Stroke medicine
Stroke [1] medicine doctors diagnose strokes and provide acute care, management and rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a stroke [1].
Stroke [1] is an interruption of blood supply to the brain, often the result of a blood clot or a ruptured blood vessel. It’s one of the most common causes of death and disability in the UK.
Life as a doctor in stroke [1] medicine
Stroke [1] medicine has only been recognised as a specialist branch of medicine since 2007 so you may have another specialism and split your time between the two, or work full-time on stroke [1] medicine.
How much can I earn?
How about the benefits?
- make a difference
- flexible and part-time working
- high income early in your career
- work anywhere in the world
- excellent pension scheme
- good holiday entitlement
- NHS discounts in shops and restaurants
Must-have skills
- excellent communication skills to manage a wide range of relationships with colleagues, and patients and their families
- emotional resilience, a calm temperament and the ability to work well under pressure
- teamwork and the capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams
- problem-solving and diagnostic skills
- outstanding organisational ability and effective decision-making skills
- first-class time and resource management for the benefit of patients
Entry requirements
If you already have a degree, you could study for a four-year postgraduate degree in medicine.
You’ll need to pass an interview and admissions test. You’ll be asked to show how you demonstrate the NHS values such as compassion and respect.
Some medical schools look to recruit a mix of students from different backgrounds and geographical areas, so your educational and economic background and family circumstances could be considered as part of your application.
How to become a doctor in stroke [1] medicine
After your foundation programme, you can apply for paid specialty training [8] to become a doctor in stroke [1] medicine, which will take a minimum of six years.
You may be able to train part time, for example for health reasons or if you have family or caring responsibilities.
Where a career as a doctor in stroke [1] medicine can take you
- specialise or conduct research in areas such as rehabilitation medicine or clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
- teach medical students or postgraduate students in training
- get involved in research at universities, the NHS or private sector
Other roles that may interest you
- General internal medicine [68]
- Geriatric medicine [69]
- Rehabilitation medicine [70]
- Vascular surgery [71]