Leicester Medical School Applications to Medical School Joe Esland Medical Student, Leicester...

Leicester Medical School

Applications to Medical School

Joe EslandMedical Student, Leicester Medical School

Academic Representative L5 2009


Overview• Choosing Medical Schools

• Course Type:• Traditional• PBL • Mixed

• Other factors

• The Application• Parts• Personal Statement – Content, Do’s & Don’ts • ‘Back-Up’ Option

• Entrance Exams – UKCAT & BMAT• Useful Resources


Traditional Courses• Oxbridge (Nottingham)• Very distinct pre-clinical & clinical phases• Often lecture-based• Supplemented by tutorials and seminars

• Starting meeting patients in clinical years• Excellent for those hoping to pursue a career in academic medicine


Traditional Courses – Pro’s and Con’s• Pro’s:

• Large focus on the scientific basis of disease

• Graduates are academically very able

•Con’s:• Very little pt. contact in the 1st few years• ? Less focus on the ‘art’ of medicine


Problem-Based Learning (PBL)• Pioneered by Liverpool Medical School (in UK). There are now many PBL schools (later slide)• Assigned to a group of ~10 people, whom you will work with over the next 2 years

• 2 week rotations which begin with a clinical scenario

• Assisted by a tutor, your group decides what you need to learn about this, in order to understand it.

• Meet with your group 2-3 times over the 2 week period – pool ideas and make sure you understand the content

• Little or no mandatory lectures• Meet patients very early on


PBL – Pro’s and Con’s• Pro’s:• You learn at your own pace• Go into as much detail as you like• Begin clinical practice early

• Con’s• ‘Gaps’ in your knowledge• Can learn incorrect/irrelevant knowledge

Have to be self motivated to learn


Mixed Courses

NOT a mix of PBL and Traditional!

• Lecture-based learning, with (fairly) early patient contact• Most medical schools: all vary slightly


Mixed Courses - LMS• Modules run side by side i.e Monday – Membranes & Receptors, Tuesday – Musculoskeletal System, Wednesday – Cardiovascular System etc• Days begin with 2/3 hours of lectures• Then go and apply that knowledge in Group Work

• Clinical scenarios set out to allow you to use learnt knowledge as you will when you’re a doctor

• Evenings are for directed study (you’re told what to go away and learn)• 1-2 afternoons per week are doing Clinical Skills or other activities• Assigned a pt. in year 1; begin on wards half way through year 2. Clinical years = year 3.5-5 (i.e 2.5 years)


List of Medical Schools & Their Course Type

• PBL:• Barts and The London (Queen Mary)• UEA• HYMS• Keele• Liverpool• Manchester• Peninsula (Exeter & Plymouth)• Edinburgh• Glasgow



• Traditional:• Oxbridge• (Nottingham)

• Mixed:• Birmingham• Bristol• BSMS• Durham• Imperial College London• Guys, Kings’ and St Thomas’ (Kings College

London)



• Mixed:• Leeds• Leicester• Newcastle• Royal Free & University College (UCL)• Sheffield• Southampton• St. Georges• Warwick• Aberdeen• Bute (St. Andrews)



• Mixed:• Dundee• Cardiff• Swansea• Queens’ Belfast


Notes on Specific Medical Schools• Oxbridge

• Students often go elsewhere for their clinical years: London schools

• Bute• Only does pre-clinical medicine: students go to Manchester

or Scottish schools for their clinical training

• Swansea & Warwick• Offer post-graduate courses only

• St Georges• Based in a hospital

• Southampton• Don’t interview


Applying to ‘New’ Medical Schools

They aren’t easier to get intoWhy?

They aren’t ‘worse’

However, still be wary when applying to them


Which Medical Schools to Apply to?• Course type

• How do you learn?

• Location• Do you actually want to live in the city?

• Clinical exposure & teaching• Length• Size of teaching groups

• (Reputation)• Teaching quality – Guardian and Independent• Research quality - Times

• What the university has to offer• BE REALISTIC


The Application - Parts• Academic Requirements:

• 3 A’s at A-level – Usually Chemistry, Biology and any other.

• Good range of GCSEs (some places stipulate a minimum requirement though)

• Personal Statement• The most important document you’ll write!

• Reference• UKCAT


Personal Statement• The most important part of your application!• Trying to convince them of your suitability and commitment to medicine• Need to stand out• Needs to be well written – there is a lot to fit into it!• Don’t be cliché:

• “Since I was a child”• “I’m caring and I want to save lives”

• Try not to sound pretentious:• “I undertook a placement to develop my bedside

manner”• “Autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and

justice…”


Personal Statement - Content

• Desirable Activities:• Scholastic activities – reading, debating• Community activities – participation in school

life and experience outside of your immediate environment

• General activities & interests – music, sport, first aid

• Work shadowing/experience• To show you have a realistic appreciation of the

career

• Paid or voluntary work• To show you can interact with people…



• Qualities to show:• Commitment to medicine• Realistic view of the course• Appreciation of the academic, physical &

emotional demands of the career• Good communication skills• Work successfully in a team

• Be REFLECTIVE on your experiences • Use your activities and achievements to

highlight why you should get the place (example later)



• Your Personal Statement should answer two questions for the reader:

What makes this applicant stand out?

Should this applicant get the place over somebody else?


Personal Statement – Key Terms

• In addition to• As well as• Reinforce(d)• Strengthen• Furthermore• Besides• More recently• Enabled me to• Provided me with• Opportunity to


Personal Statement – Using ‘I’

• Where possible, avoid starting a sentence with ‘I’; it’s boring to read. • For example:

• “I am the captain of the football team”• “Being the captain of the football team…”

• “I am doing A-levels in…”• “Having studied A-levels in…”

• “I have gained a number of skills…”• “The skills I have gained from…”


Personal Statement – Example

• “I have done work experience in a hospital nearby, and I’ve definitely seen how hard it is to be a doctor”• No reflection• ‘Hard’? What do you mean?

• “In addition to working in a hospital, I also did the Silver DoE award, showing that I can overcome difficult challenges”• This is not too bad – it shows a quality• Doesn’t relate explicitly to practicing

medicine


Personal Statement – Example

“Having undertaken a placement in my local hospital I gained a valuable insight into the everyday challenges that a doctor faces. Some of the stories I learnt of and experienced whilst there I will not forget, and they have proven to me how demanding the career can be: both academically and emotionally. However, I now feel well prepared for the encounters that I may face in the future and, coupled with the physical endurance I’ve gained from doing the Silver DoE award, I believe I now contain many essential qualities of a modern physician.”


Reference

• Unfortunately you don’t get to read this. (Although if you ask nicely, there are a few teachers that let you…)• A document written by your teacher, which confirms your skills & attributes, and suitability for medicine


Entrance Exams - UKCAT

• Supposed to assess your intrinsic ability to be a clinician• Very difficult to revise for; this is the point of it!• Best approach:

• Familiarise yourself with the parts• Do the practice papers online• Know the timing• It is not negatively marked, so if you’re running

out of time RANDOMLY CLICK ANSWERS FOR THE REMAIN QUESTIONS

• Must have registered by 27th September• How it’s used - varies


Entrance Exams - BMAT

• Currently used by• Oxford• Cambridge• Imperial College London• Royal Free and University College (UCL)

• 2 hour pen and paper exam, consisting of 3 parts• http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/bmat

http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/bmat

http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/bmat


15th October 2010

Deadline for Medicine Applications


Interviews

• All Medical Schools interview (apart from Southampton)• Invited by letter • Usually in two batches

• October – December • January – March

• All vary – use website from penultimate slide to find out their content•I’ll be back next academic year to give ‘mock’ interviews, with Mr George.


Didn’t Get In?

It happens to a lot of applicants – don’t be disheartened.

• Remember, on average, only 1 out of 10 applicants are offered a place, and everyone is as good as you are. It’s tough competition!• You can do 1 of 2 things:

• Gap year – go a broaden your experience• Go and do a different degree first (only if you

want to, and have the financial support to study on the GEPs)


Resources

www.newmediamedicine.comForums for every medical school – can get information to

help with your application, and excellent for interview preparation

www.medschools.ac.ukLists all UK medical schools.

http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/index.php?pageid=78

Summary of requirement for all UK medical schools

http://www.newmediamedicine.com/

http://www.medschools.ac.uk/




Questions?

Anything you’d rather not ask the teachers…

[email protected]: JoeE

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Leicester Medical School Applications to Medical School Joe Esland Medical Student, Leicester...

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