21 Reasons Why You Should Study Medicine

Of the long list of reasons why you should study medicine, ‘making a difference’ is often cited as the number one factor. For many people, choosing to work in healthcare is as much about serving others as it is about themselves.

This deep desire to make a positive contribution is what draws many students to sign up for a Summer School course in medicine. Taking the course helps them to decide in which direction to take this desire, and starts to shape their career.

That career, whether as a doctor, nurse or in some other area of the medical profession, not only helps others, it also brings a huge number of other benefits. Here are some of them.

1. You Will Always be in Demand as a Medical Professional

People will always get sick and need the support of the medical profession. Having skills and qualifications in medicine means there will always be a job for you. The World Health Organisation estimates there will be a global shortage of at least 10 million healthcare workers by 2030.

This helps to give you job security and career stability. Even in retirement, you will have opportunities to employ your knowledge and experience for the benefit of others.

2. Gain Valuable Life Skills 

The best medical professionals are also excellent communicators, time managers, and organisers. They are also deeply empathetic, able to get along not only with patients, but also their families and friends, and their colleagues in healthcare.

As you study medicine, you’ll learn a wide range of life skills that can be applied in many settings.

3. Problem-solving and Critical Thinking

As a doctor or other healthcare professional, you’ll often be faced with complex cases that demand critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

While many medical problems seem relatively simple, any treatment could have unexpected effects on the intricate web of systems that make up the human body. You’ll need to be prepared for a wide variety of challenges.

Studying medicine will teach you to keep asking questions and exploring possibilities.

4. Develop Life-long Relationships 

From your earliest days as a student of medicine you begin to build a network of contacts, with fellow students, your teachers and the medical professionals you encounter in practical settings.

You also get to know patients and those around them. Many of these relationships will be personally and professionally rewarding, and can for years, even decades. 

5. Opportunities for Travel

When you choose to study medicine, you’re opening the door to travelling the world. With doctors and healthcare workers in global demand, there will be work almost anywhere you  want to go.

Travel also exposes you to different cultures and ways of thinking, broadening your outlook and enriching your life experience. 

6. Many Career Options in Medicine

There are many different career paths open to medical professionals. As a student you need to start making choices about areas of speciality, but you will always have opportunities to change direction.

The NHS lists 29 different specialties within medicine, including:

• Cardiology
• Geriatric medicine
• Rehabilitation medicine
• Sport and exercise medicine
• Tropical medicine

As medicine continues to develop, so will the career options available.

7. Respect and Status

Doctors and others working in healthcare command a high degree of respect in their communities. When you study and work in medicine, you’re seen to be making a valuable contribution to wider society.

8. Professional Development

The many years of study at the beginning of your career in medicine are just the beginning of a life-time of learning. When you work in medicine, you commit to keeping yourself up to date with the latest thinking and knowledge.

This ongoing study takes many different forms, such as formal courses, reading journals and practical experience. Expanding your knowledge is deeply rewarding and ensures you’re able to continue serving people to the best of your ability.

9. Variety and Diversity

Having studied medicine you can choose to work in a vast variety of different places. Medical professionals work in research, surgery, general practice and teaching. Some are on the ground in natural disasters, others lecture and write, and many are on the frontline of day-to-day healthcare in their local community.

Having studied medicine you can choose career paths where no two days are the same, where the unexpected is ordinary, or you can select more predictable but equally valuable patterns of work.

10. Resilience and Adaptability

Working in medicine teaches you to be resilient, adapting to what are often fast-moving and high-pressure situations. This resilience, and the ability to adapt quickly and decisively, are valuable qualities that can be applied in many other areas of life.

11. Personal Satisfaction

It’s deeply satisfying to know that the energy you put in every day makes a positive difference to the lives of those you work with. A career  in medicine means you’re improving the quality of life for patients and for those around them.

12. Research 

Having studied medicine you can choose to get involved in formal research projects. This could mean you’re working in a lab full-time, or involved in occasional studies and projects.

Whichever it is, you’re at the cutting edge of medical science, advancing medical knowledge.

13. Teamwork and Collaboration

The world of medicine comprises multidisciplinary teams, drawing in professionals from a variety of backgrounds. This teamwork begins during your time as a medical student and continues throughout your career.

As you work in teams you learn the value of collaboration and diversity, which develops your interpersonal skills.

14. Personal Fulfilment

Studying medicine opens the door to a career that is deeply fulfilling, as you help reduce suffering, provide care and deliver improvement to someone’s quality of life. It’s hard to find many other careers where you make such a strong, positive contribution to the lives of other people.

15. Continuous Personal Interaction

A career in the world of medicine typically involves a high degree of personal interaction. You spend a lot of time talking to colleagues and patients, often about very significant matters. This can lead to the development of strong and meaningful connections, which can be extremely rewarding.

16. Intellectual Stimulation

Medicine provides ongoing intellectual challenges, as you continue to learn new practices and techniques, and in the findings of new research. 

Choosing to study medicine is choosing a career that will continue to stretch you intellectually for many years into the future.

17. Financial Reward

In addition to offering job security, working in medicine gives you a good chance of earning an above average salary. This earning potential helps deliver financial security, allowing you to provide for yourself and your family.

18. Continuous innovation

Because every patient situation is unique, you often need to innovate using the resources available to you, drawing on your previous knowledge and experience. 

Continuous innovation keeps you open to changes in medical knowledge and practice, to which you contribute based on your own work with patients.

19. Leadership

Working as a doctor or other healthcare professional makes you a decision-maker. Sometimes you’ll need to make judgments quickly and help others to go along with your choices. To do this well requires leadership skills.

These skills, which you’ll learn during your training and refine through your career, will benefit you in many other areas of life. You’ll often find others looking to you for leadership, because of your qualifications.

20. Ongoing learning and personal growth

The learning never stops when you work in the world of medicine. You continue to grow, both in knowledge and in personal skills, throughout your career.

21. Ability to Make a Difference

Last but far from least, by choosing to study medicine you have the opportunity to make a positive impact on people. Your work will benefit the health and well-being of individual patients, and if you’re involved with research, it could transform life for thousands, even millions.

Start Your Study of Medicine with Summer Schools

When you’re considering the study of medicine at university, a Summer Schools course is a great way to start. You get a solid introduction to the subject, insight into life as a medical student, and you begin to build a network of valuable contacts.

Taking a Summer Schools course in medicine will also help you stand out when you apply for a place at your chosen university. By making an investment in the course, you demonstrate a commitment that can make it more likely your application will be accepted.

We offer some great opportunities for studying medicine, at some of the leading universities in the world. Take a moment to explore what’s available today.