Category: Education

#CareerFocus – Getting into Medicine

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How did you decide on your current career? Did you nurture a dream from a young age and see it through? Did you decide in school when you realised that you had an aptitude for certain subjects? Did you choose a course at University, thoroughly hate it, graduate and decide to do something else? In our latest addition to The Hub, ‘Getting Into – ’ we share information regarding getting into specific careers from professionals in the discipline. In this article, Chidi Amadi, a medical student shares information about getting into Medicine in the UK.

APH: What is your current role?

CA: I am a final year medical Student at King’s College London (from August 2015).

When did you realise you wanted to be a doctor and what steps did you take to get there?

I realised I wanted to be a doctor when I was 16, after my GCSE results (10 A*s and 5 As). I was informed by my school that I was the only student to gain 3 A*s in Triple Science. I combined this outcome with parental guidance, my love for science and a desire to enter a prestigious challenging career … and the passion for medicine was born. The journey to getting into Medicine starts from your GCSE’s and not just A’ Levels.

The steps I took to get here were choosing my A levels appropriately. Chemistry is compulsory, Maths and Biology are desirable – I strongly recommend those three. Your fourth should preferably be a humanities (geography, history or economics) or a language. Getting into medical school is highly competitive, so realistically, you should achieve A’s and A*’s in your A’ Level subjects.

Secondly, I arranged work experience early (hospital, GP and care home). Thirdly, I made sure I was in close contact with those ahead of me i.e. medical undergraduates at the time, newly qualified doctors as I realised that they were best placed to advise me. This was particularly important in preparing for the interview.

How would you answer the question ‘Why would you like to study Medicine?’ Most prospective medical student’s response to that question relates to wanting to care for sick people but you could also do that as a nurse or pharmacist. This is where the advice of those in the profession can prove invaluable. More information on preparing for interviews can be found here.

In your opinion, what are the important skills and personal attributes to succeed in Medicine?

Medicine is a long course and an even longer career to embark upon so you must be ready for the challenge. It needs dedication, consistency and the ability to think laterally. Working as a doctor involves problem solving, often using an indirect and creative approach. Beyond subject knowledge, to succeed in the medical profession, you must also have excellent communication skills – especially listening. Further information about skills required can be found here.

Can you describe a typical working day?

9-12: Ward round (presenting patients’ cases to Consultants and seniors as they review them)

12-1: Lunch break

1-4: Clinics with consultants, teaching with seniors or self-directed ward activity

What do you like the most and least about your job?

Like the most – the diversity of what needs to be learnt.

Like the least – I can’t remember when I slept before 1am.

What do you wish someone else had told you before you embarked on your academic/professional journey?

That I should be prepared to be challenged beyond my preconceived limits.

What advice would you share with anyone interested in studying Medicine and how can one get in?

Motivation – If you want a title, money, or fame then please do not study Medicine. You will save yourself a lot of time, effort and save patients a lot of headache which come from unenthusiastic doctors. Assess your interest in studying Medicine and ensure it is genuine – a real interest with a primary focus. Medicine has to be something that you really want to do.

Preparation – I would advise also that you start your journey early! Prepare a strong personal statement, get some work experience and start your UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) and Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) revision even before the start of your AS level exams. ‘The early bird catches the worm.’

For more information on getting into Medicine in the UK, please visit the Medical Schools Council guide for students.

Chidi Amadi is a final year medical student at the GKT School of Medical Education, King’s College London.

We hope you have found this article useful. If you have any more questions or career pathways you would like to see profiled, please send us an email @ aspiringprofessionalshub@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

#MyPhDStory – My PhD Life lessons

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We were pleasantly surprised about the response to our article discussing myths about PhDs. Studying for a PhD can be a life changing process; successfully completing one provides the opportunity to learn not just about your discipline but about yourself as a person. In this article, Amara reflects on some of the most valuable life lessons she learnt while studying for her PhD.

Perseverance can be more important than intelligence – We had a saying in my lab that became my PhD mantra – ‘Never give up!’ Everyone knows that doing a PhD comes with its own unique challenges but I severely underestimated how difficult it was going to be. Nothing I had experienced during my undergraduate degree prepared me for starting a PhD. Six months into my PhD, sadly, my Director of studies (Supervisor) passed away suddenly after a very brief illness. He was more than just a supervisor but a mentor and someone I respected and liked greatly. I seriously considered throwing in the towel but I remembered ‘Never give up.’ My supervisor had given me a golden opportunity and I was going to keep working until I got to the end. There were many more obstacles along the way but I kept building up my perseverance muscles. If you are doing a PhD now and feel like giving up at some point, don’t worry, it is perfectly normal. The myth is that PhDs are super smart geeks but the truth is they’re just a tenacious bunch. See your PhD as a marathon and not a sprint.  Your intelligence may get you into a PhD but perseverance is a requirement for successful completion.

Success = 1% inspiration + 99% perspiration!

Learn to manage failure – Learning not to take failure personally but to use it as a growth tool. No one tells you that about 75% of your experiments will not work the first time. That you will spend an uncountable number of hours writing an article, finally getting all co-authors happy with it, send it off to a journal and get a rejection email three months later! I learnt to toughen up. Easy? No. Necessary? Yes. I taught myself to see criticism as encouragement. Up until starting a PhD, I had never really had to deal with failure. I thought I was a great student – I had finished with a 1st after all – I laugh now at how unprepared I was at the beginning. I learnt the hard way that failing is an event and the best way to deal with it was to get back in the ring and keep punching. I was only a failure if I allowed failing to stop me in my tracks. Towards the end of my PhD, I noticed that I had developed my problem solving skills and was better equipped to handle issues – even those unrelated to my PhD as well. For more information on dealing with rejection, see here.

Who you know is just as important as what you know – I am an introvert by nature. The nature of PhDs means that you work on your own for extended periods of time which suited my personality to a T. I soon realised how important it was to create and cultivate productive relationships. A PhD is an independent project, not a loner project. I was encouraged to start attending conferences from my first year. At first, I saw these meetings simply as opportunities to present my work but I have learnt to use them to expand my network.  Networking is not just about about finding employment opportunities but can even help provide solutions to some PhD issues. I was able to solve a problem I had been struggling with for a few months in a thirty minute conversation I had with a Professor at a scientific meeting. Your PhD supervisors will have a significant influence on how your PhD progresses and is one of the most important relationships you will have during your PhD and even after you finish. The key word with regards to relationships is ‘productivity.’ Some of my relationships did not survive my PhD because I could not ‘turn up’ at every event. On a personal level, I would never have made it through without friends and family. There were some dark days but my cheerleaders always had my back and I am forever grateful.

Read More – The PhD Survival Guide

Master your subject AND develop your skills – A PhD is awarded for making an original and significant contribution to  knowledge in a specific discipline. This takes a considerable amount of work and effort but I found out that it was important for me to develop my skills profile as well. Having all that knowledge was great but as I got to the end of my PhD and started looking at job advertisements, I realised that transferable skills were just as important. Even though my PhD was lab-based, I realised that there were many opportunities to develop my leadership, creative thinking, problem solving, communication, organisational, management, teamwork and even enterprise skills. I started my teacher training during my PhD as I wanted to have something extra to offer potential employers in addition to my qualification. During my PhD, I realised that I actually enjoyed managing projects almost as much as working in the lab!

Lab-based PhD not Lab-based Life – I learnt that I needed an ‘escape’ from the lab ever so often. I know many PhDs seem almost superhuman and are always the first to get into the lab and the last to leave EVERY DAY but that didn’t work for me. I spent long hours in the lab, weekends, overnight at some points…but I made sure I had some outside interests. I volunteered for a children’s charity at least twice a month. I registered to become a STEM Ambassador. I started a small business (thanks mum). Studying for a PhD does not mean you cannot be entrepreneurial. I do not know many well paid PhD candidates and financial security is important to me. I realised that there would be life after my PhD and there were no guarantees with regards to employment. It was a balancing act but what better way to learn management?

There is still some work to be done regarding diversity in the sciences and academia – particularly in senior positions. While things are getting better, I believe we still have our work cut out. There is still gender bias and an under representation of ethnic minority females. This ignited a desire and passion for engaging with young people to encourage them to think about careers in science (We will be writing more about this but we also welcome any thoughts on how this diversity gap can be closed).

Read more – 4 Strategies for an effective relationship with your supervisor

Enjoy it – I enjoyed doing my PhD, not everyday but as a whole. We hear a lot about the ‘burden’ of a PhD but there are great moments too. Some of my closest relationships today are people I met while doing my PhD. I have been mentored by two awesome scientists. I have had the opportunity to go around the world to present my research which I would not ordinarily do if not for doing a PhD. I am more confident speaking in public. I now question everything; there is just something about reading hundreds of papers to write your thesis that makes you begin to think critically about everything else. Don’t spend the few years of your PhD complaining (well not every day). It is a challenge but who doesn’t love a challenge?

I may come back to this topic because it is by no means exhausted. More importantly, I would like to know what lessons you learnt from graduate school or during your PhD. 

HeadshotAbout our writer – After completing a PhD in Microbiology and Food Science,  Amara is developing her career in academia – providing teaching and learning solutions in UK FE and HE Institutions as well as conducting research in Food Microbiology. Amara believes in the combined power of education and productive relationships as essential tools for building successful careers. ‘Ignorance can hurt more than sticks and stones.’

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#UniAdvice – 7 things successful students do

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Exam season is now upon us. While third year undergraduates swot over their dissertations and final exams revision (good luck!); prospective undergraduate students are also preparing to start a new phase in their academic journey. Going to University elicits a range of emotions – excitement, anticipation and sometimes anxiety. In this article, we will be discussing tips that can help you adjust to your new learning environment. We believe some of this information is also relevant to current students to enhance their academic experience.

Seek advice – This should start even before you make a final decision on what University to choose.Open days are a great place to start as you have an opportunity to meet students already enrolled on the courses you are interested in applying for. Current students are best suited to provide information not just about the University but advice on accommodation, living costs and social activities you can get involved with. Furthermore, academics are usually available at these events and can provide valuable information about the course; helping you understand the opportunities and potential challenges you may face. Some pertinent questions you can ask have been covered in our previous article –‘Before you choose a course to study at University.’

Embrace the ‘change’ – University is different. There is a reason why it is called ‘Higher Education.’ If you expect it to be different, then you can begin to prepare for it. It is normal for new students to severely underestimate the amount of work that is required at Univer sity. For every hour you spend in a lecture, you may need to invest another 2-3 hours in independent study. Your teacher tells you something in class but expects you to delve even deeper and tell him/her things they do not know. You are expected to think criticially, write more professionally, read academic journals etc. Look out for your University’s Learning support unit – they provide a whole array of support services that will help you embrace the change.

Get mentored – In recent years, we have been lucky to mentor undergraduate and postgraduate students who have gone on to develop exciting careers. Many Universities now have mentoring schemes providing peer mentor support for first years provided by second and third year students. It is unfortunate that many students do not utilise these even though they are of great value. For second year students, contact your Careers service and see if they have an employability mentoring scheme, where you can be mentored by a professional in your field. We have both benefited greatly from having mentors who invested time and effort to shape our careers and support us through some parts of our university experience. Lecturers can also be a valuable source in developing professional relationships especially if they have worked in the field.

Volunteer – It is great to see more students are starting to value volunteering as a way not only to develop their transferable skills but also as a way to make friends and have a social network whilst at University. Remember that having a degree, even a good one, simply is not enough to keep you ahead. Your experience and skills are things that will set you apart from other candidates when you go for jobs. The idea for this website was born at a volunteering event and we have made a lot of friends through volunteering too. Apart from what you get out of it, just think about the significant contribution you are making to the organisation you are volunteering for.

Apply for an internship – View internships as a valuable contribution to your education. Final year students tell us how they view life outside University with some anxiety as they do not understand how the ‘world of work’ works. An internship can help with that. I (Emmanuel) employed an intern last summer and the experience of carrying out innovative projects with my intern has given me the desire to employ more interns this year. If you would like to go into research, why not ask a research active lecturer if s/he will be taking on any interns. See your Careers adviser for more information. Apart from honing your skills, internships provide the opportunity to develop valuable contacts in your area.

Sign up for a sandwich degree – Should I study for 3 or 4 years? We get this question often from students and parents alike. While it seems like a silly question as 3 is obviously shorter than 4 years, the 4 year sandwich degree is definitely worth considering – taking cost implications into consideration. The sandwich degree offers you the opportunity to be placed at a company or organisation working (mostly paid) for a year. Students who take up these placements usually return better equipped for their final years due to all the experiential learning taking place. In a good number of cases, students are offered jobs by their work placement companies after their degrees provided they attain good grades (a very good incentive we think!!)

Join a professional society – Most courses are affiliated with a professional body.  Majority of them offer student membership at significantly reduced rates or even for free. We benefitted greatly from our membership of the Society for Applied Microbiology and Voice of Young Scientists. Attend events organised by your Society and use them as networking opportunities to develop relationships within your discipline.

Earlier we mentioned going to your Careers department, this is important even if you do not know what you want from them, just go in, say hello and ask what they do! Careers consultants are usually friendly and supportive and will shape up your CVs and guide you through applying for internships, work placements etc.

We would advise you ‘not to give up any extracurricular talents or skills you have before going to University.” A lot is usually said about Universities and employability and less about entrepreneurship. Universities should be the building grounds for you to blossom and let your creativity shine. Please check out our Entrepreneur’s Corner for more inspiration.

 

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share and subscribe to our network! If you have an article you would like to share with our readers, please get in touch – info@aspiringprofessionalshub.com.

#MyPhDStory – Attending my first conference

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QFS2010-photo-ENSS_2179Conferences provide a good opportunity for academics –early career researchers in particular – to present their work and develop valuable contacts in their field. Preparing for your first conference can seem daunting as you do not know what to expect, especially if you will be presenting! In today’s Reflections post, Nina, a research assistant at the University of the West of England, shares her experience of attending an international scientific conference for the first time.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to present my first poster at the Koninklijke Nederlands Vereniging voor Microbiologie (KNVM) Microbiology Spring Meeting held in Arnhem, Netherlands.  I had never been to a conference before so I hope sharing my experience will help other conference newbies.

 

Day 1

Monday (AM)

So…I’m not a great sleeper but I woke up quite tired, probably because I was so excited about the trip. It was a short journey from Bristol to Amsterdam – only an hour on plane. When I got to Amsterdam, it took a little while to figure out how the public transport system worked to get to Arnhem. I managed to get on the right train, the right bus and even get off at the right stops. In the end, travelling was easy as everyone spoke English and I arrived in one piece although knowing basic Dutch may have been of some benefit but hindsight is a great thing. The double decker trains blew my mind!

Monday (PM)

The hotel was lovely and I caught up with my industry sponsors and had dinner. This provided a good opportunity to settle in before being swept the official start of the conference. I would highly recommend getting in a day early if you can.

Day 2

Tuesday (PM)

I didn’t sleep terribly well but I think I was just nervous. Breakfast was so good, I forgot about my nerves for a while. I arrived at the conference early to give me enough time to set up my poster. Seeing my poster amongst the others gave me an overwhelming sense of pride and achievement. All the time I spent working on it was so worth it. My sponsors introduced me to a few people after which I attended some plenary sessions. There were about 500 people in the audience and I felt honoured to be among them. I used lunch as an opportunity to mingle with the crowd which was a bit daunting at first as everyone around me was speaking Dutch! I overcame my nerves and introduced myself to people, thankfully, everyone spoke English.

Tuesday (PM) – Poster time

After a few breakout sessions, it was time for the official conference dinner. I was sitting alone at a table and just kept hoping someone would sit with me. Luckily, three lovely Dutch professors sat at my table and we have a very good conversation about our respective countries, academia and loads more. It was so good, I almost forgot that it was time for me to present my poster! In case you were wondering, yes, the poster was presented at night time – after drinks!

I went to stand by my poster and made eye contact with a gentleman whose poster was next to mine. He explained that he was also presenting for the first time and was nervous. It was nice to talk to someone on the same level as I was and this helped me relax. Most attendees just walked by, having had a quick scan, moving on before I could say anything to them. Eventually, one by one, a few people came to ask questions. The questions were not as difficult as I expected e.g. ‘What is your poster about?’, ‘Why is this relevant to us?’ etc. I felt I answered confidently and accurately, overall, it went very well.

Day 3 – Homeward bound

I slept much better as the nerves had finally gone. I attended the morning meetings in the most relaxed state I had been since Monday. Unfortunately, I had to miss the second part of the day’s programme to enable me catch my flight. Overall, it was a great experience and I wondered why I was so nervous in the first place!

I would not call myself an expert on attending conferences but these are a few things I learnt from my experience –

Just be brave and talk to people…it was hard for me at first but I found everyone I spoke to really friendly and engaging.

If presenting a poster, wear something smart but comfortable because you want to be as relaxed as you can be.

Take some work with you, you’ll be amazed how much work you can get done during the commute and with less distractions to boot!

Bring business cards. I didn’t have any but everyone else seemed to. A business card enables people remember you and projects professionalism. If you are going to spend all that time networking, it is important your new contacts can remember your name!

Pace yourself. It can be a long day, especially if you have late night presentations. Try to get settled in a day early to adjust to your new surroundings.

If abroad where English is not the first language, learn basic terminology (Hello, Please, Thank you); it just seems more polite.

Keep your poster, it’s a nice memento of the good work you have done. You can also find somewhere to put it up in your University.

A practical one for the ladies – do not pack new shoes or heels! You’ll be surprised how long you will be on your feet!

As a final thought, just remember that everyone was once in the same boat as you. There is nothing to be afraid of, if anything, this conference proved to me just how fun and relaxed it can be.

Thanks Nina. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. If you would like to share your experience(s) with us, contact us on aspiringprofessionalshub@gmail.com.

#PhDAdvice – So you want to do a PhD? Busting the Myths!

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5. PhD Survival 1Our latest addition to the Hub is ‘For PhDs’ – here we will discuss a range of issues regarding the doctoral process. We will be sharing from our personal experiences as well as reflective pieces from current PhD students and graduates. The aim is to provide a realistic picture of the process for prospective students and also to equip current students with tools to enhance their academic experience. In this article, we will be discussing some common misconceptions about the PhD process.

What is a PhD?

Before dealing with the myths about PhDs, we would like to briefly discuss what a PhD actually is. PhD is an abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy (also shortened to DPhil at some institutions) and is the highest level degree that can be achieved by a student. It is a postgraduate research degree and is awarded for an original and significant contribution to knowledge in a chosen field after an extensive research study. Majority of PhD entrants (UK) possess a postgraduate degree (MA, MSc, MRes) but it is possible to register for a PhD after completing an undergraduate degree with a first class or second class upper. Typically (In the UK), the PhD lasts for three or four years full time and between four to six years part time.

In recent years in our roles as academic advisors and lecturers, we have come across many students who have enquired about applying for PhD opportunities for a variety of reasons. Some people view the PhD as an opportunity to stay back at University and continue studying until they decide what or where they would like to be in their future careers. Others seem to be fulfilling other people’s (e.g. family) ambitions, others see it a required step to get to the next level in their careers. Whatever your reasons are, it is important that you are aware of what you are getting yourself into when you decide to do a PhD.

Let’s discuss some common misconceptions about studying for a PhD…

You should be very knowledgeable about everything – The whole point of a PhD is to discover or learn something new. You will become an expert in your research area but definitely not at everything! It is actually more likely that the more you know about your topic, the less you know about other things, so do not count on us during a pub quiz! If you do not know everything about your topic when you start, welcome to the club! One thing we found humbling was the realisation of how much we did not know at the beginning of our PhDs compared to having spent three years investigating our respective topics. We sincerely believe that successfully completing a PhD is not as much about intelligence as it is tenacity and  perseverance.

It is just another course – To answer this we’ll say NO it is not! During your undergrad and master’s degrees you would have experienced a range of teaching and learning activities including lectures, tutorials, seminars, independent learning and group work. Some people are surprised and often unprepared for the structure of a PhD. Your PhD should be seen as an independent project where you are the Project manager reporting to your superiors (supervisors) about how you manage resources (time, money) to achieve pre-defined objectives (research aims) to a given deadline (thesis submission). Regardless of discipline, studying for a PhD can often be a solitary process. To make an original contribution to your field, you will be carrying out research that has not been done before. While supervisors can support, the day to day management of your project is your responsibility. Approach your PhD like a job as well as studying for a degree.

It is like a 9 – 5 job – Having said to view your PhD like a job, it is much more than your regular 9-5. PhD students often joke about how much I (Emmanuel) call the PhD ‘a life choice’. At a certain point, your PhD will consume your life because not too long after you start your PhD you realise how little time you have for friends, family and personal enjoyment. I (Amara) remember conducting experiments overnight in the lab…asking myself over and over again why I ever thought a PhD was a good thing! Non-laboratory based PhDs are not left out, conducting research and writing it up takes time, especially when you do it well. To this end we say if you are looking for a PhD which is akin to a 9-5 job, whilst it is not impossible, it is very unlikely.

It will automatically lead to a job (or a better job) – Sometimes we have seen many PhDs surprised at what they consider the lack of jobs available to them after graduation. Getting a job after the PhD is not a given and is definitely not automatic. Becoming employed still requires you shine throughout the whole application process – including a strong CV and personal statement etc. Depending on what you want to do next, having a PhD may even be viewed as at best having no benefit and at worst a hindrance! If you are looking at staying in academia, more often than not, everyone else will have a PhD too. If you would like to go into industry or another discipline, it may be even more challenging.  Please look out for future articles on this theme of PhD employment as we discuss these issues in more detail.

PhDs are for nerds and loners – The renowned Liverpool football club theme “You’ll never walk alone” comes to mind at this point. Several PhD candidates have either failed to complete their PhD because they assume doing a PhD does not require other interpersonal skills such as the ability to communicate and interact with others, be it supervisors or other researchers in their field of study. Yes, a PhD can have solitary moments but see yourself as an ‘independent, team player.’ Many UK institutions have structured processes which allow for regular interaction with supervisors and other academics and co researchers such as recorded supervisor meetings, researcher’s conferences and other graduate school events. You can have fun during your PhD, just probably in small doses. Ensure you network effectively, even if just within your research group, sometimes an encouraging word can go a long way when things are not going well.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share and subscribe to our network! If you have an article you would like to share with our readers, please get in touch – info@aspiringprofessionalshub.com.