University of Manchester Medical School – 6 year undergraduate entry

5 Year standard course

6 Year course (with Foundation Year)

Factfile at a glance

How to apply:	Applications for admission to Manchester medical school for the 6-year course (with Foundation Year) should be submitted through UCAS (code A104).
Duration:	6 years (with Foundation Year)
Entry requirements:	A levels – ABB IB – 33 points
Entrance exam:	UKCAT
Places available for 2011:	20
Offers:	end March
Male/female ratio:	40:60
Interview period:	November - March. 60 minute interview in two parts: 1) 30 minute group discussion 2) 30 minute individual interview with 3 interviewers
Degree awarded:	MBChM
Contact:	For full details go to our Medical School Contact Details page
Open days:	18 & 19 June and 2 October 2010

Entry requirements

A level

Typical offer for A level is ABB in one of the following combinations:

3 rigorous arts/humanities subjects
2 rigorous arts/humanities subjects and 1 science
1 rigorous arts/humanities subject and 2 science

Scottish Highers

AAABB. Maths, Physics, Chemistry or Biology not taken at Higher or Advanced Higher must have been taken at standard credit or Intermediate II level.

International Baccalaureate

33 points with Higher Level 6, 6, 5 and Standard Level 6, 5, 5. Acceptable HLs include:

3 arts
2 arts and 1 science
1 art and 2 science (no chemistry)

The Foundation year is designed to prepare students from diverse educational backgrounds for entry to the standard 5 year programme, if they do not possess the necessary science qualifications for direct entry into the 5 year MBChB but have achieved good A level grades in other subjects.

The application process

All applications undergo a pre-interview screening to ensure they meet the minimum academic and personal attribute requirements of Manchester Medical School. Particular attention is given to the personal statement and reference as well as the UKCAT score. Candidates applications are expected to demonstrate the following criteria:

Reasons for choosing medicine
Details of work experience in a caring role – not necessarily medially related
Interests and hobbies – which demonstrate a well-rounded, balanced individual who is able to cope with stress
Insight into the medical profession
Evidence of teamworking
Good communication skills
Determination and conscientiousness
Intellectual potential

Applications are then be ranked by total UKCAT score. The UKCAT threshold varies each year depending on the number of applications and their UKCAT scores. In 2009, Manchester interviewed candidates with UKCAT scores between 1990 and 3160, with the majority of applicants achieving 2580 or above.

Shortlisted candidates will be called for interview. Some interviews are held overseas and some by video link. Candidates who are unsuccessful in being called for interview will be notified by mid-January. No offers are made without an interview.

Manchester medical school interviews are formal but friendly. Applicants can expect the interviewers to be practising clinicians. The interview will be held in two parts:

Groups of approximately 9 applicants will undertake a group task. They will be given a prioritisation task, such as “which five of the following 10 patients in renal failure would you select for a kidney transplants?” 10 minutes are allocated to individual thought and the remaining 20 minutes to group discussion and trying to reach a consensus. Three interviewers will be observing and assessing candidates’ team working skills.
In the 2^nd part of the interview, candidates will each have a 30 minutes one-to-one ‘mini’ interview at three separate stations. At one they will be asked to reflect on the group discussion, at a second to talk about why they have applied to study medicine and at the third to discuss other wider issues. The interviewers will have copies of the applicants’ personal statements.

The interviewers will each complete an assessment form and these are collated centrally by the admissions office, following which conditional offers are sent to successful candidates.

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Why Manchester?

Manchester is a world-renowned University and one of the largest in Europe, renowned for its rich history, teaching, research and academic record. The University is modern and dynamic with a culturally and ethnically diverse student population.

Students on the MBChB have the opportunity to enrol onto the European Studies option in the first semester of Year 1 under an ERASMUS scheme. Students need to have linguistic ability to A level standard in French, German or Spanish, which would be maintained by weekly 2 hour tutorials from Years 1 to 4. In Year 5, students would have the opportunity to undertake a 16 week placement in one of Manchester’s European partner Universities:

University of Lausanne, Switzerland
University of Rennes
Faculty of Medicine Xavier Bichat
Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris
University Claude Bernard 1, Lyon
University of Nantes
University of Saarland, Hamburg
Medical University of Hannover
Charité Medical University, Berlin
Autonoma University of Madrid
University of Granada
Complutense University of Madrid

Manchester medical school works with a network of 300 GP practices, 25 District General Hospitals and the following four teaching hospitals to deliver its MBChM programme:

Central Manchester & Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust

Course overview

Foundation year

Students on the 6 year course at Manchester medical school will, in their foundation year, study basic biomedical sciences such as Chemistry, Human Biology and Statistics to enable them to go on to the full medical degree course. Upon satisfactory completion of the Foundation programme, students will automatically join Year 1 of the MBChB degree course.

5 year course

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

Years 1 & 2 (pre-clinical)

Year 1 is designed to prepare students to learn about medicine and provide them with the behavioural, social, clinical and biological science principles underpinning medicine and the provision of healthcare. Students will have the opportunity to undertake clinical activities in hospital and community settings to support their learning. Students will also familiarise themselves with the PBL learning style of the programme.

In Year 2 there is an increase in the amount of clinical content with some teaching taking place in one of the four main teaching hospitals and community placements.

Topics covered in Year 1

Reproductive system, genetics, immunology, life cycle, cardio respiratory, Introduction to PBL.

A 2 week SSC gives students the opportunity to undertake a literature review and research an area of interest using medical journals.

Topics covered in Year 2

Nervous system, musculoskeletal, digestion, nutrition, metabolism, renal and hepatic systems

In Year 2, the SSC is a group poster presentation research any disease covered in that year.

Years 3-5 (clinical)

From Year 3 onwards, students are assigned to one of the four major teaching hospitals in the area and in addition they will also spend periods of time at one of a number of district general hospitals and in GP surgeries. The focus of the year is on acquiring and developing key diagnostic skills and in applying the principles of medical science in the clinical environment.

By the end of the 4^th Year, students will have spent time in all the major specialities.

Topics covered in Year 3

Heart & lung, nutrition, metabolism and endocrine

Topics covered in Year 4

Mind & movement, reproduction and child care

There are four 4-week SSCs in Years 3 and 4 which can be used for audit and research purposes. Students are assessed on their performance and on their submitted report. At the end of Year 4, students also have the option to undertake a 3 month research project in any field of interest.

Topics covered in Year 5

In Year 5 students will be expected to evaluate and respond to increasingly complex and uncertain clinical situations, learning almost entirely from patients. Students may choose their attachments and set their own learning objectives. Students will integrate into clinical teams in GP surgeries, community paediatrics and community psychiatry, running consulting sessions and seeing patients independently. Placements in hospital settings allow students to focus on areas of particular interest while continuing to develop skills in clinical teams working alongside Foundation doctors. The 8 week elective will also take place during Year 5.

Examination and assessments

Progress through the course is assessed using a variety of methods including OSCEs, written assignments (MCQs & EMQs) and projects, multiple-choice and extended matching questions and performance in clinical and community placements. In Years 1 to 4, most formal exams are held at the end of each semester in the form of MCQs and EMQs. Finals are held at the end of the second semester.

Anatomy

Manchester medical school has excellent anatomy facilities, offering whole body dissection and a dedicated team of teaching fellows in anatomy alongside traditional lecturers and professors, to deliver anatomy teaching.

Anatomy teaching takes place in PBL groups of 12 students and each session usually involves the use of resources such as cadaveric dissection, prosections, skeletons and prosthetic models.

Teaching

The Manchester medical school curriculum is taught using PBL. Students work in small groups to study clinical situations and use these cases to guide them towards relevant theoretical and practical learning. Each case is studied for one week, with two or three group sessions devoted to it. The emphasis is on student-led learning (through interactive group session, rather than through lectures) and self-directed learning with the use of computer-assisted teaching resources. The teaching hospitals all have clinical skills laboratories allowing students to develop clinical skills through simulation.

Electives

Students take an 8 week elective during Year 5. There is no limitation on location and students may take the opportunity to go abroad if they wish. When they return, students must produce a report on their experiences.

Intercalation

Students may choose to take an intercalated degree after Years 2, 3 or 4 to complete a BSc (hons). Students may intercalate externally at another institution, but only if a subject is not offered at Manchester. There are a wide number of relevant BSc programmes which are allied to medical programmes. It is also possible to take one of two Masters programmes after Year 4 or 5 of the MBChB. The School offers a Masters of Public Health degree as a distance-learning programme. A Masters in Research is particularly suitable for students who are interested in a career in academic medicine. The following BSc/Masters degrees are currently available at the Manchester:

Anatomical sciences
Biochemistry
Biomedical sciences
Cell biology
Health care ethics and law
History of medicine
Medical biochemistry
Neuroscience
Pharmacology
Pharmacology and physiology
Physiology
Psychology
Masters in research
Masters of public health

The pros & cons of studying medicine at Manchester

Good points	Not so good points
PBL (great if it’s a teaching method that works for you)	If you are lucky to be in a good PBL group great, otherwise if you are in a group that doesn’t work well together then you could be in for a difficult year
The opportunity to study in Europe through the ERASMUS scheme	Very large year groups which means it’s difficult to get to know everyone
Early patient contact
Excellent anatomy teaching including full body dissection

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010