This section of our website aims to provide background information about the range of career opportunities open to you following graduation with a basic medical degree. We have attempted to cover the breadth of specialties with links to other key sources for more specialised detail. You can access this information using the links on the left hand side.

Competition ratios
The majority of UK medical graduates embark upon a career in the NHS as hospital doctors or in primary care. Over 50% of all graduates become General Practitioners (GPs) providing health care for the local community. Deciding on a particular career pathway will be informed by projected workforce needs (care delivered in the community will increase) and competition rates for training posts in different disciplines. Some specialties currently have up to 40 applicants for each post, so it may be wise to consider other specialties that you might be interested in. You may also wish to consider other options such as working in industry or a clinical academic career.  

Changing healthcare
There are many potential careers to explore and it is important you look at these before you begin your medical training. The field of medicine moves rapidly and you will need to keep up to date with healthcare developments. There is now more of a focus on health and the prevention of disease and this, combined with an aging population living with chronic conditions, is resulting in care being delivered by general and specialist practitioners in the community. The doctor of the future will be required to deal with complex medical and social problems, as well the increasing application of innovative technologies and the expectations of well-informed and demanding patients. Whilst the fundamental role of the doctor  may not change very much, the way in which medicine is practised will – and there is likely to be a need for flexibility to transfer skills between disciplines in an evolving medical workforce.

Don’t panic!
If you are unsure which specialty you would like to work in, don’t panic. Your medical school will provide you with careers information and resources to help you decide what the right career pathway is for you. However, in the meantime it would be useful for you to look in to the different specialties and what personal attributes and skills are required so you are aware of the different roles that might suit you.

Thank you
We would like to thank the Medical Careers website for helping us to develop this section of the website.