King’s College Medical School – 6 year undergraduate entry

Factfile at a glance

Entry requirements

AAAb including Chemistry at A level and one other science from Physics, Biology or Maths to AS level. General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded.

To be eligible for the extended medical degree programme at King’s College, applicants must have attended since the age of 11, a non-selective state school or FE College in both inner and greater London, Kent & Medway, or must have been studying for 2 years in one of their eligible schools for post-16 education, during which time applicants must have been studying for their A levels. Applicants must have completed their A levels no longer than 2 years prior to the start of the programme.

The application process

Applications for the extended medical degree programme at King’s College medical school are screened to ensure they meet the minimum entry requirements. All applicants are required to have sat the UKCAT exam.

In assessing each applicant, assessors are looking for evidence of the following personal attributes which are desirable:

• Scholastic activities – general reading, debating, theological interests
• General activities and personal interests – music, sport first aid
• Work shadowing and observation – voluntary work experience in a caring or health environment and observation in a clinical setting, so applicants have a realistic insight into a career in medicine

And the following attributes which are very desirable:

• Community activities – participating in school, college or community life
• Paid/voluntary work – in an environment which involves interaction with people

The interview format for the applicants to the extended medical degree programme is the multi mini interview. All interview will take place in February and no offer is made without interview.

Why King’s College?

King’s College is one of the largest medical schools in Europe. Located in the heart of London, the medical school’s campuses are co-located next to Guy’s, King’s College and St Thomas’ Hospitals where most of the clinical teaching takes place. This is supported by over 300 general practices and community services and over a dozen DGHs across London and the South East.

King’s College offers a traditional medical programme, with some of the best research facilities available and world-class teaching. Anatomy teaching is renowned for its excellence and King’s boasts the largest anatomy museum offering dissection and prosection teaching.

Students of King’s College are located right in the heart of London and are able to enjoy everything the such a cosmopolitan, exciting and vibrant City has to offer.

Course overview

The six-year extended medical degree programme at King’s College is designed for students living in inner London to study medicine with the first two phases of the programme being run at a slower pace and with greater support. The course covers the same topics, level of detail, exams and required pass mark as the standard 5-year undergraduate entry course.

Phase 1

Topics covered in Year 1:

Plus content specific to the extended medical degree programme which includes:

• Chemistry
• Numeracy
• Academic English

Topics covered in Year 2:

Plus content specific to the extended medical degree programme which includes:

• Academic English
• Critical thinking
• Subject-based tutorials

Phase 2

Topics covered:
24 clinical scenarios – as per the standard 5-year undergraduate programme

Phase 3

Topics covered:
Students will have experience of all the major specialties relating to diseases of the abdomen, chest and head with an introduction to clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. On clinical attachments they will begin to learn the skills of history-taking and performing a clinical examination, diagnostic reasoning, the interpretation of pathological and radiological data and practical procedures such as venepuncture and basic resusitation.

Phase 4

Topics covered:
Students will cover three blocks of training:

• A&E, anaesthetics, orthopaedics, rheumatology, rehabilitation & neurology
• Reproductive and sexual health, O&G, breast medicine and neonatology
• Health care of the elderly, child health & paediatrics, palliative care and dermatology

Phase 5

Topics covered:
In this final phase, students begin with an 11-week elective followed by 3 8-weeks clinical placements in medicine, surgery, and general practice & the community.  Students will also develop their communication skills and gain an understanding of ethical issues as well as the psychological and socio-economic circumstances of patients and their effects on health. There will also be teaching in public health, epidemiology, pharmacology, therapeutics and lab sciences.

Anatomy

Anatomy is taught throughout the first 3 years of the extended medical degree programme at King’s College, mainly through lectures and also dissection. Students will work in small groups of up to 8 to dissect a cadaver under the supervision of anatomical demonstrators and surgeons. The amount of anatomy teaching varies depending on the system or part of the body being taught at the time.

Exams

Year 1 - end of year exams consist of MCQs, EMQs and SBAs .
Year 2 – end of year exams consist of MCQs, EMQs and SBAs and a 20 station OSCE
Years 3 & 5 – end of year exams consist of MCQs, SBAs, EMQs. In the final year there are no MCQs.
Year 4 – there is an exam at the end of each clinical rotation

Teaching

Teaching consists predominantly of lectures , small group tutorials, practical sessions, histology/microscopy sessions, dissection sessions and GP and hospital attachments.

Electives

Students at King’s College take an 11 week elective of which 8 weeks is taken as an elective and the remaining time can be spent travelling. There are some limitations due to countries being deamed unsafe by the Foreign Office or where there is a high prevalence of HIV.

The pros & cons of studying medicine at King’s College

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010