Life as a doctor

Anyone with the ability, personal attributes and motivation can apply to study medicine. 

The GMC (General Medical Council) produces the Good Medical Practice guide, which sets out what is expected of all registered doctors. This guide gives a good insight into the role and responsibilities of being a doctor and can help in understanding what is required as a medical professional.

The medical schools council produced a comprehensive, updated statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine and advice on how to demonstrate these values in your application. 

These key skills and attributes are:

Motivation to study medicine, a genuine interest in the medical profession	Insight into your own strengths and weaknesses
Personal organisation	Academic ability
Dealing with uncertainty	Manage risk and deal effectively with problems
Conscientiousness	Insight into your own health
Teamwork	Ability to treat people with respect
Empathy, the ability to care for others	Honesty
The ability to reflect on your own work	Problem solving
Ability to take responsibility for your own actions	Effective communication
Resilience	The ability to deal with difficult situations

Medicine is a rewarding career, and being a doctor involves a lifetime of learning.

This begins with an undergraduate degree at medical school, followed by a postgraduate period called foundation training, at which point a salary can be earned, followed by further higher specialty training and then progression to being a senior doctor once specialty training is complete.

Take a look at our training pathway information that gives you an idea of the different stages of a medical career, from studying as a medical student through clinical training to becoming senior doctor.

Find out more

There are a huge number of medical specialties that you can choose from, with over 60 career paths available.

Read our insider's guide to medical specialties

Although the majority of doctors work in the NHS, opportunities also exist in other sectors, including the armed forces, prisons and with police forces working as a forensic physician.

Find out more about these alternative medical career paths.

Armed forces	Civilian medical practitioners and consultants
Medical managers	Pharmaceautical medicine
Civil service medical officers

 

Postgraduate funding is available too and the details of who is eligible and how to apply is set out in our guidance on postgraduate medical education and training.