How can one possibly get into UK medical school these days?

Had been approached by quite a few bright all As students who wanted to enter medical school. It has been so difficult lately for locals to get admitted to UK medical school. Many of them, having been top students in their school thought that they shouldn’t have any problem securing a place in medical school. How far can that be from the truth.

Getting 8 As in GCSE/O level and even 5 As in A level is no longer adequate for entry. String of top scorers are left utterly disappointed that they didn’t even get shortlisted. Those fortunate ones who did are mostly unsuccessful. Many angry parents complained via a local newspaper: it isn’t fair. Not sure why the public still like doing medicine so badly given that there has been recent shortage of training jobs and consultant jobs in UK.

I can understand the difficult Universities are in. There are so many students getting 8 As in GCSE and 3 As in A level. Some say it is because the standard for A levels have dropped. In my days, few students get 5 As in A level. This is no longer true nowadays. Even with the benefit of doubt that standards have been maintained, how are the poor Universities supposed to shortlist students for courses which are oversubscribed, when the number of applicants far outnumber the number of places?

Many underestimate how much they have to do to prepare. It is not enough to get good GCSE and AS results. They have to be the top in the UK Medical school aptitude test simply to get shortlisted. Many I suspect have not put in the amount of preparation required, as A Levels preparation is competing for their time.

After being shortlisted, the amount of work needed is phenomenal. 16-17 yo who have barely attended any medical lectures are faced with very demanding questions in the interview. Typical questions include what are the ethical issues behind the Liverpool Alderhey scandal; or the Bristol Heart surgeon enquiry, what hospitals should learn from it. Or questions about the workings of the kidney transplant service, or complications of long term immunusuppression. Or the pros and cons of using antiviral medication during a flu pandemic. Questions that no doubt even medical graduates have difficulty answering well.

The simple solution if one is that desperate to do medicine: is to apply as an overseas applicant. As long as you got the A level grades, and got loads of cash, it is rather straightforward. You see, overseas students pay premium student fees, and many UK universities are heavily reliant on their fees to maintain the department, the staff salaries etc, given the amount of central funding is inadequate.