What it takes to become an NHS doctor
Tuesday 3 July 2018 09:30, UK
Abishek Rolands is one of approximately 55,000 junior doctors working in England, having graduated from Imperial College London.
The path to becoming a junior doctor is a tough one, with huge demands placed upon every student before they even enter the profession.
Courses can last as long as six years - double the amount of time most people spend at university - and it only gets more difficult from there.
Here, Dr Rolands tells Sky News what it takes to make it.
When I was a young boy, science was always my favourite subject at school.
I knew that I wanted a future career in science, but it was only when I was slightly older that I also discovered I enjoyed caring for others, so becoming a doctor seemed the obvious choice.
It's incredibly rewarding to be involved in a service that saves lives and changes lives that's free at the point of contact.
Preparing for a career in medicine takes a lot of preparation and hard work, even years before applying to medical school.
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Places at universities are highly competitive and students need to have an excellent academic record, be involved in extra-curricular activities and show they have researched life as a doctor by gaining work experience.
In addition, most universities also have entrance exams and interviews.
But really, getting into medical school is the easy bit. As you'd expect, the course is hard work, with constant exams and assessments; some written and some practical.
It varies from university to university, but they are not always easy to pass and failing to do so on your second attempt can lead to you being asked to leave.
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Most courses are five years, with some universities offering an extra year for an intercalated (additional undergraduate degree completed within a year) BSc.
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There is then a nationwide foundation programme of two years as a junior doctor straight after medical school.
You can rank the region of the UK, hospital and job you want in order of preference, but ultimately, where you get allocated depends on your academic ranking against all the other final year medical students in the country.
The NHS isn't perfect and it needs to evolve, but I can't imagine working anywhere else.
After these two years, you can then apply for speciality or general practice training, which can be a minimum of three to eight years depending on speciality.
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It's a long, hard slog to become a doctor - and once you get there it only becomes tougher.
You may often find yourself working past your contracted hours, which are long and unsociable to begin with.
Despite all this, it is incredibly rewarding to be involved in a service that saves lives and changes lives that's free at the point of contact.
The NHS isn't perfect and it needs to evolve, but I can't imagine working anywhere else.