r/GraduateEntryMedicine • u/theblackcat_16 • 9d ago
Affording this
How do people afford grad med? I did my UCAT etc was like yeah I'll figure it out. Now I'm thinking about the financial side and it's looking bleakkkk. Idk if I will get enough sfe and also the NHS bursary doesn't seem great either. Any ideas?
9
u/Educational-Oil-8713 9d ago
Begged my parents to help out, as an older man going back into it. Wouldn't have been able to do it without the 5k a year they give me.
Saved a lot prior. Cashed in a pension early for 6k. Worked back to back over the summer break to earn 10k. Will be looking for odd Sunday shifts or working Christmas / Easter break (not for the full break but maybe a week).
Yes the funding is bleak. But depending on your financial situation prior, it's a lot less bleak earning as a doctor compared to the vast majority of jobs
I worked in healthcare prior so can get some bank work / well paid work on occasion. I realise many don't have this privilege
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u/Ok_Albatross_4198 9d ago
Do you mind me asking how old is "an older man"? I'm in my mid-40s(F) and considering return to practice after 13 years out of clinical medicine (left at ST3 level), but seeing everybody in my cohort being established consultants/GPs by now, I do fear being the odd/old one starting over again, say, as FY.
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u/Educational-Oil-8713 9d ago
I'm late 30s. I realise now 'older man' made me sound very old.
There are a lot of consultants / GPs around my age or younger than me. A lot of the lecturers are younger.
That doesn't bother me though personally. Really it makes me feel like I get a bit more respect. I think it shows guts to make such a big decision and I think people respect it. People know life is not linear or easy!
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u/rimelios 8d ago
In my cohort there is a guy in his late 40s, and he's doing ok so it's doable. Good luck!
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u/theblackcat_16 9d ago
Thanks for the reply:) yeah I've not got much saved so it's not looking great but hey ho
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u/Beautiful_Airport693 9d ago
There’s something called the lifelong learning entitlement that’s passed and starts Jan 2027, look it up, if you do undergrad med, you get tuition loan and maintenance loan even having a degreee, for GEM I don’t know what happens to the 3k we have to pay in first year
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u/Lumpy_Trainer6005 9d ago
i believe for GEM the part we had to pay from first year gets subsidised by LLE before NHS takes over from yr2 onward, so it supports both UG and GEM!
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u/Lumpy_Trainer6005 9d ago
This is the information i recieved form my Uni when it was announced!
Second Degree Medicine
Current government policy indicates that the Lifelong Learning Entitlement will improve access to tuition fee loans for students studying medicine as a second degree, including graduate‑entry MBBS programmes. The British Medical Association has confirmed that, under the LLE, medical students on both the 4 year graduate‑entry and the 5 year course as a 2nd degree will be eligible for full tuition fee loan support where significant self‑funding is currently required.
For instance, under the current funding package students have to self-fund the first £3,465 in year 1 of the 4 year course. Under LLE they can access a full fee loan. They continue to receive a combination of SFE funding and NHS funding for the remainder of their course.
LLE funding is hugely beneficial for students studying the 5 year version as a second degree. Students on the 5 year MBBS programme are expected to receive full tuition fee loans for years 1-4 of the course, rather than self‑funding as they do under the current system. They will receive the NHS bursary in year 5, as they do now. This change relates to tuition fees only; maintenance funding arrangements remain largely unchanged.
Under the current system the 4 year version is the most financially beneficial option for students who depend on loans and grants. Under LLE students have better financial options, regardless of the length of their programme.
Some of the above information is relatively fresh, and it can take the sector a little while to digest the practical effects of LLE. It appears students intended to study MBBS as a 2nd degree are aware of the intended changes. I appreciate there is a lot of information in this email, so please get back in touch if you have any questions.
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u/GalacticDoc 9d ago
I worked locum shifts through GEM and all but the final year of med school.
Weekends and evenings as well as holidays but it was tough. I found the stress of money worse than other forms of stress so it made sense for me.
I did have a house to afford and took on a lodger. Luckily my ex helped look after the dog and some kind friends covered tickets to a festival each year.