic salary, with a supplement for working over 40 hours and/or outside the hours of 7am-7pm Monday to Friday. In the most junior hospital trainee post (Foundation Year 1) the basic starting salary is £22,412, rising to £27,798 in Year 2. Salaried GPs employed directly by their local primary care trust earn between £53,781 to £81,158. See NHS Careers
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk