Hospital doctor
Examine and treat hospital patients. You'll save lives and improve people's health.
Also known as: hospital consultant
About the job
A day in the life - Hospital doctor
What it's like
Looking for a fast-paced, rewarding healthcare role where you make a real difference? Becoming a hospital doctor could be the perfect career for you!
You'll examine and treat hospital patients. A hospital doctor's work will save lives, manage serious conditions and help improve people's health.
Your patients will be sent to you by GPs and other health professionals. You'll listen to each person, ask them about their symptoms and do a physical examination. As a medical professional, people trust you to do your best to help them. So, it's important you reassure them and explain their treatment options clearly.
Hospital doctors specialise in a particular area. You'll need to stay up to date with developments in your chosen field. You could work in:
medical specialities such as cardiology
surgical specialities such as general surgery
other specialities such as emergency medicine, anaesthetics or paediatrics
With experience, you may lead a team of medical staff, manage a department or help train doctors.
Your tasks might include:
diagnosing illnesses based on your patients' symptoms, tests and medical history
monitoring your patients' recovery and adjusting care plans as needed
explaining conditions and treatment options to patients and their families
liaising with other healthcare professionals such as nurses, physiotherapists or surgeons
carrying out procedures such as inserting cannulas, suturing wounds or assisting in surgeries
keeping patients' records up to date and writing reports to tell GPs about their diagnosis and care plans
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
NHS Scotland Careers: Your Med Future – a guide to studying medicine in Scotland
University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) – find out about the UCAT
General Medical Council – becoming a doctor in the UK
British Medical Association – advice and support for studying medicine
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking responsibility
- making decisions
- developing a plan
- social conscience
- empathising
- researching
- written communication
- verbal communication
- listening
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Biology
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Care
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Chemistry
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Human Biology
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Physics
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Maths (Mathematics)
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English
To work as a hospital doctor in Scotland, you need five things.
1. A medical degree that's recognised by the General Medical Council. See ‘University’ on this page for more information.
2. Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC) – this is a two-year, paid, work-based programme. You’ll do this after you graduate and it’ll help you transition from medical school to speciality training.
3. Speciality training – the stage where you decide which field of medicine you'd like to specialise in. Depending on your chosen speciality, training can take 5 to 8 or more years.
4. Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) – you'll be awarded your CCT once you've finished your speciality training.
5. A place on the General Medical Council's specialist register – this'll allow you to start working as a hospital doctor for the NHS.
University
You’ll need an undergraduate medical degree awarded by a medical school. There are standard and graduate entry options. Search medicine degrees on My World of Work.
Remember, medical degrees have extremely high entry requirements. As well as the entry qualifications, you'll need to sit the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test).
For some graduate entry programmes, you'll need to sit the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT).
Find out about aptitude tests on the Your Med Future website.
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, could help you progress to more advanced study. Search for Pathways to Medicine courses on My World of Work.
See what's available using our course search.
Widening access
You might think you can't study medicine because you didn't meet the entry requirements. But there could be some options open to you, depending on your circumstances.
Gateway to Medicine courses are a 'pre-medical year' available at some universities. They could help if your background or personal situation makes it harder for you to get into university.
Reach programme is a widening-participation initiative. It supports eligible pupils to apply to highly competitive degrees such as medicine.
Schools for Higher Education Programme (SHEP) encourages more young people to apply for further and higher education, especially from communities that often miss out on college or university.
Scottish Widening Access Programme (SWAP) offers routes to university by learning at college first. If you don't have a degree and have been out of education for at least three years, you could be eligible.
Entry to medical degrees is highly competitive, so you need to make your application stand out.
Volunteering is a fantastic way to show your commitment to a career in healthcare. Search for opportunities on Volunteer Scotland.
You’ll need to be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, run by Disclosure Scotland.
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