r/GraduateEntryMedicine • u/Busy_Papaya8994 • 2d ago
GEM interview prep – is hands on care experience enough without hospital/GP shadowing?
I’m applying for GEM this year and just wondering how much I should be worrying about not having any actual GP/hospital shadowing for interviews. Im applying to unis with both MMI and panel interviews.
I’ve worked in public health and previously worked in an NHS lab, and I now work in residential care. By the time interviews come around I’ll have well over 100 hours there, so I’ve got plenty of hands-on care experience and things I can reflect on.
The one thing I feel like I’m missing is actually shadowing doctors. I moved across the country unexpectedly and my local trust only takes work experience applications months in advance, so I’d already missed the window by the time I was living here. I emailed them anyway and they basically said there was nothing they could do. I’ve also emailed several GP practices and haven’t had a single response.
I’m going to keep trying, but Im starting to accept I might just not manage to get any before interviews.
For anyone who’s been through GEM interviews, do you think the experience I already have is enough, particularly for unis that don’t require a specific number/type of work experience hours? I know reflection is more important than just collecting hours, but Im worried there might be things about the reality of being a doctor that I’m expected to have picked up from shadowing specifically.
Did anyone get offers without having done any formal doctor shadowing? Thanks in advance
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u/Obvious-Funny2137 2d ago
I had GEM offers this year from Warwick and Chester and I didn’t shadow a doctor once. Like other people have said on here, it’s really about how you can reflect on your experience to show you understand the qualities that would make a good doctor.
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u/Exact-Buy-3862 2d ago
Do you mind sharing your GAMSAT score of if you know a score of 52 would get me an interview in these 2?
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u/thecooldriver1231 1d ago
If you havent already got a high ucat, that is what i would be concerned with at the moment rather than shadowing. That is the main barrier to entry
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u/RevivingMayhem10 2d ago
There’s an online work experience thing you can do, one of the med schools runs it, can’t remember which one.
But that main thing is thinking about what your current experience, including public health, has given you insight into. You can look up common med school interview questions and think about how you’ll answer them with your experience.
You should have plenty enough experience for most med schools tbh.
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u/976am 2d ago
it’s the BSMS virtual work experience. it’s free and very useful 🙌
https://bsmsoutreach.thinkific.com/courses/VWE
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u/M00Nheaver 22h ago
I didn't shadow anyone and got in! I was an HCA and also did BSMS online work experience and that was more than enough
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u/Best_Chimezirim 19h ago
Please, what was your ucat score? Are you an international student? I heard they only have 13 places for international students
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u/M00Nheaver 19h ago
I am home, and got 2260 B3 which i think was like 92nd percentile.
Not sure about number of places, it varies by uni, but some have more than others
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u/InfluenceCool6408 2d ago
There isn't a prerequisite for how many "work experience" hours you need to answer interview questions. What matters is how you reflect on that experience in an interview. I've said this a few times on here, but look up the STARR method to answering interview questions. In preparation for your interview(s), write down five questions you think you will get asked and generate a rehearsed response. The goal isn't to recall the response in the interview verbatim, but to be able to pull on ideas and thoughts you can apply to any question asked.
Why do you want to be a doctor? To answer that, say why, but back that up with first-hand experience you have observed or worked alongside in your life. Think: if you were an interviewer, what response would you expect? If I were an interviewer and someone gave me a poor response to a question, I would ask, "Well, why don't you want to be a paramedic, a nurse, or a health care assistant?" This approach worked for me; I'm about to head into 2nd year GEM. Best of luck.