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For introductory information about medical schools and information about medical schools in other countries see: Medical school.
In the United Kingdom, medical school generally refers to a department within a university which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners.

Admissions

In the United Kingdom students generally commence their medical studies without any preliminary higher education, typically at the age of eighteen or nineteen. This contrasts with the U.S. system, where a preliminary bachelor's degree is required for entry to medical school. Entry to British medical schools is very competitive. Courses last five or six years (depending on whether one intercalates a BSc (Hons) which takes another year in addition to the five years of medical education including 2 years of preclinical training, followed by clinical experience at a teaching hospital for an additional 3 years). After successful completion of clinical training they graduate as Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery, usually abbreviated as 'MBChB' (at the universities of Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Keele, Manchester, Sheffield, and Warwick). It is also abbreviated as 'MBBS' for the universities of UEA, HYMS, London, and Newcastle; 'MBBCh' for Cardiff and Swansea; 'BMBCh' for Oxford, 'BMBS' for University of Nottingham, Peninsula and Brighton-Sussex, 'BM' for Southampton, and 'MBBChir' for Cambridge. Queen's University of Belfast gives the degree of 'MBBChBAO' (BAO is Bachelor of the Art of Obstetrics). The Bute Medical School (University of St Andrews) offers a pre-clinical BSc or BSc(Hons) with subsequent entry to Manchester or Keele for Clinical Teaching, and a Manchester MBChB (it is sometimes possible for entrants to negotiate transfer to another medical school for clinical training, such as Glasgow or Dundee).

Applications for entry into medical school (in common with other university courses) are made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. UCAS generally allows students to apply for up to six places at different universities, however applicants for medical school may use only four of these places for medical courses, the remaining two must be left blank or be used to apply for non-medical courses, with many students applying for courses in biomedical science, medical genetics etc. as insurance options.

Other primary medical qualifications registrable with the General Medical Council exist in the UK, some of which have only recently become defunct, and many people in the UK still practising medicine have these qualifications. These include the 'LMSSA' (the licentiate of the Society of Apothecaries), the 'LRCP, MRCS' (conjoint diploma of the London Royal Colleges) and the 'LRCPE, LRCSE, LRCPSG' (the 'Scottish Triple Diploma', given by the Royal Colleges in Glasgow and Edinburgh).

Course structure

Traditionally the delivery of medical education has been divided into two distinct styles. Problem-based learning (PBL) aims to develop a mature and self-sufficient style of learning by encouraging students to work in groups on solving clinical scenarios with little factual input from tutors in the form of lectures. Some people have criticised PBL courses (whether rightly or wrongly) for providing too little support for students, the lack of interaction between teacher and student meaning problems (academic or pastoral) can go unnoticed for a long time *, however, others suggest that PBL courses offer greater support as problems can be picked up earlier on as the tutor listens to what the student has understood in tutorials, as opposed to lecture-based courses where the lecturer may only listen to what the student has understood during examinations, by which time it is too late to rectify the situation. The extent of this observation does however clearly depends on the institution enrolled. It is worth bearing in mind there is, in fact, a lot of variation in the way that both PBL and lecture-based teaching methods are applied at different institutions. Traditional courses are classically lecture-intensive with a much more time devoted to didactic teaching. These courses have been criticised for "spoon-feeding" students and failing to develop in their graduates the ability to cope in the real world.

Most people agree though for a need for balance. This is quite hard to achieve with financial and time constraints for all involved.

Another division of medical curricula is on the basis of whether they belong to the traditional pre-clinical/clinical type, where theoretical teaching (pre-clinical, i.e. microbiology, physiology etc.) is delivered completely separately from the clinical teaching (i.e. communication, diagnosis), or whether they conform to an integrated model, where patient interaction begins much earlier and emphasis is placed on relating the learned physiology to clinical scenarios from the very beginning.

Following graduation from university, medical students become Pre-registration house officers (PRHOs), during which they will complete the first year of Foundation Training (F1 Year). Before obtaining full registration with the General Medical Council (which occurs one year after graduation), trainees are legally only able to work in certain highly supervised jobs (designated F1 jobs) and cannot legally practice independently. Although by this time, they have graduated from the university, it is the responsibility of the medical school they attended to supervise this year until they are fully registered with the General Medical Council. Therefore, the Pre-registration house officer year forms the final year of medical school.

(The following is not yet standardised across the UK and may be subject to change) Students in their final year will begin the process of applying for jobs. The new system (implemented by the NHS Modernising Medical Careers) involves a simplified application process without interviews based on a matching scheme - students rank their favourite placements (usually within their local deanery which often comprises a catchment area of two or three cities), and are ranked by the placements they apply to, the resulting correlation of scores determines which job the student will get when they graduate. The graduates will embark on a new-style foundation programme consisting of two years (much like the previous PRHO (Pre-registration house officer) and SHO (Senior house officer) years) which focus on the seven principles of the MMC training ethos: trainee centred, competency assessed, service based, quality assured, flexible, coached, and structured & streamlined.

The MDAP system has come under much criticism within the Medical Student press (Student BMJ) and even at Medical Students Conferences such as a the one held by the BMA in March 2006 where there was dissatisfaction with the way London students had been treated. It has also been suggested that a small but nonetheless significant proportion of Medical Students had seemingly lied on their MDAP forms as letters in ""The Times"" newspaper suggested. It is however highly likely the number of people implicated in this was tiny. Remember it is a very serious thing for a Trainee Doctor to be seen to lie.

Graduate entry programmes

Recently several four year graduate entry schemes have been introduced which cover a similar range and depth of knowledge to the undergraduate scheme but at a more intensive pace. These courses have a limited number of spaces and include some funding after the first year, so competition is very high. Some sources report in the region of 60 applicants for each place as these courses have become more widely known. Until relatively recently, people over thirty were strongly discouraged from applying.

For detailed advice about entrance to medical school as a graduate or mature student in the UK, visit the Medschools Online website or the good 'Mature FAQ' on graduate programmes. Alternatively, for a specific example of a graduate entry course, visit Leicester/Warwick's programme. Medical forums and sites such as and [http://www.medschoolguide.co.uk/ this are also helpful.

Intercalated degrees

It is increasingly common for medical students to spend an additional year at medical school (lengthening a five year course to six years) studying for an intercalated degree (e.g. BSc or MSc). This gives the student the opportunity to gain an extra qualification in only a third of the time it would usually take, and greatly aids students' research and individual study skills.

Typically the Intercalated BSc can be undertaken in a wide range of different subjects (e.g. Immunology, Pathology, Cardiovascular Science, Respiratory Science, Social Medicine, Management, History Of Medicine, Humanities etc.). The way the programme is implemented varies across the country: sometimes the intercalated degree will be specifically for medical students (e.g. a supervisor-led research project culminating in a dissertation), whilst sometimes the intercalated student will complete courses offered to final year BSc or masters students.

At many medical schools, the year is optional, and a relatively small percentage of students elect to study for it. Traditionally students complete an intercalated BSc the year after completing the second or third year of their medical course. Masters degrees are offered at some schools for students who have completed the fourth year of their medical course.

In contrast to this, some medical schools have a six-year curriculum, in which all students study for both a BSc/BA and the MB ChB. At Imperial College (London), University College London, and the Bute Medical School (St Andrews), students complete a three-year pre-clinical course, which leads to a BSc, followed by a three year clinical course, which in combination with the BSc leads to a full medical degree. Oxford and Cambridge operate a similar system, but the degree at the end of the three-year pre-clinical course is a BA rather than BSc (in keeping with the naming of Oxbridge degrees). At these universities, it is sometimes also possible to spend extra optional year(s) where one can study for an intercalated masters or doctoral degree.

In contrast to the intercalated degrees mentioned above, there also exists a Bachelor of Medical Science degree (BMedSci). Most universities will award the degree of BMedSci to students who successfully complete their pre-clinical medical education, but who do not go on to complete the full clinical course. At Nottingham, the BMedSci degree is awarded to all students at the end of the two year pre-clinical course, even if they go on to complete the full clinical medical degree. The BMedSci at Nottingham differs from the intercalated degree in that it does not involve an extra year of study. Until 2003 a BMedSci degree from Newcastle involved a year of intercalation, with a year-long research project, but Newcastle no longer offers this course.

Some medical schools offer BMedSci(Hons) as an intercalated programme of study, in a similar way to the BSc(Hons) courses offered. Sheffield University Medical School and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry{London} are two such universities offering these programmes. These BMedSci courses are honours programmes compared with the unclassified BMedSci offered for early exit from medical school. They increase the length of the course from 5 to 6 years

Medical student life

Most UK medical students belong to medical societies, or groups set up within the university's students' union and run by and for medical students, typically organising social events (such as Balls/Formals or drink-offs against other faculties, Law in particular), sporting events (e.g. the National Association of Medics' Sports, NAMS) and occasionally academic events.

The largest free publication in Europe for medical students is the award-winning Medical Student Newspaper. It is written and produced entirely by medical students and is distributed to the five medical schools of London. More information about the social side of medical school life can be found on the official websites of the http://www.students.sgul.ac.uk St Georges University of London SU,Liverpool Medical Students Society, Leicester University Students' Union Medical Association, Leeds University Union Medical Society and Galenicals (Bristol University Medics) Society.

Many students also focus on extracurricular academic activities, for example many UK schools have their own student society dedicated to improving health both within the local area through various action projects and globally, through campaigning and working abroad. Medsin is a fully student run network of healthcare students and is the UK's member of the IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students Associations). Other societies are dedicated to raising awareness about careers in surgery or other.

List of medical schools in the United Kingdom

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

See also

Medical education | Health in the United Kingdom | Education in the United Kingdom | Schools of Medicine in the United Kingdom

 

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