Pathways to Medicine icon
Applications open:
04 September 2023
Applications close:
13 November 2023
Age:
Year 12
Location:
Hull-York, Newcastle, Nottingham, London (apply through Imperial for London)
Duration:
2 years
What Does a Job in Medicine Look Like?

A career in medicine can involve everything from taking care of people to researching cutting edge cures and treatments for diseases to teaching the next generation about medicine. With 28 specialities, there are so many different directions you can take this.

What Happens on the Programme?

The Pathways to Medicine programmes run over two academic years, starting when you are just heading into Sixth Form/College and finishing before your exams in year 13. Alongside a work experience placement there is a programme of after-school and weekend skill workshops and information sessions, mentoring opportunities, networking events with universities and leading professionals, and a summer residential packed full of opportunities to develop skills needed to access a career in medicine.

Employability Skill Workshops

Employability Skill Workshops

Throughout the programme, there will be skill workshops with university staff and career professionals teaching you various employability skills specific to Medicine, such as:
• Patient care
• Diagnostics

Work Experience

Work Experience

“Over my two years, I gained amazing work experience where I got to see consultations as well as be in a theatre and see surgeries. This allowed me to see the atmosphere I would be working in and reinforced my feelings about studying medicine.” – Alaine Geneste, 2023 Pathways to Medicine alum

Our work placements take place in-person and are between 3 and 5 days long. They’ll provide you with the opportunity to get a flavour of the day-to-day activities, projects and workloads that make up a career in medicine and gain the employability skills that will help you decide if medicine is the right career path for you.

You can work either in a clinical in-person setting or digital work experience where you have a fictional patient who has an injury and each session students are taken through different parts of the hospital (e.g. ambulance, ER, neurosurgery). You will be able to put this on your CV, and maintain these connections for after you graduate university and are looking for employment.

Insight Events

Insight Events

At insight events, you will get to hear from a panel of medical professionals about what it’s like to work in the field, what the different departments do and what the different jobs are. You’ll walk away with an in-depth knowledge of what kinds of jobs you are most interested in and what they will look like day-to-day.

University Taster Sessions

University Taster Sessions

You will be able to tour your university, attend university Q&A sessions, make connections with university admissions staff and professors, and take part in a few tester lectures in your chosen subject.

Undergraduate Mentor

Undergraduate Mentor

Throughout your programme, you will be able to talk to current undergraduates and alumni who can provide guidance where needed on anything and everything to do with university applications, life at university, and studying at university.

Sutton Trust Online

Sutton Trust Online

Sutton Trust Online is our digital platform providing support to students on their journey to university or an apprenticeship. Alongside your core Pathways programme you will also have access to STO. Here you will be guided through all the information, skills and advice you need as you explore, apply, prepare and succeed at university or an apprenticeship.

Workshops

Workshops

There are certain ‘soft skills’ which will help you when you are looking for work and starting out in your career. Throughout the programme, there will be monthly after school/weekend skills workshops for you to take part in, such as:

• Communicating
• Interviewing

National Conference

National Conference

Each University Pathways to Medicine programme holds its own in-person week-long conference where you will have access to:

• Subject specific taster lectures
• Work experience/Sector experience
• Medicine skill workshops
• Panel Q&A sessions with medical professionals

What are the benefits of the programme?

University and Apprenticeship Application Support

University and Apprenticeship Application Support

Pathways will provide expert and personalised support throughout the university and apprenticeship application process, with:

• A personal statement mentor and apprenticeship application workshops
• University and Apprenticeship Q&A sessions
• Curated resources on how to write the best application
• Lots of information on bursaries, scholarships, and financial aid

Professional Network

Professional Network

Throughout the programme, you’ll attend networking skill sessions and then put your new skills into practice. Meeting a variety of medical professionals, volunteers and university professionals; you will build up your professional network for future opportunities.

Peer Network

Peer Network

Throughout the programme, you will meet with other students for both events and social activities. Often our students end up at the same university as their programme, which means that you will already have an established network of friends when you get there.

Work Experience

Work Experience

You will automatically be eligible to take part in an exclusive online work experience. The three- day online work experience allows you to follow one patient’s journey through a hospital, learning from top medical professionals and current medical students, and gaining an insight into a variety of medical specialities such as Emergency Surgery, Cardiology and Rehabilitation. You’ll also working on practical group activities in key skills like consultation and medical ethics.

You may also have the opportunity to take apply for an in-person work experience in a clinical setting, meeting clinicians and learning what it’s really like to work in a hospital.

Who can apply

Eligibility

To apply to Pathways to Medicine you must:

  • Attend, and have always attended, a state-funded, non fee-paying school/college
  • Be in Year 12 (England and Wales), Year 13 (Northern Ireland) or S5 (Scotland) at the start of the programme
  • Be studying science at A Level
  • Live within a reasonable commuting distance of the university you are applying to. This will normally be one hour’s travel time each way.

In addition, we are looking for students who:

  • Have achieved at least five GCSEs at grades 9 – 6 (A*-B), including English and Maths. A minimum of two of these qualifications should be at grades 9 – 7. 
  • Would be the first generation in their family to attend university
  • Have been eligible for Free School Meals whilst at secondary school
  • Live in a neighbourhood with a low rate of progression to higher education or a high level of socio-economic deprivation
  • Have attended schools with a lower than average progression to higher education, or a higher than average proportion of students who qualify for Free School Meals
  • Have been looked after or in care

The more criteria you meet, the more likely you are to be offered a place on the programme. 

I signed up because I knew just how competitive medicine is, so I just jumped at as many opportunities as possible. I knew that it was a two-year programme where I could experience the medical school, gain work experience and even get lower grade boundaries if I completed the programme – how could I not sign up to it? Laura, Scunthorpe, Pathways to Medicine 2017 - Hull York Medical School
Thanks to the programme, I was able to secure work experience at Charing Cross Hospital working with an anaesthetist. It was really fascinating – I had the opportunity to put on scrubs and watch real surgeries take place. Pathways to Medicine alum 2017
Given the circumstances of COVID-19, this programme was a great way to gain advice and guidance by speaking to so many different people who have all had various experiences throughout their journey into medicine. It has also helped with the daunting application process and really helped to clarify what is needed of a strong medicine candidate! Pathways to Medicine participant 2020
I loved my experience on the programme, as there were various different tasks and activities to do. I gained an overall insight into medicine and I was able to be well-informed on the subject, which helped in making my decision to choose to study it at university. Pathways to Medicine alum 2019

How to apply

Applications for all Pathways to Medicine programmes are open!

Below are the application deadlines for each university hosting a Pathways to Medicine programme this year

Imperial University applications will need to come through this website.

University  Application deadline
University of Nottingham 13/11/2023
Imperial College London 26/09/2023
Hull York Medical School 03/12/2023
Newcastle University 20/11/2023

Our latest cohort:

48%

The proportion who were eligible for Free School Meals at Secondary School.

70%

The proportion who would be first generation university students.

68%

The proportion who met at least three of our five criteria.

100

The number of students who took part in the programme.

Our University Partners

Supporters

The Sutton Trust is incredibly grateful for the generous support that make our programmes possible. Special thanks to:

Explore other Sutton Trust programmes