Program Overview

Overview of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London brings together two venerable teaching institutions: St Bartholomew’s Hospital, which dates back to 1123, and The London Hospital Medical College, which was the first purpose-built medical school in England and Wales, founded in 1785. The hospitals lie in two very different parts of London, the City and the East End, exposing students to a greater diversity of people and their health problems than at almost any other medical and dental school in the UK.

Why Study at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry?

Students are taught by experts in their field who are passionately engaged with their subject. The programme places considerable emphasis on developing expertise in a whole range of practical areas, including clinical, communication, observation, team work, and management skills. The traditional divide between pre-clinical studies and clinical years has been eliminated, allowing students to start seeing patients from the very first term.

Medicine

Studying medicine is about much more than just getting an MBBS degree and becoming a doctor. Medicine is a vocation and a way of life. It’s about thinking of others and putting patients first. The five-year programme leading to Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery is designed to give students appropriate knowledge and understanding of medical, scientific, and clinical principles so that they are able to apply them to the prevention, cure, and alleviation of disease.

Key Features of the Curriculum

• Practical approach – students study integrated modules relating to the body systems, for example, cardiovascular, respiratory, etc.
• Early clinical experience – students will meet their first patient in their first term.
• Wide-ranging clinical experience in hospitals in London and the South East – from Year 3, students will undertake a range of clinical and GP attachments.
• Emphasis on communication skills throughout the programme.
• Wide choice of Student Selected Components each year where students can follow their own interests, for example: Basic Sciences (Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology), to clinical specialisms, community and public health, ethics, and law.

Teaching and Learning

With support from tutors, students are encouraged to develop an independent attitude to learning. This approach prepares them well for life as a qualified doctor. Important features of the teaching include:

• Lectures
• Problem-Based Learning (PBL) – this is a central element of the medical curriculum.
• Practical sessions – these take place in laboratories, IT labs, clinical skills labs, and/or wards.
• Communication skills – practical training in interviewing techniques with special sessions devoted to communication between doctors or dentists and their patients.
• Project work will bring students into contact with the local community.
• E-learning – this allows students to have access to a large amount of teaching material via the university online environment.

Assessment

The pattern of assessment is a combination of continuous assessment and regular examinations throughout the programme, with final exams each year. A scheme of merits and distinctions rewards excellent or outstanding performance across each sector of the curriculum.

• Continuous assessment provides students with regular opportunities to consolidate their learning.
• End-of-year examinations measure progression through the core curriculum and use a range of innovative assessment methods.
• Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are used from the first year of the programme to assess competence in clinical, communication, and practical skills.
• Formative assessment workshops and informal feedback in small group teaching sessions help students develop their knowledge, personal, and group skills throughout the programme.

Student Support

The university has a highly developed network for pastoral and academic support. This network is a vital resource for medical students, who take much of the responsibility for their own learning during their challenging courses. At every stage, students will receive support from staff who are experienced in helping and advising students.

Medical Licensing Assessment

The General Medical Council (GMC) has decided to introduce a Medical Licensing Assessment (the MLA) to demonstrate that those who obtain registration with a licence to practise medicine in the UK meet a common threshold for safe practice. Applicants should be aware that to obtain registration with a licence to practise, medical students will need to pass both parts of the MLA, pass university finals, and demonstrate their fitness to practise. The MLA will be in two parts: there will be a knowledge test, which will be set and run by the GMC, and an assessment, delivered by medical schools, that will evaluate students’ clinical and professional skills.