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University of Bristol Medical School – 6 year undergraduate entry

5 Year Undergraduate Entry 6 Year Undergraduate Entry
(with Pre-med Year)		 4 Year Graduate Entry
 

Factfile at a glance

 
How to apply: Applications to the Bristol medical school 6 year course (with pre-med year) should be submitted through UCAS (code A104)
Duration: 6 years
Entry requirements:
A levels – AAB
IB – 35 points
Entrance exam: None
Places available for 2011: 10
Applications: 286
Interview: 60-70
Male/female ratio: 
 38:62
Interview period:  November - late March/early April.  Interview lasts 15-20 minutes and there are two interviewers
Degree awarded: MBChM
Contact:  For full details go to our Medical School Contact Details page
Open days: 22 September 2010
 

Entry requirements
 

A level
Typical offer for A level is AAB, excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking. Candidates who achieve the required grades following re-sits will not be considered. This course is intended for those with no, or limited experience of science subjects.
 
International Baccalaureate
35 points overall, with 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level.
 
The pre-med year is designed to allow students with no, or limited experience of science based study to acquire the necessary science background before they go on to the standard MBChB course.

The application process
 

Applicants to Bristol medical school are not required to sit the UKCAT exam. Applications are based purely on the UCAS application, references and personal statement. Bristol medical school has very precise personal statement criteria, against which all candidates are scored. These are:
 
  • Does the candidate have a realistic interest in medicine?
  • Has the candidate informed themselves about a career in medicine?
  • Has the candidate demonstrated a commitment to helping others?
  • Does the candidate demonstrate a wide range of interests?
  • Has the candidate contributed to school/college/community activities?
  • Has the candidate demonstrated a range of personal achievements (excluding exams)?

Interviews are held from November until the end of March/early April of the following year. The interview will last for around 15-20 minutes and will be conducted by two interviewers from the clinical and medical science departments from the University, hospitals and GP practices within the area. Candidates can expect to be questioned on their motivation to study medicine, their understanding of the course and insight into a career in medicine, together with their knowledge on recent developments in medicine and current medical issues. Candidates will be expected to go into more depth on their work experience and evidence of leadership as well as discuss their hobbies and extracurricular activities. All candidates attending an interview will receive a tour of the medical school and the University during the day. No offers are made without an interview.

Why Bristol?

 
Bristol University is consistently ranked in the top 10 British Universities and has a long history of academic excellence. It receives more applicants per place than any other British University. The medical school itself is one of the oldest in the country and is located in the school of medical sciences in the centre of Bristol which is one of the UKs most beautiful and inspiring cities.
 
Bristol medical school enjoys access to acute hospitals which are the main referral centres for the south-west.
 
Bristol medical school participates in an ERASMUS European exchange programme where students have the opportunity to spend part of their 3rd year doing clinical medicine at one of the partner institutions in France, Spain or Austria.

Course overview

 

The pre-med year
 

Students on the 6 year course at Bristol, in their pre-med year, must take three units in total, to include two or three of the following:
  1. Anatomical Science – an introduction to the basic anatomical organisation, tissue structure and development of mammals, including humans.
  2. Chemistry – to bring students to a standard equivalent to A level Chemistry. 
  3. Physics – for students whose background in physics and mathematics is limited.
Upon successful completion of the pre-med year, students will automatically join the standard 5 year MBChM programme.

5 year course
 

The standard Bristol medical school undergraduate course is 5 years duration and consists of the following:

Years 1 & 2 (pre-clinical)
 

The first year introduces the molecular and cellular basis of medicine and the role of medicine, doctors and society in health care, moving on to learn about the systems of the body. Lectures are supported by an afternoon each week at a GP surgery and a short attachment in hospital towards the end of the year. In the 2nd year, students will learn more about the systems of the body and spend longer blocks on attachment in hospital.
 
Topics covered in Years 1 & 2
Year 1 – health & medicine, epidemiology & biostatistics, ethics, whole person care, the body and its organisation, cellular activity, membranes nerves and muscles, metabolic homeostasis, genetic disease, nutrition, infection & immunity, cancer and cell proliferative disease, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems.
Year 2 - systems of the body – respiratory,  gastrointestinal, renal, nervous, endocrine & reproductive systems.
There is no Student Selected Component (SSC) period in the first year. In the 2nd year, about 25% of curriculum time is allocated for project work where all students complete one project in library-based research and then a second more practical project chosen from a range of options, such as cadaveric dissection, a modern language, medicine in the movies, teaching modules, courses in complementary and alternative medicine, deaf awareness and British Sign Language and many more.

Years 3-5 (clinical)
 

Topics covered in Year 3
Year 3 is entirely clinical with teaching in hospitals and clinical academies which are based in NHS trusts with facilities which are usually shared with postgraduate medicine and the training of nurses and professions allied to medicine and include clinical teachers from primary care, mental health and acute care. Clinical academies are situated within 50 miles of Bristol and include North & South Bristol (Southmead & Frenchay Hospitals, Bristol Royal Infirmary), Somerset (Weston-super-Mare, Taunton Hospital, Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust), Gloucestershire, Swindon (Swindon General Hospital) and Bath (Royal United Hospital). Students will cover the following topics:
Medical & surgical rotations (cardiovascular and respiratory, vascular, ENT, radiology, abdominal, breast, endocrine, renal/urological, neurological), orthopaedics, rheumatology, emergency medicine, ophthalmology, psychiatry and ethics.
 
There is a 4-week audit or research based SSC after the exams in the 3rd Year. Students also have the option of undertaking an exchange to one of the following partner European Universities, providing they are reasonably proficient with the language (usually to A level standard):
  • Paris – Université Pierre et Marie Curie IV
  • Strasbourg – Université Louis Pasteur
  • Bordeaux – Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2
  • Grenoble – Université Joseph Fourier
  • Angers – Université d’Angers
  • Vienna – Medizinische Universitat Wien
  • Granada – Universidad de Granada
  • Pamplona – University of Navarra

Topics covered in Year 4
Again, most of Year 4 is based on hospital attachment and a few weeks of lectures. Students will cover: O&G, sexual health, pathology, anaesthesia, general practice, care of the elderly and dermatology
 
Topics covered in Year 5
Year 5 starts with an Elective period followed by more medical & surgical rotations to prepare for the final exams. Students will cover: neurology, palliative care & oncology, A&E
 
There is a 4-week SSC period in Year 5.

Examinations
 

Progress through the course is assessed using a variety of examination formats including MCQs (which are negatively marked), OSCE exams, OSLER and continuous assessment. Students must pass with 50% or more to progress to the next year. There are no re-sits for Finals.  

Anatomy
 

Anatomy teaching at Bristol is in small groups using prosected cadavers, with 3 hours of anatomy teaching each week in the first two years. Small groups of 6-10 will be taught around cadavers or isolated organs. The teaching is interactive, enthusiastic and covers all required. There is an anatomy suite with further prosections available and computer assisted learning to help with independent study. There is an anatomy dissection SCC available in the 2nd year for those students with interest in this area.

Teaching

 
Teaching at Bristol medical school is based on traditional lecture, practicals and small group teaching, with no problem-based learning (PBL). The first two years of the course are predominantly lecture based and the last three-years are mainly spent on clinical attachment in a hospital or GP setting with some lectures.

Electives

 
Students have a 3 month elective period at the beginning of Year 5 (although this may be changing to May of the final year not to clash with the Foundation Year application process). There is no limitation on location and students may take the opportunity to go abroad if they wish. When they return, students must prepare a 3,000-word report on their experience.

Intercalation

 
About 40% of students have the opportunity to intercalate to study for a BSc (Hons) at the end of Year 2, or possibly Year 3 providing they have had no fails in the previous academic year and attained an average unit mark of at least 60%. Bristol offers the following intercalated degrees:
  • Anatomical science
  • Biochemistry
  • Bioethics
  • Cancer biology
  • Cancer biology & immunology
  • Cancer biology & virology
  • Human musculoskeletal science
  • Immunology
  • International health
  • Medical humanities
  • Medical microbiology
  • Microbiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pathology & microbiology
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiological sciences
  • Virology & immunology

The pros & cons of studying medicine at Bristol

 
Good points Not so good points
The beautiful and vibrant city of Bristol Placements at some Academies may involve a fair amount of travel
Anatomy teaching is rated Halls of Residence are about a 40 minute walk (up and down hills) from the campus
Established curriculum No PBL 
Opportunity to study abroad through the ERASMUS exchange programme  

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The information on this page is correct as of August 2010

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