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Doctor

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Primary Secondary Post-16

Doctors are special people who help keep us healthy and treat us when we are unwell. In the UK, doctors work in places like hospitals, GP surgeries, and clinics. They check patients, give advice, and sometimes perform operations. Doctors need to be good at science and caring for people. They often work in teams with nurses and other healthcare professionals. To become a doctor, you need to study hard at school, especially in science subjects, and then go to university for medical training.

Doctor

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📊 Statistics

Average Salary

Doctors in the UK usually earn between £29,000 as a junior doctor and up to £114,000 or more as a consultant per year.

Number of Doctors

There are over 300,000 registered doctors working in the UK.

Training Time

It takes at least 5 years at medical school and 2 years of foundation training to become a doctor.

🚀 Careers in this path

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Paediatrician

A doctor who helps babies, children, and teenagers feel better when they are unwell.

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Family GP

A doctor who looks after families and helps people with everyday health problems.

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Surgeon

A doctor who fixes parts of the body by doing special operations to help people get better.

Work Hard at School

Study Science Subjects

Focus on subjects like biology, chemistry, and maths in school.

Doing well in science, especially biology and chemistry, is very important if you want to become a doctor. These subjects help you understand the human body and how medicines work. Maths is also useful for problem solving. Try your best in these lessons and ask for help if you need it.

Achieve Good GCSE and A-level Results

Aim for high grades in your GCSEs and A-levels, especially in science subjects.

To get into medical school in the UK, you usually need at least five GCSEs at grade 7 or above, including English, maths, and sciences. For A-levels, most medical schools ask for at least three A-levels, including chemistry and usually biology, with high grades such as A or A*.

Attend University

Apply for Medical School

Send your application to a university that offers a medicine degree.

You will need to apply through UCAS and may have to take tests like the UCAT or BMAT. It is important to research different medical schools to find out their entry requirements and what they look for in applicants. Work experience in a healthcare setting can also help your application.

Complete a Medical Degree

Study at university for five or six years to become a qualified doctor.

Medical school teaches you all about the body, diseases, and how to treat patients. You will spend time learning in classrooms and also working in hospitals or GP surgeries as part of your training. After finishing your degree, you will earn a medical qualification such as MBBS or MBChB.

Start Your Doctor Career

Do Foundation Training

Work as a junior doctor for two years in different hospital departments.

After university, you will do a two year Foundation Programme. In your first year, you will have provisional registration with the General Medical Council and work under supervision. In the second year, you will have more responsibility. This training helps you gain experience in many areas of medicine.

Choose a Speciality

Pick an area to focus on, like surgery, paediatrics, or general practice.

After your foundation years, you can apply for further training in a speciality that interests you. This could take several more years, depending on what you choose. You might decide to become a GP, a surgeon, or another kind of specialist doctor.

🎯 View Apprenticeships

Explore relevant apprenticeships that can help you kickstart your career in Doctor. Apprenticeships offer hands-on experience and training while earning a wage.

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Career Progressions

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Sample Qualifications

A hospital doctor is a qualified medical professional responsible for diagnosing and treating patients within a hospital setting, which closely aligns with the role of a doctor. Both roles require medical degrees, clinical training, and registration with medical regulatory bodies in the UK.

How to become

You can get into this job through a university course or an apprenticeship.

University

To become a hospital doctor, you'll need to complete:

  • a degree in medicine recognised by the General Medical Council which takes 5 years
  • a foundation course of general training which takes 2 years
  • specialist training which can take between 5 to 8 years depending on the speciality

A medical degree normally takes 5 years to complete. Some courses have the option to include an extra year if you want to study a subject further. This is called an intercalated year.

You might be able to study a foundation year before starting a medical degree. This will depend on your circumstances or if you have not studied enough sciences. Check with the admissions department where you want to study.

If you already have a degree, you could take a 4-year graduate entry route into medicine. There’s lots of competition and entry requirements vary, so check with the admissions department where you want to study.

Entry tests

When you apply for a course in medicine, you may be asked to take the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT).

It tests the skills you'll need on the course, like critical thinking, problem solving, data analysis, communication and scientific knowledge.

Work experience

Medical schools will also expect you to have some relevant paid or voluntary work experience. The British Medical Association provides information on how to find a placement.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • at least 5 GCSEs grades 9 to 7 (A* or A), including English maths and sciences
  • 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology and chemistry

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Apprenticeship

You might be able to do a doctor degree apprenticeship which will take around 5 years to complete.

The apprenticeship is recognised by the General Medical Council.

You could then progress to the foundation course of general training before completing the specialist training.

Entry requirements

Employers will set their own entry requirements.

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Volunteering

You can gain valuable caring skills from volunteering in education, charity or social care settings. For example, you can:

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Registration

Career tips

The General Medical Council has a guide on what it means to be a good doctor. You might find this useful  when preparing for medical school interviews.

You can use online resources to find out more about the types of interviews you can expect to get into for medical school.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the British Medical Association for professional development and training opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a doctor and studying medicine from the British Medical Association and Health Careers.

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