When applying to study medicine, the most important thing you must consider is what attracts you to a medical career. Not only is it a challenging career, but applying to medical school is a demanding process that brings stiff competition. Almost 30,000 students applied to study medicine in 2022, so your aim when applying is to make your medicine personal statement stand out.
One way to do this is to create a personal statement that eludes knowledge and passion, with solid reasons backed up by evidence as to why you’re attracted to a career in medicine and why you think you’re suited to the profession.
What is a personal statement for medicine?
A personal statement for medicine is the first impression you make to a medical school, so it’s very important to get it right. A good or exceptional personal statement increases your chances of getting an interview and being accepted into your chosen medical school. With the NHS workforce crisis, even more people are considering a career in medicine, so the competition has never been higher.
A personal statement is your chance to tell the reviewer why you want to study medicine and why you will be suited to it. Essentially, you’re telling them why they should choose you. Last year, 2022, was considered the hardest year to enter medical school. We don’t intend to put you off, but to stress the importance of getting it right if you’re set on becoming a medical professional.
Questions to ask yourself when writing your personal statement
When applying to medical school, our personal statement tutors at The Future Medic have considered what makes a successful medical personal statement, and one of the main aspects of writing a good quality piece is to think about what makes a good doctor and why. What interests you most about being a good doctor? Use your thoughts on these two points in your statement with evidence of your experiences and skills showing why you would be a good doctor.
Not only are these questions to ask yourself when applying, but they’re likely to be questions you’ll be asked if you’re invited to an interview, so it’s a good idea to prepare some excellent, honest answers beforehand.
What makes a good doctor and why?
Think about what makes a good doctor and why? Have you had a personal experience with a doctor that stood out to you? Do you know an inspiring doctor you admire that has attracted you to a career in medicine? These are all questions you need to ask yourself and include in your personal statement and back up your points with factual evidence that supports the reasons why you think you have the attributes of a good doctor.
Have you shown signs that you’ll make a great doctor? Start by thinking about your own attributes and how they could apply to a situation as a doctor in medicine. For example, are you not afraid to admit you don’t know something but are willing to put the work in to find out? Trainee doctors must have an open mind and the ability to question their knowledge and judgement.
Doctors need to be more than just knowledgeable, of course this is an important factor in medicine, but they also need to be empathetic and emotionally intelligent. Often, doctors make the wrong diagnosis because they have stuck to the textbook stringently instead of considering the person as an individual and their circumstances.
To be a great doctor, you need to be a good listener and not someone who takes little information in before making an assumption. Can you think of a time when you demonstrated excellent listening skills that made a difference to someone?
Demonstrating that you know the qualities that make a great doctor and showing how you have those qualities will impress the personal statement reviewer and leave a lasting impression.
What interests you most about becoming a doctor?
To begin, do your research into what it’s really like to have a career in medicine and talk to other trainees or established doctors about what drew them to a career in medicine. Gain some real-life inspirational stories about careers in medicine so you can come up with your own reasoning for entering into this challenging yet incredibly rewarding profession.
Here are some examples of what might attract you to a career in medicine:
- You enjoy working with people
- You want to be challenged and pushed out of your comfort zone
- You are determined to work in a fast faced, dynamic environment that is constantly changing
- You already have some work experience in a medical setting which has inspired you to take it further
- You are passionate about helping people in their time of need, and you have experience in doing this in some way already
- The profession suits your personal attributes, such as integrity and empathy
- Your strengths and interests are in the sciences, so you want to pursue a career that you know you’ll be good at, where you can use science to improve the lives of others.
Remember that your motivation to study medicine will be different to others, so try not to compare yourself to other personal statements. Try to avoid cliches and make your answer different, unique yet authentic and true to yourself. Use some of the examples above if they appeal to you, and discard the ones that don’t.
What support is available?
We know it can be daunting knowing how to write a personal statement for medicine, particularly because the pressure is on to impress. But there are things you can do to get support, including seeking help from The Future Medic and our team of expert personal statement tutors.
What are the benefits of using The Future Medic’s personal statement tutors?
Our team of doctors have read through thousands of personal statement for medicine as part of the medical school admissions process and knows exactly what is required to make your personal statement special and unique. We’ve got some amazing support options to help you craft the perfect personal statement.
Our tutors sit on medical school interview panels and have vast experience in medical education- this level of tutoring is not guaranteed elsewhere! Our Personal Statement Coaching Services provide wonderful benefits for any aspiring medical student:
- Access to experienced British doctors, medical education specialists, and tutors who have coached and interviewed thousands of applicants.
- 24/7 access to your tutor doctor through a dedicated WhatsApp group.
- Tailor-made feedback on your personal statement which is specific to you.
- Help even if you need to write your personal statement from scratch.
- Personalised 1-1 lessons, with all the attention on you.
- A relaxed tutoring environment- our coaching isn’t like a classroom, where only one teacher has to cater to 30 students!
- You can use our tutoring service from the comfort of your home without having to travel to a physical location.
- The option is unlimited coaching hours, or between 1-20 hours.
- Quick turnaround for feedback, within as little as 24 hours or 1 week.
- Guidance on how to make your medicine application stand out.
- Improved confidence for the interview stage at your dream medical school.
- Saves you time and stress, allowing you to focus on your A-Levels, UCAT admissions test and other commitments.
To conclude on what should be in a medical personal statement? Well, one of the main things is what attracts you to a career in medicine. The answer to this question should be personal to you and be something that is different from anyone else’s answer. This will ensure you stand out from other applicants and increase your chances of getting into medical school.
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If you would like more information on writing a personal statement for medicine, have a look at what you shouldn’t put in a personal statement and what A-levels are needed for medicine.
