Ageism is Real in Medical School, which in effect, is like being offered a winning lotto ticket and tearing it up! Who in their right mind does that?

Ageism is Real in Medical Schools, which in effect, is like being offered a winning lotto ticket and tearing it up! Who in their right mind does that?

You know, I for one, never really thought I'd never write a mail like this, no!, and to be honest with you I rarely get the chance, nor lust, to write about something so hideously negative. Let's start this little story at least somewhere simple. Me, Darren who wants nothing more than to get into a medical school so that I can become a GP, I don't want to retire, and I'm certainly not in it for the money. Well, as one can see quite evidently by my profile I've had a great and wonderful career in both Art and Design and Banking. I graduated many years back in Design and became a Creative Director, working for a great design consultancy in London for a while, then, back in the late 80s I decided I wanted a career change and ventured into banking. I started my life in banking back then on London Wall, the City of London, I started with a great company called Smith New Court and they gave me a great chance in life to prove that I was worthy of this very colourful industry. Well after a few years, I moved on and got to work for other fantastic names in London like Chase Manhattan bank, God, what an incredible company to work with, a pleasure. Soon, I was approached by Dresdner Bank (Now Commerzbank) and ended up working in Frankfurt, Germany on a very fast and very colourful FX, Capital markets trading floor. A Great city. So, Here, I've made a case for what I am about. I do love creativity and humour above all!

Now, as we all know, sometimes in life you have a very healthy thought and think, hum, I know know what I want in Life, here, and here alone, lies the prize. You see some of us get a second, or third chance in life, we change careers. Now, this change that comes knocking on your door is not fixed, it does not give you a warning, no, it just appears, and this is what happened to me. Two years back I decided that I wanted to become a GP, and committing myself to that hard training that was needed, and, I was under no illusions how long and hard it would take! I enrolled in a college and now I've been there 2 years and completed my Applied Science course heavy in chemistry, biology, and physics and just sat my GCSE English and Higher Math's paper. Now I wait till I get my results. I've also been offered a place at a great college for the Access to Medicine course. So as one can see, I'm ticking all the right boxes in terms of what the medical schools want so that I can go knocking on their doors to be considered for applying.

Here is where things go sadly astray. You know, it doesn't take a rocket scientist, or indeed, a doctor to realise that the number of applicants applying to medicine is going down,( some might disagree) the recent news and image have made a lot now want a career in Finance and IT, why, simple, it pays bloody well. And, the dropout rate someone told me stands at 14% in some Medical schools, now, as someone from banking that means out of a placement of 5 years, if a student drops out in year one, which most do!, the other 4 years are now set at negative income over 5 years, so that's 4 times 9,500 pounds! That is quite an expense, and it has to be covered! Times this by the amount of that 14% of those that left, hell, that's not a nice figure! The majority that drop out are young, those with great A-level grades, those that impressed the admissions team that they will last the testament of time and endurance while they were with them. Mature students on the other hand have a far, far tinier dropout rate in the compassion they have lived, they have been exposed to the " Ups and Downs" of Life, the disappointments it brings at ties, the stresses it brings, and more, more importantly, they have lived! In my last course the one thing the youngsters who wanted to become doctors could not do was communicate, no, not on any level, their mobile phone was always at hand.

My experience of Medical School Open days

Hum, let's be direct shall we, no good beating around the bush. They have lots of great students welcoming you, but very thin on the ground with Medical lecturers at hand to ask important questions, no, we don't all want you to look at your website, we want to speak to you. The Top Lecturers will gather you into a lecture hall and you will hear the " Speil", the selling chat on how open they are, and how very inclusive they are indeed. Not all Medical schools are the same, no, some are just okay, and they can be the best names! others will be great, but even on both here they are thin on the ground with teaching doctors. Today I visited just two very famous medical schools in London for their open day, and while registering I was asked if I was the father of one of the young ladies applying, the others thought I was a support worker, it's laughable, but real! I know it's like a real comedy show. When I did get to see those in charge it was very brief indeed, they did want you there, and it's blatantly obvious, rude at best, and basically destroying their image in the process, and in their very competitive recruitment market. One college teacher said " Did I realise the time involved in becoming a doctor,( utterly condescending, this is a teacher!) Was I realistic in my understanding of that", why they even test me there on my knowledge of chemistry, this is meant to be a very welcoming opening day to prospective students. Now I know, as someone from banking, I could teach them a thing or two about how to entertain prospective clients, and by God, we can entertain! When the teacher realised to the notion that I had indeed, for the last 2 years, been studying the relevant subjects and been accepted to a great college on their Access to Medicine course did they reservedly quit the course of negative questions.( it should be all about fun on an Open day!, or is that just me) You know, the one thing medical schools should say when they get great mature talent with guts, creativity, and fortitude standing before them is this, " By God, if the rest of the nation were like you NHS waiting list would be a thing of the past", or, "What a show, I'm utterly flabbergasted" ( lets not over do it here) then reach out to shake your hand, and in the other, place an immediate application (as if one was selling times share homes) for you to come on join their excellent medical school. That just doesn't happen! A word of advice here from someone from banking, Never, Ever let great talent walk, no! it will reappear with your competitor

Conclusion, well, to a degree

I will not be put off by bad manners, no, not in the least, it's made me even more determined! I know my value, my weight in gold, and it's impressive. I will graduate next year from my Access to Medicine course with Distinction. I ask this of my readers, should any of you be great doctors or illustrious heads of fine medical schools think you could entertain me with my life goal, then let me know, I'd be thankful. There are great doctors out there, great Heads, Deans of Medical Schools, and it's this that I say to them, "Let me and other mature students see you, you alone might get that winning lotto ticket in terms of a great student"! One thing you can't take away from me is my ability to communicate, and the other is to entertain and God, I'm great at that, that is one key aspect of medicine. Either way, this man, will become a GP!