Johannesburg, South Africa
First attempt
- Start by nurturing a passion to become a doctor for as long as you can remember
- Add a natural aptitude for science and technology
- Participate (and perform well) in sport (first team rugby), cultural activities (play the piano from age 7) and academics at school (and be a prefect)
- Get a basic first aid certificate
- Donate spare time to volunteer work in hospitals and clinics
- Complete an IEB matric at a Jo'burg private school with results that are good enough to be offered a place in electrical engineering (where the academic entry requirements are higher than for medicine)
- Apply for entry into first year medicine at Wits Medical School (2001)
- Complete a Bachelor of Science degree in human anatomy and physiology at the University of the Witwatersrand
- Make special arrangements to complete a basic life support (BLS) training course from the American Heart Association (this course is run for qualified healthcare professionals) - Get higher test results than qualified healthcare professionals who are on the course with you
- Continue volunteer work at a christian primary healthcare clinic
- Make rural hospital visits with an old (practicing) professor of surgery
- Apply for entry into the Graduate Entry Medical Programme (GEMP) at Wits Medical School with a respected surgeon as your referee (2004)
- Accept an offer to join the experimental physiology honours class at Wits Medical School
- Contribute to the medical research community by collecting cardiovascular data that is published in the American Journal of Physiology
- Help second year medical students in physiology lab tutorials (one of whom didn't know what diarrhoea is and another who was repeating second year medicine for the 3rd time - painful, but true stories)
- Apply for entry into GEMP at Wits Medical School again, this time with an A rated physiology Professor as your referee (2005)
- Get excited when you are short listed for an interview
- Mention that you want to "help people" during the interview
- Have the dean of student affairs warp your answers and talk over you for the remainder of the 'interview'
- Reinvent yourself
- Get on with life in a completely different field, continue to "help people" in other ways and don't feel too bad that the only thing you've really sucked at so far (in spite of a rather wasted medical background), is getting in to study medicine at Wits Medical School...
20 comments:
Rich, this is a disheartening story. Sadly it seems that this is a classic case of politics clouding the candidate selection process.
Have you considered studying at one of the Caribbean medical schools such as SGU (www.sgu.edu)?
Many times more expensive that WITS but by the sounds of things you will also get a far better medical education and they prepare you for practice in the US or UK.
It sounds like you are still young. Do it now before this becomes a regret that haunts you once this is far more difficult to do with family and other responsibilities.
I am still young but I have already moved beyond the position where I could consider studying a degree like medicine again - I have made my peace with it though.
The Carribean university you mentioned looks really nice - what a dream to go and study over there... Maybe it can help someone else who ends up reading this post? I am hoping to generate some useful conversation on this topic. Thank you for your response.
A very sad story. I am sorry you could not achieve your goal Rich. I'm also sorry you gave up!
For the other people who read this post, it's not impossible to get accepted to the Wits GEMP. I have just finished my BSc taking the subjects Physiolgy and Medical Cell Biology (after Human and Comparative Biology). If you are really committed to it, you can do it. I have received provisional acceptance for the GEMP, I am just waiting for my exam results to come in for it to be a firm offer (I am white by the way - I know this is an important factor. Also no doctors in the family and all that other rubbish they base their decisions on. No bribes either!). If you don't lose sight of your goal, and work hard enough to get consistently high marks, community service, etc., then you can do it. Then it's just a case of passing the WAPT, and you're sorted.
Also, if you really want to be a doctor, and cant imagine doing anything else, then swallow your pride after your BSc and apply for 1st year medicine, because you WILL get in if you already have a fairly decent degree. Don't let any quota system or whatever stop you. And then there is always emigration. Don't give up!
Well done and congratulations! I can only imagine the sense of accomplishment you must feel at receiving a provisional offer and I wish you all the best. Don't take your position in GEMP (and the opportunity to become a doctor) for granted though - Most applicants are not accepted and you owe it to them (and the rest of South Africa) to become a good doctor!
Clearly, it's not impossible to get into Wits GEMP - It's not so much a question of commitment as luck, but it is nice to imagine that perhaps the selection process at Wits Medical School is starting to be driven by candidate credentials.
My advice to anyone who isn't accepted into medicine out of school would be to study a professional undergraduate degree first (like engineering for example) and then apply for GEMP so that your education is not 'wasted' if you don't get into medicine in the end. The reality is that no one can just keep studying forever, no matter how committed they are. Studying requires significant investment of time and money (particularly if you do go and study overseas) and unfortunately, the window for full time studying is not open forever - I did not 'give up' as much as I had to move on.
None the less I hope your place is confirmed soon and that you don't give up on becoming (and ultimately being) a good doctor.
Rich I am in the same predicament as you. I have a Bsc majored in Physiology from Wits. For all years of my BSC undergrad I applied for admission to Wits medical school. I got rejected everytime. I finished my BSc undgergrad, then registered for Honours in Pharmacology at wits. Finished the Bsc Honours pharmacology degree, and still got rejected. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for almost 8 years at senior management level. Heard about the GEMP and thought with my experience at management level I will be acceptedn especially since I also completed a Master of Business Leadership fom UNISA School of Business Leadership. Wits rejected me. I don't want to give up but at Mid Thirties of age, I think I will have to painfully give up this passion. Its not a dream but a passion that I will have to give up. This is painful.
The advise to study a professional undergrad degree like law or engineering is important so that if one is not accepted to study medicine, one can concentrate on the srcond choice professional degree.
Wow I am in the same boat, I am thinking about doing my Msc and then applying again, all the while working part time jobs trying to make a living. I agree with you in choosing an undergrad that you can make a living out of, if only I knew that years and didn't choose biological sciences, an undergrad that is extremely difficult to get employed with.
The passion is hard to quieten down, especially when our country needs good healthcare. It is interesting to know which career field are you now in?
Hi Lo. I really admire your perseverance and you are right, it's a joke that the medical schools have not increased their capacity for decades when the country needs doctors so desperately.
I completed a PDM (Postgraduate Diploma in business Management) at Wits Business School after my honours degree and I work in IT now as a full time webmaster with a few of my own internet businesses on the side.
I hope you are able to find something that works for you soon / get into medicine! all the best...
Hi rich. Wow I can only imagine how you feel. I've also only ever imagined studying medicine! I didn't get in and did a degree in biomedical science. I also just received a provisional offer from wits for gemp and hope that it becomes a firm offer! ! I'm also a white female. I hope that it happens for anyone who wants it badly enough and I'm not taking it for granted. Good luck to anyone else !
That's great! All the best with receiving a firm offer.
Wow. I thought I was the only one going through this. I assure you now colour has nothing to do with it (as I noticed some mentioning it might be because they are white), I am black. I graduated top of my class, Iam a qualified podiatrist since 2006, got my MBA in 2009, and I volunteer for the healthy athleted programmed as clinical director for Special Olympics SA, trained in China for that. This year was my second attempt, trying again next year. The passion for medicine haunts me too much to give up1
What a painful journey you've been through. I can relate in so many ways. Fortunately for me though I am still 19 years old (black female). I got rejected at Wits for Medicine (second attempt) but I have been accepted for Biomedical Sciences. Besides achieving really high marks throughout my degree and on-going community service, is there anything else I can do to make my GEMP application as colourful and reject-proof as possible? Are there any clubs, societies, organisations etc that I should join? Any other advice is welcome.
You mentioned tutoring second year medical students. Does anyone have an idea of what the failure/dropout rate is for those fortunate enough to gain access to Medicine straight out of matric? It hurts everytime I see someone doing medicine, and yet they have no genuine passion for it.
I hope that you are starting out at the beginning of a journey with a happy ending.
Physiology honours students are required to do labs / tutorials for 2nd year health science students (Medics, physios, dentists, etc) - I am not sure of an official drop out rate, but there were several students repeating second year medicine while I was doing labs. I also can't understand how or why the university accepts applicants who do not have 'genuine passion'.
I did not get in, but my advice would be to study hard, make sure your marks are genuinely worthy of consideration and focus on your own passions - let them reflect who you are in your application. Don't do anything just because you think it will help you get in to medicine. A lot of people I know who did get in, never did a stitch of community service - So it certainly was not a requirement back then.
You should network and make connections with the right people (professors / doctors) who can mentor you and help you with/through the whole process. Other than that, do your best in all you do and I wish you all the best and that you find favour with the University.
I am fresh out of high school. Matriculated last year..and got rejected for medicine. Will bhsc biomedical science make me eligible for gemp? And do any of you have any advice as to how to improve my chances
Yes, you will be eligible for GEMP. But from my experience and what I've seen, getting in is not about meeting 'requirements' as much as it is about pot luck. Be careful of getting stuck at the end of your biomedical sciences degree with no path forward if you still don't get into medicine in the end. There really are no guarantees unfortunately. If you would still like to pursue a career in the biomedical sphere if you don't get into medicine then you are on the right track. Otherwise I would recommend you investigate other degrees that will allow you pursue another direction if you don't get in. You can still apply for GEMP with other degrees, though you should probably investigate this further as the rules seem to have changed a lot since I was there. Apply at all the universities you can and all the best.
Thank you so much! That's what I needed to know..as long as biomedical science will still make me eligible, then its good.. I understand the whole process will not be easy and there is no certainty. But medicine for me has been a childhood dream which I am striving to achieve. but the reason I'm taking biomedical sciences is because it provides a wide range of career opportunities I can fall back on should things not go my way...so ya I am just going to take a leap of faith and give it my all and also hope for the best but at the same time, I have something solid to fall back on.
It's good that you are convinced you will be happy going into a biomedical sciences career - you are definitely doing the right thing then. All the best for medicine though and try take subjects in your degree that will give you an advantage in the WAPT, they didn't have this when I was trying to get into GEMP, but you can read more about the requirements here: http://www.wits.ac.za/academic/health/entities/chse/gemp/10056/entry_requirements.html
As I keep saying though - Getting in is unfortunately more about luck than commitment or dreams or passion or meeting requirements or anything logical...
This is really said, I am also in the same boat, I was rejected, being a Pharmacist for 11 yrs in management position, having MPharm, and completing community project where I worked as a consultant to two PHD students in Ethiopia and a Principal researcher in Malawi for 3 month in each country working with NGO's, I thought I stood a good change. I also applied to Free State and UCT, all in vain. I didn't do well in NBT though, I just don't understand why graduates must write it.
The country has a shortage of doctors and there are so many qualifying candidates who can't get trained due to insufficient training capacity in the country. I think Wits has done well in introducing the course for people like us. What we can do is to appeal to the authorities to get other universities to consider this route or increase their intake of first years.
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Hi Rich
I followed a similar path to yours. I started out as a straight A student throughout school, I matriculated with an IEB distinction aggregate and one of the top in the country in addition to numerous other academic achievements including top placement in the national science olympiad. I went onto complete a BSc in Genetics (with many, many distinctions) and then an Honours in Human Genetics. During this time I did more than 100 hours of community service in God forsaken government hospitals. Other than achieving exceptionally in maths, science and biology I also passed the so called entrance tests better than the average candidate.I wrote essays of motivation, and sent in reference after reference from distinguished professors. After spending four years of pain staking effort, spending thousands on medical textbooks and funnily enough invidulating second year medical students myself in addition to also have been short listed for an interview I was eventually asked to stop applying in essence. I wasn't allowed to sit the entrance exam for the anatomy and physiology test even though I reached all the qualifications. After that I tried to get a scholarship to do a PhD and of course was told that I'm much too white for that. I've since moved to Australia where they fought over having me as a PhD candidate. I received a full scholarship and am now completing my PhD in neurogenetics. I have an amazing project that I'm working on and I frequently get bonuses for hard work. I still want to study medicine but its unbelievably expensive to do so as an international student. Once you get to a certain age and have to pay your own bills it becomes harder and harder to go back to that once dream. I will never live in South Africa again, I feel extremely sorry for all the young achieving people out there coming out of school and degrees and trying to get into medicine as there is almost no hope. I know so many people in similar situations to me and even people with masters degrees who have applied 6 or more times to medicine and still been denied.
Since black students are of equal intelligence, they don't need a seperate and lower set of standards. Entrance should be based on academic standards and practical abilities, not on race and bribery as it is now.
Well said! I think your comment is better than my actual post. I am sorry that you didn't get to pursue your original dream either, but glad to hear you are doing so well in spite of it. For what it's worth, it sounds like you would have made an excellent doctor, but I wish you all the best in your research career and whatever else you decide to do in the future.
Hi!
This is disheartening, but I won't give up. I most probably would have easily gotten into medicine straight after sschool if I had applied, but I wasn't a 100% sure about it then. Instead of taking a gap year to think about what I wanted to do I studied a BSc in Dietetics at Stellenbosch University's Health Sciences' Faculty and graduated Cum Laude. I have a very good medical background and am currently working in a tertiary government hospital. I know I have what it takes to become a doctor and I have excellent experience as a clinical dietician that will help me to become a well-rounded doctor, so I hope this counts in my favour! I am applying at all the medical schools in SA for next year and am willing to start from the beginning. WITS GEMP would be good though, as it will only be 4 years. I also don't understand why some of the the universities make mature students write the NBT and others not. I think it should be the same at all the universities. I bought some high school maths study guides, and I'm going to start studying for the NBT next week. I did really well in Maths at school but that was 6 years ago, and the curriculum's changed a bit. I don't think it's fair to test us on something we didn't even do at school. I am going to give it my all though and pray I get a place somewhere! Good luck everyone!
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