Barts & The London School of Medicine – undergraduate entry

5 Year Undergraduate Entry

Factfile at a glance

How to apply:	Applications for admission to Barts 5-year undergraduate course should be submitted through UCAS (code A100)
Duration:	5 years
Entry requirements:	A levels – AAAb Scottish Highers – AB at Advanced Higher plus AAA in 3 further Highers IB – 36 points
Entrance exam:	UKCAT
Places available for 2011:	260 (UK) 22 (International)
Applications:	2050
Applicants per place:	7:1
Male/female ratio:	44:56
Interview period:	December – April. Interviews last for 15-20 minutes
Degree awarded:	MBBS
Contact:	For full details go to our Medical School Contact Details page
Open days:	8 & 19 July 2010

Entry requirements

A level

AAA with at least two sciences, one of which is either Chemistry or Biology. Chemistry and Biology must be attained at AS level at least to grade B. General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded. Barts will not consider applications from re-sit candidates under any circumstances.

Scottish Highers

AB at Advanced Higher and AAA at three further Highers. Chemistry and Biology are required, one at Advanced Higher.

International Baccalaureate

36 points overall with grades 665 at Higher Level. A score of 6 must be achieved in Chemistry or Biology and candidates must have two science subjects at Higher Level overall. If Biology or Chemistry is not taken to HL, it must be achieved at SL.

Application process

Applications will, in the first instance, be ranked according to the UKCAT score, with those achieving the appropriate score considered for interview. This score will be determined depending on the performance of candidates each year and there is no predetermined cut-off score, although obviously the higher the score, the more chance a candidate has of being offered an interview.

The selection panel will also put a great emphasise on the personal statement for evidence of commitment to and realistic understanding of the academic, physical and emotional demands of studying medicine and a career and medicine. They will also be looking for evidence of good communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team, as well as applicants who participate fully in school or college life and who contribute in some way to the outside community. Relevant work experience is essential and applicants without any work experience may be rejected without interview. The personal statement is an area on which candidates will be closely questioned at interview and so must be an honest reflection of their strengths and interests.

No offers are given for Barts without an interview, which is used to assess candidates’ determination and motivation to study medicine, their communication skills and personality. Interviews take place between December and April and last for 15-20 minutes. The panel of interviewers usually consist of two members of senior academic or clinical staff. There are also a number of trained lay persons who may sit on the panel. Some interviews are held overseas for international candidates.

Candidates will be sent an article on a ethical case study to read before their interview date. The case study will be similar to a PBL scenario and is designed for the interviewers to assess how they would approach this and their thought processes from both a patient’s and doctor’s perspective, rather than producing a right or wrong answer.

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Why Barts & The London?

Barts & The London School of Medicine formed when the Medical College of St Bartholomew’s Hospital and The London Hospital Medical College merged in 1995. Both schools are steeped in history and are proud of their reputation for educating some of the world’s best and most acclaimed doctors in the world.

Most of the teaching in the first two years takes place at Whitechapel, just behind the Royal London Hospital with the main Queen Mary campus in Mile End and St Bart’s Hospital in central London. Students at Barts & The London will experience the hustle and bustle of London and will appreciate the wide array of patients they will encounter from studying in such a cosmopolitan and diverse city.

A massive £1 billion redevelopment project is currently underway in Barts & The London trust, with the rebuilding of the Royal London set to turn it into western Europe’s biggest hospital when it opens at full capacity in 2015 – so an exciting time to be studying here.

Barts offers a problem-based learning (PBL) course, where basic lectures on topics and specialties are given and followed up by teaching on the wards in a patient-focussed manner. Students are expected to learn through curiosity, self-learning and motivation which can be a highly rewarding experience.

Course overview

Barts & The London School of Medicine undergraduate course is 5 years duration and consists of the following:

Years 1 & 2 (pre-clinical)

The first year covers the fundamentals of medicine with an introduction to the basic biological principles as well as spending time acquiring the study skills needed for the course at Barts, such as small group working, researching and IT skills.

Topics covered in Year 1

Cardio-respiratory, metabolism, locomotor (musculoskeletal), brain & behaviour (neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry), human development (embryology, reproductive medicine, child health)

Topics covered in Year 2

Systems in diseases

Disciplines such as pathology, pharmacology, social and psychological sciences, medical ethics & law, clinical & communication skills are studied throughout the programme.

Students will do two SSCs (Student Selected Components) in each of the first two years (see below). In Year 1, students will also undertake group work to produce and present two academic posters.

Years 3-5 (clinical)

Topics covered in Year 3

Year 3 combines systems in disease with systems in health and consolidates the basic clinical skills required in interviewing patients. Students will be attached to clinical teams working in both GP practices and the hospital setting, talking to patients, taking histories and undertaking patient examinations under supervision. Main subjects include:

General hospital medicine & surgery
Cardiology
Respiratory medicine
Metabolism

Students will do two SSCs within their hospital placements, one being a written report on a subject which is agreed and marked by a consultant. The other is a full patient clerking and write-up including an audio recording of the history taking. The patient will also have to give consent to take a history and undergo an examination and a report will be submitted which includes further discussion of the relevant ethical, psychosocial findings and communication issues encountered.

Topics covered in Year 4

Year 4 covers a variety of medical and surgical specialities in greater depth and include paediatrics, O&G, neurology, ophthalmology, psychiatry, rheumatology & orthopaedics, dermatology, health care of the elderly, sexual health and ENT.

The SSC is a research-based project which highlights a pathology theme on a subject of the student’s choice. A dissertation of 6000-8000 words must be produced.

Topics covered in Year 5

Year 5 is focused on preparing students for clinical practice and they will rotate through modules of general medicine, surgery, acute & critical care and A&E.

Final exams come quite early in March and are followed by a period of Electives.

The SSC includes two 4 week periods in a clinical placement of the student’s choice.

SSCs (Student Selected Components)

SSCs comprise about 20% of the programme, with the remaining 80% regarded as core and students can choose from a wide range of topics including:

Basic sciences (biochemistry, anatomy, physiology and pharmacology)
Clinical specialties
Behavioural sciences
Ethics & law
Complementary medicine
The history of medicine

SSCs are individually assessed and the six months in total spent on SSCs during the entire 5 year programme contribute towards a portfolio covering many aspects of medicine. Progress is reviewed each year and students must successfully complete the SSC programme to be awarded their MBBS.

Examinations & assessments

The MBBS programme at Barts is divided into 6 parts; one taken in each year of the core curriculum and the last covering the 5 year SSC programme. A scheme of merits and University distinctions rewards excellent or outstanding performance across all the curriculum.

Continuous assessment takes the form of short in-course examinations, written accounts of problems or case studies, poster, clinical or other presentations, log books, work books, direct observation or clinical firm grades. Continuous assessment contributes up to 40% of the end of year written exams.

Progress through the core curriculum is also measure through end of year exams. Written papers test knowledge and its application to problem solving with EMQs, short answer questions and modified essay questions, often used in conjunction with clinical scenarios. OSCEs are used from the first year of the course and data interpretation and practical exams are also station-based. Students interpret images of material (normal and pathological), perform calculations, use equipment and interpret test results.

Anatomy

Dissection is not part of the main course structure but is available as an optional module. The first year focuses on limb dissections and the 2^nd year covers other parts of the anatomy. Students are scheduled two hours a week to visit the anatomy lab and examine prosections. They will be given a booklet beforehand which allows them to read up and prepare in advance and once inside the lab they answer questions contained in the booklet. Demonstrators are available to answer questions. Anatomy is also covered in lectures to reinforce learning.

Teaching

At Barts & The London School of Medicine, the emphasis is on developing an independent attitude to learning and teaching is structured around PBL in group work and in self-study. Groups of 8-10 students work together to understand and explain the central issues of a problem under the guidance of a PBL tutor. Students will learn and understand the importance of teamwork which is essential for PBL, and will develop effective research and communication skills.

Electives

Students take a 6-8 week elective towards the end of their 5^th and final year. This can be taken anywhere in the world, but learning objectives must be set and agreed by the student’s elective tutor beforehand.

Intercalation

It is possible for students to intercalate and take an extra year of study leading to a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor or Medical Science (BMedSci). This is normally taken at the end of Year 3 or 4 but a small number of places are also available after Year 2. The total number of intercalated degree places on offer is 150 which are distributed as follows:

Year 2 – 20

Year 3 – 65

Year 4 – 65

All intercalated degree students undertake a research projects which will give them experience of conducting research and is particularly valuable if they are considering pursuing a research career. There are 11 intercalated degree programmes available:

BSc:

Biomedical Engineering
Clinical Materials
Experimental Pathology
Infection & Immunity
Medical Education
Neuroscience
Oral Biology
Sports & Exercise Medicine

BMedSci:

Community Health Sciences
Molecular Medicine
Molecular Therapeutics

The pros & cons of studying medicine at Barts & The London

Good points	Not so good points
World renowned medical education	You don’t get the personal, intimate small university feel
PBL (great if it’s a teaching method that works for you)	If you are lucky to be in a good PBL group great, otherwise if you are in a group that doesn’t work well together then you could be in for a difficult year
The experience of living and studying in London	The high cost of living
Fantastic facilities	Anatomy teaching is weak

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010