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March 29, 2024, 09:50:03 pm

Author Topic: Why is Biomedicine so popular/Competitive to get into  (Read 1458 times)  Share 

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Snow Leopard

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Why is Biomedicine so popular/Competitive to get into
« on: May 05, 2021, 11:01:26 pm »
+1
Hi,

Curious about this. Why do so many people do a biomed or science degree when job prospects for it by itself are low and it's competitive to get into postgrad studies (med). Is it the way that the uni's advertise it or the prestige that surrounds these degrees (they are viewed more highly than Arts degrees)? Why not just go straight into another health care degree if that's what you're interested in?

I understand that some people are genuinely curious about science/biomed/research but it seems like a lot of people are merely using these degrees as a stepping stone to get into another degree so why not just do a degree that leaves you qualified for an actual job so that you actually have a Plan B?

Interested to hear people's opinions about this.
(sorry if this comes across as rude or condescending, I'm just kind of baffled by how many high achieving students do these degrees tbh)

colline

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Re: Why is Biomedicine so popular/Competitive to get into
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2021, 11:59:46 pm »
+8
I had *very* similar opinions around this issue in high school. I always knew I wanted to get into the health field and (mostly) enjoyed studying bio and psych in year 10 and 11, but I swore that I would "never be naive enough to do science or biomed".

I actually wrote about this in my VCE journal back in the day (this post) where I said that doing a BSci is too risky.

Having since gotten to know many high achievers doing these degrees I don't really hold the same opinions anymore. That said, there really is no perfect answer to your question because everyone will do these degrees for different reasons. But here's just my take on your question.

Quote
Why do so many people do a biomed or science degree when job prospects for it by itself are low and it's competitive to get into postgrad studies (med). Is it the way that the uni's advertise it or the prestige that surrounds these degrees (they are viewed more highly than Arts degrees)?
Honestly most of the stigma around arts degrees I see come from people who are either very out of touch with reality, or arts students with a good sense of self-deprecating humor. I don't think the majority of people still see science/biomed as inherently superior degrees.

Quote
Why not just go straight into another health care degree if that's what you're interested in?
I understand that some people are genuinely curious about science/biomed/research but it seems like a lot of people are merely using these degrees as a stepping stone to get into another degree so why not just do a degree that leaves you qualified for an actual job so that you actually have a Plan B?
Many people are simply not interested in doing degrees like nursing, paramedicine, allied health etc. For instance, in the veterinary industry being a veterinarian and a vet tech / vet nurse is *very* different, and I can only imagine it'll be the same for doctors and nurses. I am not saying that an MD makes you somehow more superior to people who studied other health science degrees. It's just that many if not most people who want to study medicine would *not* see degrees such as nursing as a back up plan to begin with.

In my case, by the time I had to submit my course preferences in year 12, I knew I wanted to study veterinary medicine, and many urged me to apply for La Trobe's Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing since it technically has way better job prospects than a Bachelor of Science with a major in animal health (which doesn't qualify you to work as a vet nurse). But I did not consider it simply because veterinary nursing was not something I was interested in. My back up plans were data science, commerce, as well as La Trobe's Bachelor of Veterinary Bioscience (basically the veterinary version of biomed, so super "unemployable"), because I knew I would be way more interested in those courses than veterinary nursing.

Also, the truth is just because you studied biomedicine or science, doesn't mean you're somehow not as employable. One of my close friends studied biomed at unimelb and is now working in Business Performance at HealthShare NSW (did not to honours, postgrad, or a double degree - just straight biomed). Another friend who did only an undergrad sciende degree (immunology major iirc) interned at DHHS. Doctor is simply one of many career options for students interested in the health field.

There are also people who simply want to keep their options open. Doing a very specialised degree has its pros and cons - it can give you a better guarantee in terms of employment prospects but some people may also find themselves being locked into a certain career path that they later discover is not for them. A generalised degree means you have however many years of university to explore different options and get a taste of different things, and leaves you with more viable pathways when you graduate.

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tiredandstressed

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Re: Why is Biomedicine so popular/Competitive to get into
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2021, 01:01:53 am »
+5
and look at that you're exposing me haha (jk jk)

Ahhh yes a very good question, and a question I ask myself a lot.
As for why I did Biomed (UoM) was largely due to parental pressure to go to a 'top uni'.
I've always wanted to study medicine, so my immigrant parents didn't pressure me to do that, but rather that I had to study in the 'Golden M's' (Melb and Monash) obviously they made the name up, but they basically told me since I was in grade 6 that I should be aiming to study at either of these unis. And I don't wanna blame my parents, but their words definitely shifted my attention towards Melb and Monash, whereby attending another uni would have deemed me a 'disappointment'.
Thankfully, they have now gone past that notion, however, by then it was too late and I had already been enrolled in Biomed @ UoM.

I do want to premise that Biomed and Science are great courses (especially @UoM), you are correct they don't lead to a secure job right away but the degrees can really help widen and enrich upcoming students to decide what pathway they want to go.
Now as for medicine specifically, yes I agree Nursing would be a great course to study.
Its a shame how much stigma and underrepresentation Nursing gets because quite frankly Nursing preps students better for medicine than either a biomed or science degree. Nursing provides clinical training that biomed doesn't *however this may change in the future*
As for why I didn't enrol into Nursing, yes it was the stigma, and I am disappointed I was manipulated by the criticism Nursing gets when in reality it might have been a better option for me.
Now why did i pick Biomed?
Actually, Biomed @UoM wasn't my 1st preference initially, I actually wanted to study Biomed/Laws @ Monash.
After receiving my ATAR I was pretty certain I'd get in, I was interested in Law and wanted the chance to study it.
However, I knew, in the end, I would want to study medicine and doing a 5-year degree/s only to go to med school felt like a waste (this is although wrong, there is a lot of benefits coming from a double degree, I realised law was an interest and not somewhere I could see myself working in. Legal dramas are not an accurate representation of how working in law really is)
And after coming to that realisation, it made sense to just do Biomed. I won't go into the reasons why I chose UoM over Monash, but it was mainly just preference and the 'vibe' I got from UoM attracted me to it.

But, as the start of my post entails biomed and science are interesting courses, both equip students for med entry and although that pathway is confirmed the degrees broaden student's horizon into the exciting field of science/biomedical science. I started my degree believing I would not want to get into research, but I'm in my third year now and I am considering doing honours because there is so much to investigate and explore (it really is enticing).

So yes, a healthcare degree (nursing, paramedicine etc) does have the benefit of being able to secure a job, and the stigma against these degrees are groundless. However, enrolling into nursing with the aim to get into medicine, may not be everyone's cup of tea, and that's okay and pursing science/biomed should not be frowned upon since both degrees are comprehensive and exciting.
Some people may find it harder to motivate themselves to study medicine, when in a nursing (or other healthcare) cohort, so despite biomed/science may not be the most secure degree they provide other avenues that can indeed intrigue many students.
In the case of medicine, whether you apply through biomed, science or nursing it doesn't really matter since you end up in the same place eventually.
I would say that the higher ATARs that science/biomed has may encourage students to enrol into these degrees since they don't want to 'waste their high ATARs' and again although this notion is wrong, it is hard to change since that is how both the ATAR and uni's to lure students to achieve a high result and attend the 'best institutions'
Although your question has substance, I do think it is ignorant to claim that studying biomed/science has "low prospects" since that isn't the case, not everyone wants to study medicine and for those who do want to study medicine, biomed/sci provide students with the foundation knowledge skills to prepare them for medicine, which often attracts students to enrol in those degrees.
Overall, the flexibility in science/biomedicine may attract students who are not 100% sure what they wanna study, and these degrees also provide the stepping stones for entry medicine and as such remain to be popular degrees.
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