Medicine

Quality of Education: the course is delivered through traditional and innovative methods of teaching.

Patient contact: you will have direct contact with patients from the first term.

Double Qualification: students will gain both a BSc and MBBS by completing the six-year degree programme.

Research: you will have the opportunity to develop skills in research techniques and methodology through a supervised research project.

YEARS 1 AND 2

During the first two weeks you will undertake an introduction and orientation to the undergraduate medical course and to the School of Medicine. This course includes study skills and information technology sessions, in addition to introductory sessions in the scientific basis of medicine and clinical practice.

Following the introductory sessions you will begin an integrated programme consisting of themes covering the three main elements of the core course: Scientific Basis of Medicine; Doctor and Patient; and Clinical Experience.

• Molecules, Cells and Disease includes molecular and cell biology, genetics, blood and blood-forming tissues, metabolism, infection, immunity, cell pathology, and cancer.
• Life Support Systems includes the skin, cardiovascular, respiratory, alimentary and urinary systems, and the anatomy of the thorax, abdomen, pelvis and perineum.
• Life Cycle And Regulatory Systems includes human life cycle, neuroscience and mental health, the endocrine and musculoskeletal systems, the anatomy of the head, neck, spine and limbs, as well as pharmacology and therapeutics.
• Foundations of Clinical Practice includes communication skills, sociology, ethics, epidemiology in practice, and information technology. The initial element of clinical experience (the Patient Contact course) is also managed as part of this theme.
• Science and the Patient integrates your learning from the first two years with the teaching of generic skills that will be particularly useful in your BSc e.g. critical appraisal and data analysis.

Teaching comprises lectures, clinical demonstrations, tutorials, seminars, computer workshops, laboratory practical and clinical skills classes, and some problem-based learning.

Doctor and Patient

Doctor and Patient includes problem-based learning and personal and professional development and is taught in small groups throughout the first and second years.

Clinical Experience

Clinical experience in the first year is provided by the Patient Contact course. During the course students will pay a number of visits to a patient or a family in their home environment, and in a clinic setting, in order to explore the course topics: illness, health and disease; the experience of health and social care; and living with a long term condition. Patient visits are supplemented by small group work with practising GPs or hospital consultants.

This course is designed to enable you to understand health and illness from the perspective of patients, their families and carers, in a number of different settings.

In the second year you progress to your first hospital-based clinical attachment where you begin to apply your knowledge and skills to the care of patients.

YEAR 3

This year consists of three 10-week clinical attachments, which may be at any of the hospitals associated with the School.

You also continue to study the systems and topics component of the course, begun in the first and second years, via a programme of live lectures and interactive online learning delivered alongside the clinical attachments. 

The emphasis throughout is on the acquisition of core skills and knowledge in general medicine (including cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, neurology, oncology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, haematology, rheumatology and medicine for the elderly), general surgery (including gastrointestinal, breast and vascular surgery, and urology), anaesthetics, and clinical pharmacology and therapeutics.

Core learning is based on:

• Medical or surgical takes
• GP teaching: basic clinical skills/methods in general practice
• Patient clerking: to clerk (take the history and examine) at least two patients each week and write up these case histories – students are assessed on two of these written clerkings during each attachment, separate from the case project
• Consultant teaching: key cases relating to the attachment – you will be expected to present patients during thes e sessions and this forms part of your assessment Problem-based learning
• Lecture course: a continuation of systems and topics teaching
• Other teaching: this will depend on the nature of the clinical programme of the attachment, but should include outpatient clinic teaching, theatre sessions, endoscopy sessions, and anaesthetics sessions
• Reading and electronic resources
• You will also undertake the three-week Background to Clinical Specialties course which acts as an introduction to many different clinical specialties

YEAR 4

BSc degree

You will spend this year working towards the BSc by undertaking a series of modules and a supervised research project or specialist course in an area of particular scientific/medical interest, leading to one of the degrees below.

BSc courses/title of award (BSc Honours)

Medical Sciences with one of:

• Cardiovascular Science
• Endocrinology
• Gastroenterology and Hepatology
• Global Health
• Haematology
• Immunity and Infection
• Management
• Neurosciences and Mental Health
• Pharmacology
• Reproductive and Developmental Science
• Respiratory Science
• Surgery and Anaesthesia

The specialist courses currently on offer are:

• Death Autopsy and the Law
• Medical Humanities
• History of Medicine

Intercalated BSc courses

If you are studying in another UK medical school, you may obtain your BSc at Imperial via a one-year course in Year 4 of the Imperial MBBS course. The main eligibility requirements for undertaking an intercalated BSc at Imperial are that you:

1. have completed at least two years of a medical course elsewhere;
2. have permission to inte rcalate at Imperial for your BSc from your home medical school; and
3. will be able to return to your home medical school and resume studies on your medical course there after completing the BSc at Imperial.

For further information please send us an email.

YEAR 5

There is a dedicated Pathology course at the start of the fifth year which covers essential clinical pathology followed by 10 clinical specialties:

• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Paediatrics
• Psychiatry
• Oncology and Palliative Care
• General Practice and Primary Health Care
• Radiology
• Infectious Diseases/GUM/HIV
• Dermatology
• Rheumatology
• Orthopaedics/Musculoskeletal Medicine
• Critical care
• Teaching skills

YEAR 6

The final year consists of:

• Seven three-week clinical attachments in:
  • Emergency Medicine
  • General Practice Student Assistantship
  • Cardiology
  • Neurology
  • Ears, Nose and Throat
  • Ophthalmology
  • Renal Medicine
• Two professional work experience attachments (one in medicine and one in surgery)
• One specialty choice module
• An eight-week elective period which may be spent in the UK or overseas
• Five weeks of private study
• A practical medicine course
• An integrated course in Medicine, Surgery and Clinical Pharamacology and Therapeutics

MERITS/DISTINCTIONS/PRIZES

Additional awards, such as Merits, Distinctions and Prizes may be available to candidates with good performance in summative assessments in each year.

We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis. If your qualifications are not listed here, please see our academic requirements by country page, which gives the minimum entry requirements for a range of international qualifications.

A-LEVELS

The minimum entry requirements for this course are three A-levels, including Chemistry and/or Biology and one science or mathematics subject, and one additional subject at AS-level.

If either Chemistry or Biology is offered alone at A-level, then the other is required at AS-level with at least a grade B.

Our normal offer is for grades AAA in three A-levels and B in the AS-level. The three A levels must be undertaken in the same academic year. For candidates offering four A-levels our normal offer is AAAC.

Vocational A and AS-levels are not acceptable and General Studies will not be accepted at any level.

All applicants must have the following subjects at GCSE level, at grades AAABB or above (in any order):

• Biology (or Human Biology)
• Chemistry
• English Language
• Mathematics (or Additional Mathematics or Statistics)
• Physics

The Science double award may substitute all sciences at GCSE.

EPQ:  Please note that an EPQ cannot be used as part of the AS and A2 Level entry requirements.

BIOMEDICAL ADMISSIONS TEST (BMAT)

All candidates applying to the six-year course must take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) in the year of application in order to be considered for interview.

You are required to register with BMAT assessment centres prior to the test. Please refer to the Admissions Testing Service for key dates and additional information.

Invitations to an interview will be based on:

• the content of your UCAS application
• your performance in all three sections of BMAT

BMAT cut-off scores are calculated each year, as a result of ranked candidate BMAT scores versus number of expected interview sessions. As a result, the absolute BMAT cut-off changes each year. However, the BMAT cut-off scores from previous admissions cycles may be used as a guide.

For 2014 entry, the minimum scores required were:

• a score of 4.5 in section 1
• a score of 4.6 in section 2
• a score of 2.5 and grade B in section 3

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

Cambridge Pre-U

The Pre-U Diploma is acceptable as an entry qualification. You must offer four Principal Subjects with grades of D3 or higher including Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. The fourth subject may be either an additional Science or another Mathematics subject. Those taking a combination of Pre-U and A-Level subjects should contact the Medicine admissions team.

You will also be required to offer grades AAABB, in any order, in the following GCSEs:

• English Language
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics

The Science double award may substitute all sciences at GCSE.

If you are taking a combination of Pre-U and A-level subjects you should contact the medicine admissions team for advice on the grades you will be required to achieve.

International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate is acceptable as an entry qualification. We require 38 points overall, including:

• 6 in Biology
• 6 in Chemistry

At least one of these subjects must be offered at Higher level. If either Biology or Chemistry is offered at Standard level, one other science or mathematical subject must be offered at Higher level.

We also require English, grade 5 at Standard level.

European Baccalaureate

The European Baccalaureate is acceptable as an entry qualification. Candidates must offer Chemistry and Biology. Minimum grades of 9.0 are required in each of these two options and a grade of 85 per cent is required overall, with a minimum of 6.5 in English. Good passes at GCSE or at equivalent examinations are required in Physics, Mathematics and English Language if they are not offered as part of the Baccalaureate.

Scottish Qualifications

Scottish Highers are not accepted alone. You must offer Scottish Highers, or AS-Level and Advanced Highers, or A-Levels.

You must offer:

• five Standards (or GCSEs) at grades AAABB in any order, in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, and English Language
• AAA grades in Advanced Highers or A-Levels, including Chemistry and/or Biology and one science or mathematics subject and one additional subject at Scottish Higher or AS-Level. If either Chemistry or Biology is offered alone at Advanced Highers or A-Level, then the other is required at Scottish Higher or AS-Level with at least a grade B

Advanced placements

Advanced placement candidates must have a minimum of 3 AP tests, with the following grades: 5 in Chemistry, 5 in Biology, and 5 in Mathematics or any other science subject.

The School of Medicine accepts various other international qualifications for admission to medicine. For further information please contact the admissions team.

Foundation and access courses

We do not currently consider any foundation/access courses for entry to Medicine.

DEFERRED ENTRY

The School of Medicine welcomes applications from school leavers who wish to take a gap year. You must state in your UCAS personal statement how you propose to spend your time. Deferred entry applications from overseas applicants are not normally accepted.

OVERSEAS STUDENTS

We accept a small number of overseas students into the Medicine course each year. If you are offering academic qualifications other than those listed above you must supply full details direct to our Admissions Team.

• Supplementary information should not be sent to UCAS
• You must be available for interview at the School of Medicine between January and April
• You are required to offer GCSE English Language at grade B or above

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Graduate students with appropriate science degrees should apply for the five-year Graduate Medicine MBBS, which does not include a BSc Year.

Graduates not fulfilling the above entry criteria are invited to apply for the six-year course. Such graduate students will not be exempt from any section of the MBBS/BSc course or examinations, including the BSc Year (Year 4). Such candidates are required to obtain at least upper second class honours in their first degree.

MBBS/BSc Course - School Leavers

MBBS/BSc course Scholarships are open to school-leavers who have accepted a conditional or unconditional offer from the School of Medicine. Awarded for outstanding entrance interview performance/prize essay

• Fleming/McCowen Scholarship Remission of fees up to £3,375 pa for 2 years(College endowments)
• 2 Dr Harold Edwards Scholarships £300 pa for 3 years  (St Mary’s Association)
• McCowen Scholarship £300 pa for 2 years (College Endowments)
• Palmer Scholarship £300 pa for 2 years (College Endowments)
• 2 Rose Scholarships £350 pa for 2 years (College Endowments). This is awarded once every two years and was last awarded in 2011-12.
• Sancta Maria Lodge Scholarship £500 for 1 year (St Mary’s Development Trust)

MBBS/BSc Course - Widening Participation Students

Awarded to students who might otherwise be prevented from studying medicine by financial constraints, for outstanding entrance interview performance/prize essay.

• 3 Victoria Foundation Scholarships £2,500 pa for first 2 years, £3,000 for 3rd year (The Victoria Foundation).
• William Greville Griffiths Award £500 pa for 2 years  (College Endowments)

MBBS Course - Graduate Entry Students

Awarded for for outstanding entrance interview performance/prize essay.

• 4 Faculty of Medicine Scholarships £1,000 for 1 year (College endowments)
• Gail Gardner McNeil Scholarship £1,500 for 1 year (College endowments)
• 3 Sir George Pinker Scholarships  £500 pa for 4 years (St Mary’s Association)

MBBS Course - Oxford and Cambridge Clinical Entry Students

For direct entrants to Year 3 of the course. Awarded for outstanding entrance interview performance/prize essay

• 2 Dr Cockburn Scholarships £300 pa for 3 years (St Mary’s Association)
• Harmsworth Scholarship £300 pa for 3 years (College endowments)
  
  You have been invited to submit an essay for consideration of the award of a Scholarship at the School of Medicine, Imperial College London. These guidelines are intended to help you with your essay and explain how we assess the work submitted to us. 1) The judges will be drawn from senior members of the School of Medicine’s Admissions team. Two independent judges will read and assess each contribution in each of the three categories of award: a) first-year entrants, b) first-year entrants undertaking medicine as a second degree, c) Oxford and Cambridge clinical entrants. 2) The final decisions on the awards will be made by the Admissions Tutor on the recommendation of the judges. These decisions are final and there is no appeal procedure. 3) Candidates must have firmly accepted a conditional or unconditional offer at the School of Medicine to be eligible for the award of a scholarship. In the case of conditional offers the conditions must be satisfied in order for essays to remain in contention. 4) Essays must be submitted by 31 July of the year of entry. Whilst the School of Medicine will try to be flexible in cases where students are unable to meet this deadline (if, for instance, abroad) we expect all candidates to do their best to submit their work by this date in the interests of others. The School of Medicine is under no obligation to consider any essay submitted after 31 July. 5) Your essay should meet the 2000 word limit ± 10% and you must include a word count at the end. In order to be fair to all scholarship candidates, contributions over 2200 words will be eliminated from further consideration. 6) Before writing your essay we suggest you spend some time researching the topic and collecting relevant material. 7) Your essay should be properly referenced where appropriate (e.g. “Brown (1997) stated that….”). Short quotes are acceptable but the origin must be acknowledged. 8) At the end of your essay you should include a list of references (author, date, title and source). This list is NOT included in your word count. 9) Your essay should be well presented and submitted as an email attachment to medicine.ug.admissions@imperial.ac.uk. It should have a title page including the essay title, your name, date (month/year) and category of scholarship (see paragraph 1 above). The title page is NOT included in your word count. 10) You must include a written confirmation that the entire essay is your own work. You should note that plagiarism software may be used when assessing essays submitted for consideration for a scholarship. 11) We will send you an email to acknowledge receipt of your essay. 12) In arriving at their decisions the judges will consider: • Originality of thought or argument • Use of logical argument • Evidence of careful consideration of research material • Clarity of expression • Correct use of English • Correct spelling • Presentation