University of East Anglia Medical School (UEA) – 6 year course undergraduate entry

5 Year standard course

6 Year course (with Foundation Year)

Factfile at a glance

How to apply:	Applications to the 6-year course (with Foundation Year) should also be submitted through UCAS (code A104)
Duration:	6 years (with a Foundation Year)
Entry requirements:	A levels – BCC IB – 29 points
Entrance exam:	UKCAT
Places available for 2011:	25 (UK) no international places
Interview:	60-70
Male/female ratio:	38:62
Interview period:	Interviews in March. OSCE style interview with 3 'stations' of 10 minutes each. The interview lasts approximately 35 minutes.
Degree awarded:	MBBS
Contact:	For full details go to our Medical School Contact Details page
Open days:	26 June, 2 July, 2 October 2010

Entry requirements

A level

Typical offer for A level is BCC, with 5 GCSEs at grade C or above which include Maths and a Science subject at grade B.

International Baccalaureate

29 points.

The 6 year course is new and designed as part of the widening access programme, encouraging applicants who have not yet met their full potential at school and who may not have a family background of studying in higher education, particularly for those who live in East Anglia.

Students for this course must be able to demonstrate a strong commitment to a career in medicine and will have recently taken A levels or equivalent in non-science subjects, or recently studied relevant science subjects to A level but didn’t achieve the required grades for direct entry into the 5 year course.

The application process

All applications are ranked according to their UKCAT score, with particular emphasis paid to their references and personal statement. Then applications are screened by two academics independently of one another. The screeners are looking for specific evidence of:

Capacity for self-directed learning
Capacity to work effectively in groups and with colleagues
Capacity to take responsibility
Motivation
Personal effectiveness

Each area can achieve a maximum of 3 points from each of the screeners, giving a possible total of 30 from both. Scores are then standardised and ranked. The top 60-70 applicants (based on UKCAT score and screening score) are invited for interview.

The top 60-70 applicants (based on UKCAT score and screening score) are invited for interview.

The interview is similar to the one for the 5 year course, but with 3 OSCE style stations of 10 minutes each to circulate round. Outside each station 'booth' is a piece of paper giving candidates the first question in the station, then they will meet the individual interviewer who will ask additional questions based on their response to the first. Interview panel members consist of academic/lecturing staff and clinicians. The questions at each of the stations are designed to find evidence of the following criteria:

Capacity to thrive in the UEA curriculum
An acceptable approach to decision making when given incomplete or conflicting information
A caring and supportive attitude towards peers
A high level of determination towards a medical career
Evidence of personal effectiveness
Candidates’ suitability for the course

The UKCAT exam is required for entry onto the 6 year course. UEA medical school does not set a minimum score for the UKCAT entry exam. UKCAT scores are considered alongside academic achievements and the personal statement and a low score will not automatically rule a candidate out from consideration if the rest of their application is strong.

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Why UEA?

UEA is a highly acclaimed University, based in a beautiful city with high rates of student satisfaction. UEA medical school offers a relatively new degree programme which first started in 2003 and offers a modern, integrated patient-focused approach to studying medicine, rather than by individual disciplines or specialties.

Students get regular patient contact from the very beginning of their course with one day a week in a GP practice from the first week and about 4 weeks per module unit in a hospital setting. The medical school benefits from a network of nearby teaching hospitals:

Norfolk & Norwich (NNUH)
James Paget in Great Yarmouth
Queen Elizabeth (Kings Lynn)

All teaching is structured through problem-based learning (PBL) which is delivered through lectures, seminars, whole class discussion, group sessions and self-directed learning.

Course overview

Students on the 6 year course at UEA will, in their foundation year, study basic sciences to enable them to go on to the full medical degree course and will be introduced to the application of basic and social sciences in healthcare.

Topics covered in the foundation year

Semester 1 – introductory Biology, Chemistry, Physics & Maths
Semester 2 – further Biology, introduction to Issues in Healthcare (using PBL) and advanced optional unit

Students must pass their foundation year exam in May with a mark of 60%+ in order to join Year 1 of the MBBS medical degree course.

Years 1 & 2 (pre-clinical)

The first year really introduces the course and includes some psycho-social elements as well as basic sciences. Year 2 moves more into the study of medicine.

Topics covered

Year 1:

Being a patient, being a doctor (15 weeks)
Locomotion (15 weeks)

Year 2:

Blood & skin (12 weeks)
Circulation (12 weeks)
Respiration (12 weeks)

SSSs (Student Selected Study) are integrated into the programme with weekly support lectures and time for independent study. In the first two years, students choose topics on subjects of personal interest or from a list provided by the medical school on topics in biochemistry, pathology, physiology, sociology, ethics, philosophy, epidemiology, law psychology, immunology & infection and anatomy. They must prepare a 10 minute presentation with 5 minutes for Q&As for each topic.

In the first two years, students must also prepare 4 analytical reviews on various research papers given to them. They must analyse and critique the papers and write a report of 2,000 words.

Years 3-5 (clinical)

Topics covered in Year 3

Year 3 is largely considered to be the hardest year covering gastroenterology, renal, urology, endocrinology, neurology, ophthalmology and ENT in the following blocks:

Homeostasis & hormones (12 weeks)
The senses (12 weeks)
Digestion & nutrition (12 weeks)

Topics covered in Year 4

Year 4 covers paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology in the following units, before finishing at the end of May to go on to do an 8-week elective:

Reproduction (14 weeks)
Growth and development (14 weeks)
Elective (8 weeks)

Years 3 & 4 also include a compulsory Study Outside Medicine (SOM) course on topics ranging from philosophy, archaeology, British sign language, history of art to jazz amongst others. The SOM may be assessed differently depending on the subject matter, but usually includes a 2000 word essay.

Topics covered in Year 5

By Year 5 students are spending 1 day a week in a GP practice, 2 days in secondary care, 1 day of PBL and lectures and 1 day for research. Emergency medicine (including anaesthetics and ITU) and psychiatry are covered in the following blocks:

The mind (14 weeks)
Emergency care (14 weeks)

At the end of the year, students will spend a period of time shadowing an F1 to help in the transitionary period after graduation.

Students in Years 4 & 5 are also required to undertake a research project which they will have had the opportunity to develop for themselves and may be either clinical or laboratory based. This is assessed by a 5000 word project report.

Examinations

Progress through the course is assessed using OSCE exams which usually take place after each block or unit and a further end of year OSCE where all subjects covered are examined. Advance notice papers are end of year written exams in the form of EMQs and SAQs (with the latter based on 3 out of 6 scenarios provided about a week before the exam), which test understanding of all subjects covered.

Anatomy

Anatomy is taught by lectures from the Head Anatomist and by laboratory-based SSS modules where group members receive training by anatomy tutors using cadaverous dissection or specific areas which are to be presented the following week to their PBL group. The anatomy lab facilities were updated in 2008 and have made a tremendous improvement. Use of TV screens also helps ensure everyone can easily see dissected demonstrations by the anatomists.

Teaching

At UEA medical school, the emphasis is on teaching through PBL in group work and in self-study. Each week will begin with a lecture for all the students which will relate to the week’s ‘topic’. The topic introduces students to the problem on which they will focus for that week. The problem is usually, but not always, a clinical one. Students are split into groups of 10 students with each facilitated by a PBL tutor. In their groups, students will decide how to tackle the problem and each group member will have objectives set for the week. They will be given learning outcomes which must be achieved. All lectures and seminars through the week are linked to the topic and will cover most of the learning outcomes required. Time for Independent study is also set aside each week. At the end of the week the group will meet with their PBL tutor to share what they have learnt and relate it to the learning outcomes from the beginning of the week, joining into a larger group session for final feedback and to share experiences across all the groups.

Weekly attachments in GP surgeries and some secondary care placements supplement the learning experience by integrating clinical information acquired through patient contact.

Electives

Students take an 8 week elective at the end of Year 4. There is no limitation on location and students may take the opportunity to go abroad if they wish. When they return, students must participate in the annual elective evening in the form of a presentation/post on their experience.

Intercalation

It is possible for students ranked in the top 2 quartiles at UEA to intercalate after Year 4 to study clinical education (MClinEd) or health research (MRes).

The pros & cons of studying medicine at UAE

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
Lots of patient contact from week 1	Still a relatively new course and so hasn’t developed the same reputation as other medical schools
Small intake of medical school students means you get to know everyone in your year	Some placements may involve a fair amount of travel
The medical school is ‘young’ and keen to build a reputation

The information on this page is correct as of August 2010