What is a medical student?
Definition
Medical students are people who are enrolled in a medical school at a university. They are training to become a doctor. So eventually they may become your GP, hospital physician or surgeon, psychiatrist, or any other type of doctor you may meet.
The road to becoming a doctor is a long one and requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and perseverance.
Length of training
Most medical courses are five years (range 4-6). The 4 year courses are postgraduate ones that are designed for people who already have an undergraduate degree. This could be a degree in anything, but most students have some form of biomedical science degree. Medical apprenticeships are starting in the UK in 2024 as well.
After qualification, they often do 5-10 more years training to become a senior doctor (5 for a GP, and 10 for a hospital consultant).
Type of training
Medical students undergo rigorous academic training which involves a combination of lectures, small group teaching, practical laboratory work, working on wards and in clinics, and clinical skills workshops.
Courses are often divided up into about 18-24 months ‘preclinical’ (mainly medical science lectures), and about 2.5-3 years ‘clinical’ (mainly working in hospitals and GP surgeries). But there are many different arrangements and styles.
Range of topics studied
Medical students study a wide variety of topics during their course, including anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, GP, hospital medicine and surgery. There is also a lot of focus on non-science topics too, such as communication skills with patients, law and ethics, and the social side of medicine.
Examinations
Medical students are required to pass a series of rigorous examinations before they can practice medicine independently – culminating in ‘finals’ at the end of the last year. These exams include written ones, as well as simulated patient interactions, and assessment of clinical skills on actual patients.
Pressures
Medical students often face significant stress and pressure throughout their training, as they are expected to master complex medical concepts and techniques; whilst balancing other demands such as family, finances, and their own personal physical and mental health issues.
The post-graduate students on 4 year courses often have very significant debt which adds to the pressure.
Summary
We have described what is a medical student. We hope you understand what they are now.
Note. It is very helpful if you allow them to sit in with your GP or hospital doctor. They can learn alot from you. You can ask them to leave as well if you wish.
