Medicine

The programme aims/objectives are to:  provide a challenging, interesting and innovative curriculum that equips students with the highest levels of knowledge, competence and attitudes appropriate to the effective and empathic practice of medicine  produce doctors with originality and breadth of vision who will be leaders and innovators in every area of medical practice  support acquisition of a broad basic understanding of the biological, psychological and social bases of human health and illness  develop good communication skills both orally and in writing, and help students to become good listeners  support development of skills in analysing and solving problems both as individuals and within teams  provide opportunities for a broad range of appropriate clinical experience  prepare students for lifelong learning and independent study through self-directed learning supported by accessible and appropriate high quality learning resources  ensure that all students gain appropriate experience in application of statistical principles, computer skills and information technology. 

GE Year 1:  Molecules, Cells and Disease: Cellular and Molecular Science, Genetics, Haematology, Pathology: Immunology, General Pathology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.  Regional and Systems Anatomy: Thorax, Abdomen and Pelvis, Head, Neck & Spine, and Limbs.  Support Systems: Alimentary, Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Renal, Respiratory.  Regulatory Systems: Endocrinology, Gerontology, Musculoskeletal, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Psychology, Reproduction and Development.  Foundations of Clinical Practice: Clinical Communication, Epidemiology & Public Health, ProblemBased Learning, First Clinical Attachment, Society & Health, and Personal & Professional Development. GE Year 1 Examinations/Assessments: GE Year 1: Paper 1: Molecules, Cells and Disease GE Year 1: Paper 2: Regional & Systems Anatomy
GE Year 1: Paper 3: Regulatory Systems GE Year 1: Paper 4: Support Systems GE Year 1: Summative In Course Assessment: Foundations of Clinical Practice There is a written formative examination in term 2 to provide experience of question formats and offer feedback on progress. The summative examination schedule comprises four papers and coursework. Students must pass all summative examinations and assessment for GE Year 1 before progressing to GE Year 2 Any assessment failed at the first attempt must be completed successfully at the resit examination or resubmission of coursework by/in August. A candidate who fails at the second attempt will normally be required to withdraw from the course. GE Year 2: GE Year 2 begins with a two week introductory course which includes teaching in Medical Ethics & Law and further develops students’ Clinical Communication, Problem Based Learning and Personal and Professional Development. The remainder of Year 2 consists of three 10-week clinical attachments, which may be at any of the 10 main hospitals associated with the School. The first introductory week at all sites is aimed at teaching students to examine the key systems in small groups with real patients. The system and topics component of the course is delivered via live lectures and interactive online learning delivered alongside the clinical attachments, and Problem Based Learning (PBL) cases will be studied within attachments. The emphasis throughout will be on the acquisition of core skills and knowledge in general medicine (including cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, neurology, cancer medicine, 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.  General Practice (GP) teaching: basic clinical skills/methods.  Patient clerking: to clerk (take the history and examine) at least two patients each week and write up these case histories.  Consultant teaching: key cases relating to the firm – students will be expected to present patients during these sessions.  Problem-based learning.  Doctor, Patient and Disease course: a continuation of systems and topics.  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 anaesthetic sessions.  Reading and electronic resources. Students undertake one written case study in the first and third 10-week attachment and one clinical quality improvement presentation during the second 10-week attachment. Satisfactory completion of the case projects is required for entry into the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and written examinations. A clinical pathology course runs for four weeks at the end of the year and covers essential clinical pathology. Year 2 Examinations/Assessments: Paper 1: Written Paper Paper 2: Foundations of Clinical Practice Clinical Examination: An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Students are required to pass all GE Year 2 examinations before progressing to GE Year 3. 

GE Year 3: Students rotate over 42 weeks through 11 clinical specialties in six 7-week blocks (see below). Each specialty attachment has defined learning objectives which form the basis of the in-course assessments and the examinations, and students are encouraged to direct their own learning. The attachments aim to apply and extend the basic communication and clinical skills and knowledge acquired in the medical/surgical attachments in Year 3 to a wider range of clinical problems and patients, including children and parents, older people, people with mental illness, and pregnant women. Teaching is predominantly in small groups and is patient-focused, although it includes some large group presentations. Students must demonstrate satisfactory performance in each attainment in order to be entered for the end of year summative examinations. 
Year 3 Examinations/Assessments: Paper 1: A written examination in Paediatrics, Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the related areas of primary and secondary care of each. Paper 2: A written paper in Pathology Clinical examination (PACES): covering Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and relevant primary and secondary care. At the discretion of the College, students who fail to pass any of the Year 3 examinations at the first attempt may be permitted to progress into Year 4. In such cases, students are required to pass the outstanding Year 3 examinations before attempting the Year 4 examinations. GE Year 4: Students rotate through four 3-week and three 4-week clinical placement blocks, attend a 2-week Transition to F1 Course, undertake an elective of 8-9 weeks and have a 2-week period of study leave. E-learning modules also run for the Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Course. The year also contains a two week Integrated Course in Medicine, Surgery and CPT and a Medicine and Surgery PACES programme in preparation for the final examinations. 3-week Clinical Placements Summary  Ear, Nose, Throat/Head and Neck (1 week); Ophthalmology (1 week); and Renal (1 week)  Emergency Medicine (3 weeks)  General Practice Student Assistantship- Residential (3 weeks)  Specialty Choice Module (3 weeks) 4-week Clinical Placements Summary  Senior Medicine firm (4 weeks) 
 Senior Surgery firm (4 weeks)  Neurology (2 weeks) and Cardiology (2 weeks) Lecture and Tutorial Programmes  Transition to F1 Course (2 weeks)  Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (e-lecture programme)  Integrated Course in Medicine, Surgery and CPT (2 weeks)  Medicine and Surgery PACES Programme The first four of the clinical placements are comprised of core clinical topics covered by all students. During the Senior Surgery and Medicine placements students appreciate both the range of skills needed to work in a FY1 post, and also gain some insight into how they might integrate these skills into professional practice. The specialty choice module attachment allows students to gain further experience of an area of particular interest, and is selected from a choice of around 50 modules. Alternatively, students have the opportunity to organise their own placement. Year 4 Examinations/Assessments: Paper 1: Section 1 and 2: Written paper examining Medicine, Surgery and Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the areas of Year 3 not assessed at the end of Year 3. Clinical Examinations: Surgery and Medicine Clinical Examinations. National Prescribing Safety Assessment.

The last cohort of 4-year Graduate Entry programme students has been admitted. The programme has been replaced by a 5-year Graduate Medicine programme.

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.

The minimum entry requirement for this course is a 2.1 honours degree. The degree must be in a biological subject such that you will have significant knowledge of the basic physiology and biochemistry of mammalian cells and organs. Examples of such degrees are:

• Biochemistry
• Cell Biology
• Physiology
• Bioengineering
• Biomedical Science
• Pharmacology

It is not possible for us to provide an exhaustive list identifying which degrees from throughout the world are acceptable and which are not; there are too many courses and they change too frequently.

If you are invited for an interview, you will need to provide details of your previous degree course. However, in order to understand what we are looking for, you should complete the checklist of the features of your degree.

• Faculty of Medicine Graduate Medicine Degree Checklist [pdf]‌

If you find your degree does meet our requirements and you are subsequently invited for an interview, you will be required to produce a copy of this checklist validated by a tutor on the course you took. Candidates whose degrees do not satisfy the checklist requirements will not be eligible for entry into the course.

If you are yet to graduate at the time of application you will be expected to provide a letter from your course supervisor that contains a prediction of your expected degree class.

UK CLINICAL APTITUDE TEST (UKCAT)

We no longer accept the UKCAT admissions test for entry to Graduate Medicine.

BIOMEDEDICAL ADMISSIONS TEST (BMAT)

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

You are required to register with BMAT assessment centres prior to the test. Please refer to the Admissions Testing Service website 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 the 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. For 2014 entry, the minimum scores required for the 6-year MBBS/BSc course 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

OVERSEAS STUDENTS

There will be a small number of places available on the Graduate Medicine course each year to outstanding overseas students. Candidates should submit a full degree transcript (or a transcript of their study to date) to the Admissions Officer at medicine.ug.admissions@imperial.ac.uk when they submit their applications to UCAS.

DEFERRED ENTRY

Deferred applications will not normally be accepted from applicants to the Graduate Medicine course.

TRANSFERS

Students will not be accepted for transfer into this course from other Imperial courses or institutions.

TUITION FEES AND STUDENT FINANCE

Graduate applicants will be required to commit to financing their tuition fees for the duration of their study, however you may be eligible for the government maintenance loan or the NHS bursary. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Applications must be received by 15 October 2014 in order to be considered for entry in this cycle.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

All candidates offered a place must complete a health assessment with the College's Occupational Health Service. You will be sent a confidential health questionnaire along with your offer. You should complete this and return it to the Occupational Health Service as soon as possible.

The primary aim of the assessment is to learn about any health problems or disabilities you may have which may require special support, so that we can plan for this before you begin your course.

We are also required by the General Medical Council (GMC) to ensure that you are not affected by a condition that would make it impossible for you to acquire the skills necessary to qualify and work safely as a doctor before accepting you into the course.

The School of Medicine welcomes applications from candidates with disabilities and, wherever possible, seeks to provide any extra support that may be necessary. Most disabilities or health problems, even if substantial, can be accommodated.

If you have a disability or health problem that you think may affect your fitness to practise, or which you think may be difficult to accommodate, then you can contact the College Occupational Health Service for advice, in confidence, before applying. For further information read the GMC booklet Tomorrow's Doctors.

Vaccinations for medical school

If you are offered a place, you will need to be immunised against a range of infections to meet health and safety standards necessary for work with patients.

You will be sent details of the vaccination programme along with your offer. As soon as you receive this information you should arrange with your doctor or a health clinic to begin this programme, as it can take eight months to complete.

Blood-borne infections

Chronic viral infections that are carried in the blood can be transmitted during surgery to patients from an infected healthcare worker.

When you come to Imperial, in order to comply with NHS requirements, you will be offered blood tests to check that you are not infected with hepatitis B, hepatitis C and/or HIV, before you can be cleared for hands-on surgical experience.

If you are infected, you will be allowed to continue your course but not allowed to assist with or undertake surgery, or other 'exposure-prone' procedures on patients. It will not prevent you from qualifying or practising as a doctor, except for the restriction on exposure-prone procedures.

CRIMINAL RECORD / DISCLOSURE AND BARRING SERVICE CHECK

Admission is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) Section 4(2) (Exemption) Order 1975 and DHSS Circular HC(88)9 guidelines regarding child protection and police checks.

As a condition of acceptance, all applicants will be required to have completed an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check by the given deadline. When you are offered a place you will be advised of the procedures as part of the admissions process.

CANDIDATE SELECTION

Competition for places on the graduate course is expected to be fierce; we will interview around 60 candidates, with 30 students admitted in October 2015.

We use a range of criteria to assess candidates. Candidates must meet the minimum academic requirements outlined in the section on entrance requirements and BMAT. Candidates are expected to be available for competitive interviews in January 2015 without which no offer will be made.

The School of Medicine has a comprehensive admissions policy which ensures that all applications are dealt with in the same way. When applications are received, they are assessed to make sure that candidates fulfil the minimum requirements. Candidates must:

• have obtained or be predicted to obtain a degree of adequate class, in an acceptable biological subject, to satisfy the School of Medicine’s academic criteria
• have sat the BMAT examination in the academic year prior to the year of admission
• submit their application on time

Candidates who do not fulfil the above requirements will be rejected immediately.

If a candidate fulfils the minimum entry requirements his or her application form will be passed to an experienced member of the selection panel. The selection panel is made up of members of staff who are involved in medical education. After that staff member has reached a decision about whether to interview the candidate or not, that decision will be ratified by one of the admissions tutors. The panel members look at the following criteria when assessing applications:

• Grade(s) and content of previous degree(s)
• BMAT scores
• Motivation and understanding of medicine as a career
• Community activities
• Leadership and teamwork interests
• Referee’s report

Interviews

If you have been assessed as suitable you will be required to attend an interview. These will generally take place in January 2015. Normally interview panels consist of a chairperson, two other members of the selection panel, a senior medical student and frequently a lay observer. The interview is not intended to be an intimidating experience and staff will try to put candidates at ease while evaluating the following:

• Motivation and realistic approach to medicine and medical research as a career
• Capacity to deal with stress
• Evidence of working as both a leader and a team member
• Ability to multi-task
• Likely contribution to university life
• Communication skills, and maturity of character

There will be three possible outcomes from the interview:

• An offer – conditional upon verifying/obtaining relevant qualifications
• Reserve list – candidates who are unplaced elsewhere may be reconsidered later in the admissions cycle
• Rejection

Candidates should normally receive a written response from the School of Medicine by early February 2015.

Candidates who are unsuccessful cannot be reconsidered for entry within the same cycle but may reapply the following year (if they obtain the relevant qualifications at the first attempt) without prejudice to the new application.

Maintenance loan for living costs

Don't forget...

Even if you're not eligible for living cost support from the UK Government you may still qualify for support from Imperial. The Imperial Bursary supports Home students from household incomes of up to £60K and our range of scholarshipsincludes the President's Undergraduate Scholarships scheme– open to students of any nationality.

What is it?

The Maintenance Loan is designed to support full-time Home students with their living costs e.g. food, rent and travel.

EU students and students aged 60 are not eligible for this loan, though Home students of any age are eligible for the Maintenance Grant.

Find out more about who qualifies for financial support from the Government on the GOV.UK website.

How much can I get?

The amount you can get depends on:

• where you live

• where you study

• your household income

All students who are eligible for the loan can receive up to 65% of the maximum loan amount regardless of their financial situation. The maximum loan amount for students living away from home in London in 2014–15 is £7,788.

Access to the remaining 35% is dependent upon your household income.

Home students can use our Funding calculator to estimate what financial support (government support and theImperial Bursary) they may be eligible for.

Students from England

Students living in England must apply for financial support from the Government via the funding authority, Student Finance England.

You can find a guide to the Student Finance England Maintenance Loan amounts below. If you're eligible for aMaintenance Grant this will reduce the amount of Maintenance Loan you can get – the Loan amount will be reduced by £0.50 for every £1 of grant you get.

If the information for your year of entry is not available please refer to information for previous years as a guide to what you might get.

Student Finance Funding Levels 2014/15

Funding for students starting in 2015

Students from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Similar living cost support is available for students from Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales – contact your relevant funding body for more information about the amount you may be eligible for:

• Students living in Northern Ireland: Student Finance NI
• Students living in Scotland: Student Awards Agency for Scotland
• Students living in Wales : Student Finance Wales

Students from elsewhere in the EU

Students from elsewhere in the EU are not eligible for a Maintenance Loan. 

EU students, who meet certain criteria, are eligible for a Tuition Fee loan.

Also, check out Imperial's range of scholarships – the President's Scholarships scheme is open to students of any nationality.

The College has decided to cease offering the 4 year Graduate Entry programme and has replaced this with a 5 year Graduate Medicine programme. Candidates will be exempted from Year 4 (Science Year) of our 6 year Medicine programme. Our admissions criteria have also been updated. 

The first year of entry will be October 2015.