A level 3 A Levels grade AAA including Chemistry and/or Biology at A or AS level. If only one of Biology and/or Chemistry is offered at A or AS level, the other should be offered at GCSE grade A. General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded. Newcastle medical school will only accept candidates who have been successful in achieving these grades in their first sitting, although very exceptional circumstances may be considered.
Scottish Highers AAAAA at Higher Grade including Chemistry and/or Biology.
International Baccalaureate A minimum score of 38 points including grade 5 in all subjects with Higher level grade 6 in Chemistry or Biology. Combinations including two Sciences, Maths and English are desirable.
Newcastle medical school states their selection process considers other factors as well as academic achievements, in particular personal qualities such as motivation, enthusiasm, dedication, industry and empathy. Newcastle is also known to prefer candidates who are able to reflect on what they have done, what they have learnt from it and how they can improve from it, including reflection of commitment to care for others and a demonstrable insight into a career in medicine. They expect to see evidence of these qualities and your ability to reflect in the personal statement. Work experience within a caring environment is essential as well as good communication skills and involvement in extra-curricular activities. Newcastle medical school also welcomes applications from students planning to take a Gap year, which indicates that they are keen to take well-rounded individuals with a range of experiences beyond academic school life.
Applicants will be selected for interview based on their application, including personal statement and UKCAT score.
The 30-minute interview is conducted by two selectors who are drawn from a pool containing university academic and administrative staff, clinicians and lay persons. The focus of the interview will be on your personal statement and being able to provide examples to illustrate your personal qualities and achievements. You can also expect to be asked to answer an ethical scenario. Generally, interviews for Newcastle medical school as considered to be fairly friendly and relaxed.
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Studying at Newcastle is popular because it's a very centrally located University, right in the centre of Newcastle. Newcastle itself is culturally diverse and students benefit from an affordable cost of living and wide variety of things to do and activities, clubs and societies to get involved in.
Newcastle medical school offers a broad-based curriculum which provides an all-round general medical education for all types of doctor. Students will experience patient contact in general practice and hospital settings from the very start of their course.
Medicine has been taught at Newcastle since 1834 and so the medical school is well established. Working closely with Durham University and the Northern Region NHS with a large and diverse patient population, Newcastle medical school affords students excellent clinical training opportunities through its network of acute hospitals, general practices and public health units.
Students can elect to study the first two years at either Newcastle University or the Queen’s Campus Stockton at Durham University. Then from Year 3 onwards, students from both campuses are integrated for their clinical training.
The University of Newcastle medical school undergraduate course is 5 years duration and consists of the following:
There are some differences of emphasis between the course at Newcastle and Durham, but they will ultimately share the same outcome. The first two years of the course deals with normal and abnormal structure, function and behaviour. Students will come into contact with patients from the very beginning of the course through three channels:
Topics covered in Years 1 & 2: Medicine in the community; clinical sciences; investigative medicine; nutrition; metabolism & endocrinology; cardiovascular, respiratory & renal medicine; thought, senses & movement; life cycle and personal & professional development (ethical reasoning, methods of enquiry, clinical reasoning and looking after yourself)
These topics are lecture based (this is not a PBL course) and taught using a series of 20 scenario-based case studies, such as: ‘a young woman from Africa’, ‘a woman with weight loss and tiredness’, ‘a man who couldn’t finish lunch’.
There are no Student Selected Components (SSCs) in Year 1. The SSC in Year 2 comprises a 3,000 word written assignment where students undertake a literature review on a topic of their choice.
Students now come together for the remaining three years and will be allocated to, and based in, one of the four clinical base units within the region: Northumbria, Tyne, Wear and Tees. Each contains acute hospitals, general practices and other community-based services such as public health in which students will gain experience.
Topics covered in Year 3 Students undertake an initial introduction to clinical practice for 15 weeks in Year 3, in which they learn to take a history and perform an examination. This is followed by three 8-week junior rotations which focus on the following specialities: reproductive & child health; chronic illness; disability and rehabilitation; mental health; public health and infectious diseases. Students will also spend half a day a week in general practice.
Topics covered in Year 4 This begins with a 12-week module in clinical sciences and investigative medicine, focusing on the theory which underpins clinical practice, the investigation and diagnosis of human disease, clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. This is followed by three SSC period of 6 weeks where students may select three topics from a range of over 1,000 hospital-based clinical or non-clinical components one of which must include an audit or research topic. At least 2 of the chosen SSCs must be clinical selections.
Topics covered in Year 5 The final year comprises senior rotations in primary care, mental health, women’s and children’s health, community care and hospital-based practice which include surgical rotations and preparation for life on the wards.
Anatomy is a key feature of the curriculum in Years 1 & 2 using cadaveric prosections, where dissections have been pre-prepared. The facilities in the modern anatomy and clinical skills centre. Students can watch dissections via instructional video screens. The dissection room may be booked at any time and specimens can be prepared to assist in revision.
Progress through the course is assessed in a number of different ways, with equal emphasis on in-course assessment and end of year exams. During Year 3 there are OSCE exams and written papers. In Year 4 there are two written papers and students are expected to give an oral presentation and to prepare a poster, with assessment based on presentation and critical appraisal skills. Finals occur in the Summer of Year 5 and consist of two written papers, an OSCE and a multiple long case examination. The failure rate is low.
Students take an 8 week elective at the end of Year 4. Many students take the opportunity to go abroad and popular destinations are Africa, India, the Antipodes or the Americas.
It is possible for students at Newcastle to intercalate into a BSc degree for one year, after Year 2. Subject available include:
Alternatively Master of Research or MPhil qualifications are available after Year 3 or 4 in subjects such as clinical education, health sciences and medical genetics and selected students may extend their intercalation to follow a PhD, which would add three years to their overall programme.
The information on this page is correct as of August 2010
