It was Saturday afternoon and I was in a long queue for Hollister. I had a bad week last week (too many late nights and early mornings) and I was looking forward to the weekend. (Cue a shopping trip). There were two young boys behind me in the queue and I couldn't help but overhear them talking.... They were both 16 and beginning to think about A-levels and degrees: "I'm thinking about medicine", one said, "but I think it's well hard". My flatmate and I looked at each other. Firstly, we were annoyed to overhear medic chat on our day off (Medicine gets everywhere it seems) and secondly: don't do it! It is so hard! we both thought. It isn't that I don't want this chap to have a wonderful career as a doctor but you have to realise what you are letting yourself in for- he could do with reading my blog...

This got me thinking about my sixth form years: how did I end up at medical school?

I first decided that I wanted to become a Doctor in the late stage of my GCSEs. I considered lots of other things first though: Air Hostess, Chemistry, foreign languages and English Literature. 16 is a very young age to decide but I really couldn't think of anything that I would rather do. It seemed to be a balance between sciences and helping people. I'm not original at all and this is a very cheesy answer that I repeatedly churned out at interviews but 3 acceptances and one rejection later, I think it's fair to say that it worked. 
 
Before I go any further, I did A-level Chemistry, Biology and English Literature (having dropped History after AS level). And yes, I did get 3 A grades (but this was before A* or even A** was invented). There seems to be some terrible misconception that doctors have a golden touch and excel at everything they do. Well, I have never been and never will be a grade 8 flutist, cellist and violinist but I did reach grade 6 on the piano (just). I stopped at this point as the the pieces for grade 7 required me to stretch over an octave.  Those that know me will know that I have very little hands, so I decided to quit whilst I was ahead. Incidentally, these small hands make me terrified that I will be an awful surgeon or that I will not be able to feel the cervix or prostate effectively enough on a digital rectal exam (more on this later).

Work experience
My work experience was a mixture of voluntary work at a Marie Curie Hospice and shadowing some consultants. I also spent a week in a research lab but I found that watching hamsters being gassed for medical research wasn't quite my cup of tea. The problem with shadowing consultants is that it gives you a taste of what is at the top after 15-20 years of training. Now that I think about it, it didn't show me quite what I'd have to do to get there. One of my most useful experiences was when an alumnus of my school came back to talk to us about medical school. Having just qualified, it was very useful to speak to her. I'll always remember her saying you don't need to be the most intelligent pupil in your year but you need to have the tenacity and ability to work hard that comes with it. It's not a particularly glamorous job either but it is highly rewarding. People fascinate me and you never quite know what they are going to say next. 
 
P.s  we are in a recession. Being a doctor is not one of the most highly paid jobs out there. Don't go in it for the money or the glory: you're unlikely to last long on a 5-6 year course when most people earn a decent wage after a 3 year degree. 

• Confessions of a medical student's blog