University of Leicester Medical School – graduate entry

 

 

Graduate applicants are expected to have been awarded (not predicted) a 2.1 Honours degree or better, in any discipline (not necessarily science-based).  In addition, they must have spent full-time and paid employment in a caring profession post graduation.  The length of time spent in such a role will influence the strength of the application.

 

Graduate applicants are also expected to have taken the UKCAT exam.

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Applicants are selected on the basis of their academic performance and personal qualities judged from their references, personal statement and during the interview. Leicester looks for students from diverse backgrounds who can demonstrate a thoughtful, caring and compassionate approach to medical practice. In particular, they will be looking for strong evidence of motivation towards a career in medicine in the personal statement.

 

Leicester assesses UKCAT scores individually rather than by total or mean. They do not have a fixed threshold for UKCAT achievement and band applicants as follows:

Score > 700 = 5 points

Score > 600 = 4 points

Score > 500 = 3 points

Score > 400 = 2 points

Scores of 400 or below = 1 point

 

Receiving a score of 1 does not necessarily mean an application will be rejected as all elements of the application are considered, however, this would mean that a strong UCAS application would be required. 

 

In addition to the UKCAT score, the following elements of the application all receive a score out of a maximum of 5 points:

 

A maximum of 20 points can be achieved and generally any applicant receiving 16 points or more will receive an offer for interview.

 

The interview will be conducted by a panel of two interviewers, usually a member of University staff and a final year medical student. This is a structured interview and they will ask questions to ascertain the applicant’s communication skills, insight and motivation for a career in medicine and personal qualities such as determination, interest in people and their capacity to cope with stress. The interview will last about 20 minutes. Applicants will have the opportunity for a guided tour of the campus on the day of their interview.

Leicester is an ethnically and culturally diverse and vibrant city which is reflected in its University which is situated fairly centrally to the city centre. 

 

The medical school is highly rated and well established with easy access to the nearby teaching hospital – Leicester Royal Infirmary. The teaching on the medical programme is well delivered and is particularly highly rated for its quality.

 

Leicester has one of the best anatomy teaching in the country where cadaveric dissections still take place.

 

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

Phase 1 at Leicester consists of 3 semesters in which all the systems of the body and basic medical sciences are taught. There are also themed modules running throughout semesters such as People & Disease and Consultation skills which introduces students to patient contact from an early stage. Each semester is split into 5 modules as follows:

 

Students have one SSCs in phase 1 where students choose subjects in which they can develop skills in scientific understanding and evaluation. 

Phase 2 is largely spent in a hospital and community setting and consists of a period of junior and senior rotations which last 7 weeks each as follows:

 

 

In the final year students go on to take their Finals, a 6 week elective and the foundation year preparation course.

 

During Phase 2 there are four 3-week SSCs which are attachments in subjects of the student’s choice. These would usually consist of attachments with the medical and surgical specialties in any of the Leicester teaching hospitals and offers a wide range of options. The aim is to allow students to follow a subject of particular interest and develop experience in a specialty which they may like to pursue when qualified. There are also opportunities to do audits and research projects.

In Phase 1, two written assessments are taken at the end of each semester. In addition there is an OSCE at the end of Phase 1.

 

In Phase 2 students will have to take an OSCE and a written paper in March of Year 3 (the Intermediate Professional Exam). Finals in March of Year 4 take the form of OSCE and written paper (the Final Professional Exam).

Anatomy teaching at Leicester is amongst the best of all medical schools in the country and is one of only a small handful which still allows students to perform full body dissection. Anatomy is predominantly taught during the pre-clinical years, but revisited frequently throughout the remainder of the programme. Typically students will work in small groups and cadaveric dissections will be delivered by senior anatomy lecturers and clinical demonstrators who are themselves, junior doctors who also teach. The advantage being that having only recently graduated themselves, understand exactly what the students need to learn and what will be clinical useful. Students in the 2^nd Year can choose an anatomy SSM if they have a special interest in the subject.

 

There are a variety of approaches at Leicester including a significant amount of lecture based teaching delivered in new high-tech lecture theatres with full range of audio-visual facilities.  In phase 1 of the programme, students will receive a total of 20 hours of lectures in a week.  Students will also work on structured, clinically related problems to build on the themes covered in the lectures in small groups. This is not a PBL course.

 

Students must take a minimum 6 week elective period following their finals from mid-April until the end of May. Students are expected to develop their own project on a medical topic in a setting of their choice and there is no limitation on location. Students must prepare a maximum 2,000 word report which reflects on their experiences and what they learned from them.