Modules

Year 1
Introducing the fundamentals for clinical practice
You’ll start year one with a four-week induction period, to get to know your tutors and fellow students and the course requirements. There’ll be an introduction to study and the challenges of medicine, as well as social activities. The first year introduces you to the core professional themes, which run throughout the course, and the biomedical scientific principles which underpin clinical practice. These form the foundation of your undergraduate teaching which later years will build on.

The IDEALS (Innovation, Development, Enterprise, Leadership, Safety) theme addresses the challenges and requirements of modern practice, whilst Campus to Clinic develops your clinical decision-making and patient safety skills.

You’ll study biomedical sciences and integrate anatomy dissection with radiology, physiology, clinical assessment and pharmacology. You’ll learn about the psychological and societal aspects of behaviour and human development, their role in health and illness and treatment of medical problems.

Your communication skills, with both patients and fellow professionals, will be developed through teaching and through clinical placements with multi-disciplinary teams. You’ll increase your understanding of research methods central to delivering evidence-based medical care.

Year 2
Building on the fundamentals
You’ll enhance your understanding of clinical conditions, whilst developing insight into clinical laboratory science and the role of ethics and law in healthcare provision.

You’ll learn about the anatomy of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Further exposure to clinical practice will help develop your consultation, diagnostic and practical skills. You’ll appreciate the different types of investigations carried out in diagnosing common conditions and diseases across populations, and the ways in which illness impacts on individuals and society.

Your understanding of human experience and behaviour in health and illness will also continue to grow through academic teaching sessions, patient visits and exposure to the Patient Voice Group.

Year 3
Increasing clinical exposure with junior clinical placements
In your third year, you’ll continue to develop and consolidate the programme’s core elements and to learn about evidence-based medicine.

The SAFER-MEDIC theme links our core curriculum with GMC-identified outcomes and standards of undergraduate medical education.

Year 4
Gaining in clinical experience with speciality placements
In year four, you’ll develop a greater understanding of the genetic, social and environmental factors that determine disease, appreciate the principles of treatment and response to treatment.

You’ll learn about anaesthetic and perioperative care, acute and critical care, women and children’s health, recurrent and chronic illnesses, mental and physical disabilities, rehabilitation, relieving pain and distress, and palliative care.

You’ll further enhance your leadership, team-working, conflict management and negotiating skills and learn about the NHS business and organisational environment, legislation, strategic analysis and how to manage change effectively.

Year 5
The transition from medical student to doctor
As a final year MBChB student, you’ll be expected to call on knowledge from previous years that are of relevance to practice as a F1 doctor.

You’ll participate in three eight-week placements with a strong focus on making the transition from student to qualified practitioner. These longer placements help to build strong relationships with clinical teams.

Assessment methods

Assessment throughout the programme builds your knowledge and skills. It follows two broad approaches:

Informal/less traditional evaluation (Assessment for Learning) helps students understand how they are assessed and how this connects with their own continuous learning and development. It includes testing student learning “in course”, through written and practical exams, coursework and clinical assessments and delivering effective feedback, which may result in specific individual support and in students reflecting on their performance and working towards better outcomes.

More formal evaluation (Assessment for Progression) provides a standard against which decisions are made about whether you progress through the course. Students are tested in Clinical Anatomy, Clinical Skills and Practice, Knowledge Application, Critical Analysis, Writing and Project Skills, and Attitudes and Professionalism. Assessments involve written examinations, projects, case reports and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). The MBChB with Honours is awarded to outstanding students.