Graduate Entry Medicine is a step-by-step guide for graduates on how to gain a place at medical school. It includes routes into medicine for graduates, detailed information on the application process for each medical school that offers the course (such as interviews and entrance exams), and an insider’s view from actual students. It helps readers decide whether Graduate Entry Medicine is right for them, write their personal statement, gain relevant experience, and impress at the interview stage.
What is your day job?
I’m an academic psychiatrist currently based at King’s College London, where I undertake research into understanding the causes of psychosis using neuroimaging techniques, such as MRI. I actually wrote the book during my free time, as I was working as a doctor at the time.
What made you want to write a book?
Having gained a place on a Graduate Entry Medicine course and realising how difficult it was, I was keen to put together all of the information I’d collected while applying that might be helpful for future applicants. I also have an active interest in medical education and saw this as a good opportunity to learn more about the area. I’ve also written another book on medical education.
What was your biggest challenge in the process?
The biggest challenge was ensuring that the book was written to a publishable standard. There were many contributors to the book and therefore ensuring stylistic consistency was a real challenge. I’m indebted to Ameesha at The Book Shelf for making sure the book flowed seamlessly!
What was your happiest moment in the process?
Two very distinct moment spring to mind. One was receiving the printed copy of the book in the post. The other was meeting a medical student who told me that he found the book invaluable when applying to medical school.
What skill do you feel was the most important during the process?
Good organisational skills are paramount to ensure you’re able to write a book according to the outlines and timescales. Also being able objectively (at least as much as possible) ensure you don’t go off on a tangent or get sidelined by the minute details.
If you could do anything differently, what would it be?
I would have approached Ameesha sooner for assistance. It would have saved a lot of time and heartache!
Would you write another book?
Yes, I’ve not been put off! I’m currently working on several research papers and book chapters and I would like to write another book in the coming years.
If you had one piece of advice for aspiring authors, what would it be?
Have a realistic time frame of how long it will take you to write the book, and don’t underestimate how long it will take to complete the background research, gain feedback, and make revisions. The process of writing a book can seem like a huge task, but by breaking it down into manageable chunks, the process can be both rewarding and enjoyable.
You can buy Graduate Entry Medicine here
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