The Hull York Medical School (HYMS) – undergraduate entry

Factfile at a glance

How to apply:	Applications for admission to HYMS should be submitted in the usual way through UCAS (code A100)
Duration:	5 years
Entry requirements:	A levels – AAAb Scottish Highers: AAAAB IB – 36 points
Entrance exam:	UKCAT
Places available for 2011:	130 (UK) 10 (International)
Applications:	1,234
Applications per place:	8:1
Number of offers made:	340
Interview:	Panel of two interviewers including a clinician. The interview will last about 20 minutes
Interview period:	December & January. Offers by end of February
Male/female ratio:	60:40
Degree awarded:	MBBS
Contact:	For full details go to our Medical School Contact Details page
Open days:	7 & 10 July, 5 & 9 October 2010

Entry requirements

A level

3 A Levels grade AAA including Biology and Chemistry. General Studies and Applied Science are excluded. 4 AS subjects are also required with a grade B in one subject. Re-sits are not normally accepted also exceptional circumstances may be considered.

Scottish Highers

AAAAB including Biology and Chemistry, plus AA in Biology and Chemistry at Advanced Higher level and an additional Higher at grade A taken in Secondary 6.

International Baccalaureate

Total of 36 points with grades of 6, 6, 5 in three higher-level subjects including Chemistry and Biology.

The application process

Providing the academic criteria are met, HYMS admissions assessors will review each applicant’s personal statement and reference and score the UCAS form out of a maximum of 50 points. Evidence must be provided to demonstrate each of the following personal attributes:

Academic ability
Motivation to study and work in medicine
A realistic insight into medicine, including relevant work experience in a caring role (including reflection on this experience)
Self-motivation and responsibility
Communication skills
Teamworking skills
Other unusual personal qualities or life-experiences

All applicants are expected to have taken the UKCAT exam in the year they apply. The UKCAT result is scored up to a maximum of 10 points and added to the UCAS form score to give a possible total of 60. UKCAT results are scored as follows:

Score 1900-2099 = 1 point
Score 2100-2299 = 3 points
Score 2300-2499 = 5 points
Score 2500-2699 = 6 points
Score 2700-2899 = 7 points
Score 2900-3099 = 8 points
Score 3100-3299 = 9 points
Score 3300-3600 = 10 points

Applicants with a UKCAT score of less than 1900 or a verbal reasoning score of less than 420 are not normally considered.

The UCAS score and UKCAT scores are then combined and all applicants are ranked, with the highest scoring 600 applicants invited for interview.

The interview will be conducted by two people, one of whom is usually a clinician. The interviewers will not have seen the UCAS form, personal statement or reference. The interview is structured with a fixed number of questions, one of which is based on an article which applicants are given to read immediately beforehand. Questions will explore the following attributes:

Knowledge and understanding of PBL
Motivation for medicine
Insight into medicine, other interests and reflection on medicine and the wider world
Teamworking and work experience
Personal insight – understanding of own strengths & weaknesses
Understanding of the role of medicine in society
Tolerance of uncertainty and ambiguity

The interview will last about 20 minutes and the interviewers will give a combined score which is averaged to give a maximum of 50 points.

The interview points (max 50) are added to the UCAS and UKCAT scores (max 60) to give a final total score (max 110). Then all applicants will be ranked in order and offers made to the highest scoring 340 candidates. Interviews usually take place in December and January with offers soon after and usually by the end of February.

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Why HYMS?

HYMS is a partnership between the Universities of Hull and York which was set up in 2003 with newly-equipped, state of the art teaching and learning facilities on both campuses. HYMS has developed a modern curriculum with equally modern teaching methods such as PBL and virtually a 50:50 split between hospital and primary care based experience.

The catchment area for HYMS covers a population of 1.6m and the teaching hospitals of:

Castle Hill Hospital, Hull
Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital, Grimsby
Goole & District Hospital
Hull Royal Infirmary
Scarborough Hospital
Scunthorpe General Hospital
York Hospital

HYMS has two University sites in Hull and York so students may benefit from the strengths of both and will also have access to facilities at both, including the societies.

Course overview

The HYMS undergraduate course is 5 years duration and throughout this time, students will study seven themes:

Life sciences
Clinical sciences
Clinical skills
Evidence-based medicine
Person-centred care
Population health
Managing resources

Within each theme, six body systems will be studied and students return to these systems and themes throughout the programme, building on their knowledge and understand each time. The six body systems include:

Pathology, immunology & cancer
Respiration, cardiovascular & dermatology
Gastrointestinal, metabolic & renal
Reproduction and child health
Mental health
Musculoskeletal, nervous systems & elderly

Years 1 & 2 (pre-clinical) – Phase 1

In Year 1 at HYMS students will focus on understand the ‘normal’ body systems and move on to understand the illnesses and diseases which can affect these systems in Year 2. In Year 1 students will spend half a day a week on placement, alternating between primary care and hospital based placements. In Year 2 this time increases to a full day each week, seeing patients with conditions relating to the subjects being studied at the time.

Students have six SSCs within Phase 1 from medicine & evolution, introduction to British Sign Language, HIV-AIDS, experiments in neuroscience, happiness: the new science, radiology of stroke and various modern languages. Two thirds of SSCs must relate to medicine

Years 3-4 (clinical) – Phase 2

In Phase 2, students from Hull and York come together for a series of clinical placement in blocks of 8 weeks, across the HYMS region. Working in groups of 4 (with 2 from Hull and 2 from York), students rotate through clinical settings alternating between hospital and general practice.

Topics covered in Year 3

Compulsory blocks in Year 3 are mental health, nutrition metabolism, gastroenterology, renal medicine, endocrinology, cardio-respiratory, dermatology and oncology.

Topics covered in Year 4

Compulsory blocks in Year 4 are O&G, paediatrics, orthopaedics, rheumatology, neurology, ophthalmology, geriatrics and ENT.

Students will study 3 SSCs per year, each lasting 3 weeks and from a large variety of topics available, as well as the opportunity to select their own topic.

Year 5 (clinical) – Phase 5

This is divided into 8 week blocks with the first being spent on elective, followed by blocks which rotate through general medicine, general surgery and general practice.

Examinations

In Phase 1, there are two formative exams which don’t count towards the final qualification and two summative exams (end of Years 1 and 2) which consist of an OSCE and three written papers which do count towards the final qualification. Summative exams take place at the end of Year 4 and are thought to be quite demanding as this covers two years’ worth of study and finals at the end of Year 5.

Anatomy

Anatomy teaching at HYMS is taught through lectures using models and prosections. Opportunities for dissection are available through SSCs. Anatomy teaching facilities at HYMS are state of the art.

Teaching

Teaching takes place in small PBL groups with a facilitator who is also the students’ personal tutor. Groups of 8-10 meet for two session a week and work together to tackle problems raised by ‘virtual patients’ in an imaginary medical setting. The group is expected to work together to identify all issues or learning outcomes that each problem raises and these are supported by plenary sessions (lectures), clinical skills teaching, clinical placement and individual study which is all related to the topic of the week. The group will meet with their PBL facilitator later in the week to discuss what they have learned and consolidate the key information.

Electives

Students take an 8 week elective at the start of Year 5, which can be taken anywhere in the world but have included hospitals and research institutions in Vanuata, Tenerife, Belize and South Africa. Students must submit a written report on their elective experience.

Intercalation

All Students at HYMS may opt to take an intercalated degree to give them a BSc, MA or MSC after Year 2 or 4, provided they pass their end of year exams. The intercalated programmes available include:

Applied ethics
Cancer biology
Developmental biology
Functional morphology and evolution
Immunology
Molecular microbiology
Molecular and cell biology
Neurobiology
Pathology
Reproductive biology
Sports science

HYMS allow students to intercalate at another University in the UK, with popular choices being Leeds, Manchester and London.

The pros & cons of studying medicine at HYMS

Good points	Not so good points
A new medical school with a new curriculum so keen to build a reputation	The course is still in its infancy so hasn’t developed the reputation of other medical schools
PBL based teaching which is good if it suits you	Years 1 and 2 are split equally between Hull and York campuses, so you don’t get to meet everyone until Year 3
Small year groups so you get to know everyone

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010