Why should I study medicine?

What is Medicine?

Medicine is a broad term of a variety of practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness, including pharmaceuticals, psychotherapy, and surgery.

Three reasons to study Medicine:

1. Help people: by studying medicine and becoming a doctor afterwards, the main skills students learn is to help people end suffering. Also, doctors are an important contact person for all people and receive recognition all over the world.
2. Good job opportunities: in most cases, medicine students get a job immediately after graduation, because doctors are needed everywhere. Mostly, students can start practising immedately after finishing their studies.
3. Contribution to medical research: the end of your medical studies does not necessarily mean the end of learning. Even after finishing your studies, doctors do research in their field and make their findings available to the world.

How to study Medicine?

Due to the nature of this field, medical degrees are long, all-consuming and certainly one of the most challenging career paths possible.

For example, doctors in the US might train for up to 16 years before they are qualified; comprising five to six years working towards the degree, two years on a postgraduate foundation course and three to eight years in specialist training.

All medical degrees begin with a general grounding on the subject. So in medicine, this is a deep understanding of human biology, the principles of disease processes and an introduction to different medical solutions and clinical procedures.

You will then be able to pursue more specialist subjects. Medical specialisations are very broad, such as ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology or anesthetics. Medicine degrees equip students with the vital practical skills to do surgical procedures, for example, as well as with the people skills necessary to interact with patients and their relatives.

Learning is through themed case discussions in groups, lectures, practical classes (which may involve anatomy dissection) and clinical experience. Assessment is a mix of written examination, reflective portfolio work, written reports and observation of personal behaviour.

What kind of jobs can I get by studying Medicine?

A diversity of speciality training pathways is available after obtaining a medical qualification. Career opportunities in medicine include, general practice or emergency medicine through obstetrics or ophthalmology to pediatrics or psychiatry. Additionally many go on to pursue careers in education, teaching the future generation.

How can U-Multirank help me find the best Medicine study programme for me?

If you’re considering pursuing a degree in medicine, then let us help you find the best university for you. U-Multirank’s ‘For students’ track offers personalised university comparisons, so you can find the university that best matches you. U-Multirank’s subject rankings provide the feedback of more than 100,000 current students studying at the respective universities, offering a unique student perspective to the rankings via our Teaching & Learning dimension. Create your own personalised rankings today, and compare universities according to what matters most to you.  To start, make sure to select medicine as your subject of interest and we’ll help guide you through the rest.