University of Bristol Medical School – graduate 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 for admission to Bristol medical school for the 4-year graduate entry course should be submitted through UCAS (code A101)
Duration:	4 years
Entry requirements:	2.1 Honours degree
Entrance exam:	None
Places available for 2011:	19
Applications:	452
Male/female ratio:	36:64
Interview period:	November - late March/early April. Interview lasts 15-20 minutes and there are two interviewers.
Degree awarded:	MBChB
Contact:	For full details go to our Medical School Contact Details page
Open days:	22 September 2010

Entry requirements

Graduate applicants should have a minimum 2.1 Honours degree in a medical science related subject and A levels at grade BBB to include two laboratory-based subjects. The degree should have covered at least 120 credits (one year) of study in Human or Mammalian Biology, including Anatomy, Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Physiology. The following degrees are acceptable:

Anatomy
Biomedical Sciences
Cell Pathology
Dentistry
Neuroscience
Osteopathy
Pharmacology
Pharmacy
Physiology
Physiotherapy
Biology, Biochemistry and Psychology are only acceptable if human science modules have been covered in the degree.

Applications are strengthened if applicants have been working full-time in the health service for at least 4 months.

Graduates from other disciplines may apply for the 6-year premedical programme or the 5-year standard programme.

The application process

Graduate applicants to Bristol medical school are not required to sit an entry 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 university/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 2^rd year doing clinical medicine at one of the partner institutions in France, Spain or Austria.

Course overview

The Bristol medical school graduate entry course is 4 years duration and consists of the following:

Year 1 (pre-clinical)

Graduate students are excempt from the first year of the 5-year programme which introduces the molecular and cellular basis of medicine and their entry point is Year 2.

Topics covered in Year 1:

Systems of the body – respiratory, gastrointestinal, renal, nervous, endocrine & reproductive systems. Basic clinical skills.

Some students may be excempt from studying anatomy, depending on their previous experience in this area.

Years 2-4 (clinical)

Topics covered in Year 2

Year 2 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
Ethics

There is a 4-week audit or research based SSC after the exams in the Year 2. 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 3
Most of Year 3 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
Dermatology

Topics covered in Year 4

Year 4 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 4.

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 years. Some students may be except from anatomy teaching depending on their previous experience. 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.

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 4 (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.

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