Why Medicine?

This question is extremely common when it comes to medical school interviews, and there are absolute musts that you must cover when answering this question, they include:

• Showing a thorough understanding of what it means to be a doctor and demonstrating genuine commitment
• Understanding the impact of research
• Understanding the role of a medical student and doctor - displayed through your work experience.

However, you want your answer to stand out amongst others, so in order to do that, consider mentioning these points:

• Convey not just your desire to reach the destination of being a doctor, but your desire for the entire medical education journey, for example:
  • Why medical school is best suited to your personality and how this will help you last the full 5-6 years of medical school
• Why being a doctor is better suited to you rather than being another healthcare professional.
• Use personal anecdotes/stories to support your passion for becoming a doctor

But do not forget, this question is looking for you to display your commitment to patient care, your connection to the healthcare system as a whole (e.g. how you fit into the broader healthcare system), and your understanding of the NHS core values. Overall, you must show that you know Medicine is a vocation, and the best way to do that is to show how your desire to be a doctor transcends the immediate personal experiences, but how it would contribute to the society as a whole (for example, you could mention the impact you hope to have on your local community and help the relieve system pressures in the NHS).

Suggested Structure For This Question:

Fill out the following template structure with your own information, and change it around a bit to add a personal flair to your answer (highly recommended!):

• State when your interest in medicine first started, and how.
• Continue to develop your answer by explaining how you explored this initial interest and began cementing it.
  • Discuss exactly what steps you took and what you did to further explore your reasons for 'why medicine' (work experience, family friends, members of the public at your weekend job talking about their experience with the NHS, etc.).
  • Use a personal story here if you have always been interested in Medicine from an early age.
• Mention why the academic intensity of medicine is a great fit for you. This will prove that you can survive the 5-6 years of medical school!
• Acknowledge the downsides of medicine - emotional burden, tough training, etc.
• Say that you took a moment to stop and think, you weighed up your options and also considered other healthcare fields. This is where you explain why you chose medicine and not nursing, for example.
• Why medicine being a vocation appeals to you more than it being an ordinary job?
  • A great thing to say here is how medicine appeals to your personal, intellectual and spiritual values & desires, and how other careers cannot fulfil all these areas in the same way that entering medicine can.
• Demonstrate your passion to help the system and the local/wider community, this can be through getting involved in healthcare initiatives and through helping the delivery of certain healthcare services in deprived areas, this is very important to show that you are thinking of the wider situation and how you hope to help the NHS.