“I’ve always been a naturally inquisitive person who is constantly asking questions about the way the world works and this has manifested in a love of science.”
We spoke to Third Year Graduate Entry Medicine student, Stuart Rashbrook, about his path into Graduate Entry Medicine and his plans for the future.
What did you study and/or what did you do before joining the Graduate Entry Medicine programme?
Before coming to London, I studied Biomedical Sciences at the University of Manchester. This was a challenging but really interesting course, with many of my lecturers being academics at the forefront of cutting-edge research. My graduate role was working as a lab technician for an immunodiagnostic company. I gained lots of transferable skills but found it quite repetitive, and it confirmed to me that I wanted to pursue Medicine. I volunteered in a hospital and worked in a preschool for a while before working in a nursing home for a year. I believe this variety of experiences strengthened by medicine application.
Why did you choose to study Graduate Entry Medicine?
I’ve always been a naturally inquisitive person who is constantly asking questions about the way the world works and this has manifested in a love of science. I have a lot of respect for those who work in labs, but my experience confirmed to me it was not where I wanted to work. I needed more social interaction and I wanted to talk to patients. Medicine is this unique profession where you get to combine an interest in science with socialising with a huge range of people (whether that’s patients, their families or your colleagues).
What do you hope to do once you complete your course?
I am still only a third year so it’s relatively early on in the course, but emergency medicine is currently at the top of my list. It’s a fast-paced speciality in which every day would be unique and you can never predict what will come through the doors. I am also drawn to sexual health with a focus on HIV medicine, or obstetrics and gynaecology as we had some brilliant teaching on this.
What are some of the most rewarding and challenging things about studying Graduate Entry Medicine?
By far the most rewarding part is interacting with the wonderful patients. I absolutely love getting to chat with patients and learning more about their lives.
I feel very honoured to have the privilege of getting to listen to these incredible stories, and simply getting to be a part of their patient journey. The most challenging part is the sheer quantity of information you need to memorise - Anatomy is one of the worst areas for this as it is literally like learning a new language!
What would you say to someone considering studying Graduate Entry Medicine at St George’s?
If this is something you have been thinking about for a long time, if you’re passionate about caring for people and if you love science… do it!
Looking back, I realised that the only reason I never even considered Medicine during my A-levels, was that I didn’t think I was smart enough for it (and I thought my A-level grades weren’t good enough). Graduate Entry Medicine is a great alternative if your A-level grades weren’t suitable, and I believe that extra time before you start will hopefully give you a little bit of additional life experience.