This programme is paused at the moment
If you are thinking about a career in medicine then spending time shadowing a doctor is extremely important, not only to help you decide whether a medical career is right for you, but also to enhance your UCAS application to medical school.
The programme runs twice each academic year (in 9th week of the relevant terms) and will be advertised in the Events Calendar on CareerConnect.
How to apply
You need to log in to CareerConnect for application details; search for ‘Insight Into Medicine’ under ‘Careers Service Events’ (9th week). Places are limited, and the closing date is usually at the end of 5th week in the relevant term.
Any current matriculated student (undergraduate or postgraduate) of Oxford University is welcome to apply.
We will review the statement included in your application, so we encourage you to explain how you’ve become interested in medicine as well as give an overview of any relevant medical experience you have already obtained.
Your application will be reviewed by the Careers Service and if we have any questions about your application we’ll get in touch with you. We hope to let all students know by 6th week whether their application has been successful. If you are successful, you will be allocated a consultant who will contact you directly to finalise arrangements for your placement. We will also be in touch to brief you about how to get the most from the programme.
If you are unsuccessful you may re-apply to Insight into Medicine, however, as places are limited, you can only participate in the programme once.
Other ways to get medical experience
If you want to build up your medical experience please read ‘What sort of work experience should I be looking for’, under the Frequently Asked Questions section of our Medicine as a Second Degree webpage.
You can also join our Graduate Medicine Support Group which meets once a term at the Careers Service to share advice and resources. To join the group, email claire.chesworth@careers.ox.ac.uk.
Feedback from past participants
‘I really enjoyed being able to see the problem solving aspect of medicine; taking each little bit of evidence provided by the patient history and examination to assess the nature and severity of disease then coming up with a plan of action…it was a really interesting and useful day, and I would completely recommend it’.
‘I got to observe mostly junior doctors all day and got a very realistic idea about what doctors spend their time doing. I followed a junior doctor doing the ward round in the morning and was very impressed/surprised by how much responsibility they have in their first year.’
‘I spent time with a consultant, junior doctors and students. I was in the vascular department, and spent time in the day clinic, on the ward and in radiography. 100% would recommend the programme, especially for those who have struggled to get experience themselves.’
