Medicine

At St George’s, we strive to ensure our admissions process is fair and transparent. In order to make sure every applicant is treated equally, we use a process based on objective measures. For example, while we take the time to read your personal statement, it is not formally assessed, or used to determine whether you will be invited for a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI).

The steps below outline our general admissions process and the way by which we determine which applicants will receive an offer to study Medicine MBBS / Graduate Entry Medicine at St George’s.

1. Each applicant that meets our academic entry criteria (see below) is ranked by their UCAT score for Medicine MBBS or by their GAMSAT score for Graduate Entry Medicine.
2. We have a set number of interview places available each year:
• we interview 800 – 1,000 applicants for our five-year Medicine programme;
• we interview 300 – 400 applicants for our four-year Graduate Entry Medicine programme.
3. Our UCAT/GAMSAT cut-off scores are determined by the number of available interviews. Interview places will be allocated to applicants who have the highest UCAT/GAMSAT scores until all of our available interview places are filled.
4. If, as a result of the number of MMIs we plan to offer, the cut-off score falls at a point where a group of applicants have achieved the same UCAT/GAMSAT score, we may increase or reduce the number of MMIs we conduct to accommodate all applicants who have received that score. This means that all eligible applicants with the same UCAT/GAMSAT score are considered equally.
5. You will then be invited to attend an MMI which is a values-based recruitment process and reinforces objectivity.
6. Once all of our interviews are conducted, we rank MMI scores and the highest performing applicants are made an offer to study Medicine at St George’s.

Additional information

UCAT results are used to select students invited to interview and may be used to rank a post-interview waiting list.

UCAT scores do not need to be included on your UCAS application as we will be informed of your scores directly by Pearsons and UCAS. Please ensure that the name you use to register for UCAT is the same as that used on your UCAS form so results can be matched. We will also be informed of applicants who are exempt from the test or subject to special arrangements.

For reference purposes, we have provided the 2021 UCAT cut off scores, as well as the overall scores we have required in previous years, on our Admissions Statistics page.

• Registration opens: 4 May 2020
• Testing begins: 1 July 2020
• Registration and online booking closes: 22 September 2020 at midday
• Final booking deadline: 5 October 2020 at midday
• Last testing date: 6 October 2020
• UCAS application deadline: 15 October 2020

Test preparation

UCAT has developed practice tests and a toolkit to support your test preparation.

View the information on the UCAT Candidate Preparation Toolkit page.

Details of the exam and how to register to sit the test can be found on the UCAT website

We understand the challenges for our prospective applicants for medicine and allied health courses trying to gain work experience at this time, particularly in clinical settings.    

In response to the government’s social distancing guidelines, which have a significant impact on all areas of life, we have chosen to relax our work experience requirements for prospective applicants for our courses which would normally require these.    

Despite the relaxed requirements, we still require our applicants to have an understanding of the realities of working as a healthcare professional and to show they have the necessary skills and attributes for their chosen career. Online resources can give you valuable insight into working in the healthcare sector and outline the wide range of careers and courses available. You can find a number of suggested resources for each of our courses here. 

If you studied but did not complete Medicine at an alternative university and are re-applying on the basis of A Levels, please provide formal evidence as to why you withdrew when you apply, or before 1^st November in the year of application. Please email the team at: admissions@sgul.ac.uk . Applicants will be reviewed on a case by case basis. We are not able to consider applicants who were suspended from  previous study due to fitness to practice issues or failure in assessments/examinations.

Applicants who are currently enrolled on a degree, but are not in their final year, cannot be considered for this course. In order to be considered, these applicants can apply as a graduate, or withdraw from their degree, and apply with their previous qualifications. 

At St George’s, we strive to ensure our admissions process is fair and transparent. In order to make sure every applicant is treated equally, we use a process based on objective measures. For example, while we take the time to read your personal statement, it is not formally assessed, or used to determine whether you will be invited for a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI).

The steps below outline our general admissions process and the way by which we determine which applicants will receive an offer to study Medicine MBBS (5-year) at St George’s.

1. Each applicant that meets our entry criteria (see below) is ranked by their UCAT score. As we have graduate and overseas number caps on our Medicine MBBS (5-year) course, the below groups are ranked separately, and may be required to achieve different UCAT scores:

• Home non-graduates
• Overseas non-graduates
• Home graduates
• Overseas graduates

2. The number of interviews we run each year may vary. In previous years, we have interviewed approximately 750-950 applicants. Our UCAT cut-off scores are determined by the number of available interviews. Interview places will be allocated to applicants who have the highest UCAT scores within the groups above, until all of our available interview places are filled.
3. If, as a result of the number of MMIs we plan to offer, the cut-off score falls at a point where a number of applicants within the same group have achieved the same UCAT score, we may increase or reduce the number of MMIs we conduct to accommodate all applicants who have received that score. This means that all eligible applicants with the same UCAT score within each group are considered equally.
4. Applicants will then be invited to attend an MMI which is a values-based recruitment process and reinforces objectivity.
5. Once all of our interviews are conducted, we rank MMI scores and the highest performing applicants within each group are made an offer to study Medicine at St George’s.

If you are applying on the basis of A Levels, you must meet both the A Level and GCSE requirements below.

GCSEs

If you are applying on the basis of International Baccalaureate, you need to meet both our Higher Level and Standard Level requirements, as outlined below.

If you are applying on the basis of an Access Diploma, you must meet both the Access Diploma and GCSE requirements below.

GCSEs

If you are applying on the basis of a degree, you do not need to meet our GCSE or Level 3 (A Level) requirements.

OR

Funding options differ for graduates on an undergraduate degree. More information can be found from the Medical Schools Council.

Applicants who are currently enrolled on a degree, but are not in their final year, cannot be considered for this course. In order to be considered, these applicants can apply later as a graduate, or withdraw from their degree, and apply with their previous qualifications. 

We welcome applications from applicants around the world. For information on the requirements for your country, please visit our International Qualifications page.

If you would like to apply on the basis of a non-UK degree, please find the UK equivalent of your qualification(s) by visiting the UK NARIC website. Your qualification(s) will need to be equivalent to the University Degree requirements outlined above.

Additional information

UCAT results are used to select applicants invited to interview and may be used to rank a post-interview waiting list.

UCAT scores do not need to be included on your UCAS application as we will be informed of your scores directly by Pearson and UCAS. Please ensure that the name you use to register for UCAT is the same as that used on your UCAS form so results can be matched. We will receive any annotations UCAT include with your scores, however we are unfortunately unable to consider these as part of your application.

For reference purposes, we have provided the 2021 UCAT cut off scores, as well as the overall scores we have required in previous years, on our Admissions Statistics page.

Below are some key dates that you may find useful. These are correct as of February 2021, however please do check the UCAT website for the most up to date information.

• Registration opens: 2 June 2021
• Testing begins: 26 July 2021
• Registration and online booking closes: 22 September 2021 at midday
• Final booking deadline: 28 September 2021 at midday
• Last testing date: 29 September 2021
• UCAS application deadline: 15 October 2021

Test preparation

UCAT has developed practice tests and a toolkit to support your test preparation.

View the information on the UCAT Candidate Preparation Toolkit page.

Details of the exam and how to register to sit the test can be found on the UCAT website.

If you are applying from outside of the UK, you will need to meet the English language requirements outlined here. This is a group 1 course.

We understand the challenges for our prospective applicants for medicine and allied health courses trying to gain work experience at this time, particularly in clinical settings.    

In response to the government’s social distancing guidelines, which have a significant impact on all areas of life, we have chosen to relax our work experience requirements for prospective applicants for our courses which would normally require these.    

Despite the relaxed requirements, we still require our applicants to have an understanding of the realities of working as a healthcare professional and to show they have the necessary skills and attributes for their chosen career. Online resources can give you valuable insight into working in the healthcare sector and outline the wide range of careers and courses available. You can find a number of suggested resources for each of our courses here.

Should you receive an offer to study at St George’s, you will be required to complete a health check and be declared fit to study and practise by the Occupational Health (OH) department before you begin your studies.

The following vaccinations are mandatory for all healthcare students before you begin your studies:

• MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)
• Meningococcal meningitis
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Poliomyelitis
• Tetanus

As part of the process, you will also be screened by the OH team for Chickenpox, Tuberculosis, HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

When admitting candidates to study and practice as a health practitioner, we have an obligation to both patients and to the individual student. Candidates who are concerned about a health issue are advised to contact us.

This course will include work with children and vulnerable adults, so you will be required to submit a series of declarations.

If you are invited to an interview, we will request some additional information from you, regarding your criminal record, educational history and employment history. You will also have the opportunity to make any other declarations that you’d like us to be aware of. We may not able to consider applicants who were suspended from previous study/work due to fitness to practise issues or failure in assessments/examinations.

If you are made an offer, you will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. More information about this is sent to applicants as part of the admissions process.

If you studied but did not complete Medicine at an alternative university and are re-applying on the basis of your Level 3 (e.g. A Level) qualifications, please provide formal evidence as to why you withdrew when you apply, and no later than 1 November in the year of application. Please email the team ensuring you include your UCAS personal ID number and programme name in the subject line. Applicants will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

Typical year one clinical sciences learning week

• Behavioural Medicine

• Big Data in Biomedicine

• Biology of Cancer

• Biomedical Research Techniques for Drug Development

• Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases

• Cell and Molecular Biology

• Clinical Applications of Genomics

• Clinical Neuroscience

• Clinically Applied Musculoskeletal Anatomy

• Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine

• Development and Disease

• Genes and Gene Expression in Eukaryotic Cells

• Global Governance for Health

• Global Health and Comparative Health Systems

• Global Health Diseases

• Global Health Justice

• Human Medical Genetics

• Images of Anatomy

• Immunity and Infection

• Learning and Teaching: Student and Professional

• Medical Ethics and Law

• Neglected Tropical Diseases (subject to validation)

• Neuroscience of Sensation and Perception

• Personalised Medicine

• Pharmacology and Physiology of Drugs of Abuse

• Primary Care: Diversity and Complexity

• Psychology, Psychiatry and the Mind

• Science of Reproduction

• The Role of Biomedical Science in Contemporary Society

The extensive experience of our teaching team spans the full breadth of medical and surgical specialists, GPs, biomedical scientists and research scientists. For example, our transition year is led by an A&E consultant, the penultimate year by a renal and acute medicine physician, and final year by a urological surgeon.

Course Director Professor Hannah Cock is a consultant neurologist in the Atkinson Morley Regional Epilepsy Network, based at St George’s hospital. In addition to her educational roles, she has research interests in status epilepticus (prolonged uncontrolled seizures), the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, and improving services and care for people with epilepsy.

Our researchers are contributing to the University research focused on advancing the prevention and treatment of disease in the fields of population health, heart disease and infection – three of the greatest challenges to global health in the 21st century. Our focus on health and biosciences has recently been targeted at helping

 to understand the immunology, virology, and genetics of Covid-19 to inform advances in new diagnostics, new treatments and a vaccine. We are also influencing public health policy and providing evidence-based information and advice to frontline healthcare practitioners.

During the course, you’ll also have the opportunity to study alongside highly experienced clinicians and learn directly from junior doctors on the job, something our students particularly enjoy.

You will be assessed in three domains:

• Professional Skills: through objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE)

• Professional Knowledge: through Year-end specific knowledge tests (YSKT) in Years 3, 4 and 5

• Becoming a Doctor: through longitudinal professional assessment, attendance and case analysis projects.

Knowledge assessments during Years 1 and 2 occur at the end of each semester. Exams at the end of the first semesters of each year provide a formative opportunity to practise and get feedback on performance, prior to the summative end-of-year exams. Assessment methods include short answer questions, single best answer, clinical cases, for example, mini-CEX (Clinical Evaluation Exercise), direct observations of practical procedures (DOPS), and case based discussion (CBD).

At the end of Years 2, 3, 4 and 5, there is simulated clinical OSCE assessment, in which you perform a set of structured tasks, which can include practical procedures, interviewing skills and examination of patients. Your knowledge of anatomy is tested in the dissection room via the objective structured practical examination (OSPE), which incorporates both written and practical components.

Workplace supervision of tasks and activities during placement provides an opportunity to receive expert feedback, reflect on and discuss events and your own experiences in the real clinical environment. Together with attendance, behaviour, a personal and professional development portfolio, and variety of projects, this forms part of the Becoming a Doctor domain, which builds and assesses professional behaviour each year.

MBBS graduates who wish to undertake the UK foundation programme must pass the situational judgement test (SJT), which is a national assessment. Assessments for progression include the written knowledge proficiency test, the national prescribing safety assessment, the integrated clinical practice OSCE and the clinical placement based aspects of the Becoming a Doctor domain. Competence in all foundation year clinical procedures must be achieved on at least one occasion.

• International applicants must provide a full syllabus/transcript of the subjects they have completed up to year 12 (or equivalent).

• Students from outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland will need a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.

Read our visa and immigration advice.

After making an application, shortlisted candidates will be invited to a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI).

Multiple Mini Interview (held December to March)

An MMI combines traditional-style questions with task-based activities. The interview consists of eight activities each lasting five minutes (40 minutes in total).

This interview format provides a high level of interaction between you and the interviewer. It gives you a chance to demonstrate more than just a taught knowledge of your chosen field of science.

MMIs are a better predictor of academic performance and professional behaviour than traditional panel interviews. This format also allows us to assess more candidates in a shorter period of time, which means you will get the results of sooner.

Visit Taste of Medicine (Scrubbing Up section) for more advice on preparing for interviews.

Learn more about how to ace your MMI.

We define extenuating circumstances as unforeseen and outside of an applicant’s control. The circumstances must demonstrate that there has been a substantial, serious impact on your academic studies and results.

For example, such circumstances would include: health and personal problems, disability or difficulties with schooling. Whilst St George’s is keen to widen participation for particular groups, we are required to ensure that you as an applicant can cope with the rigours of, and are suited to, the programme you apply for.

Please note that we cannot consider extenuating circumstances in regards to UCAT scores.

Who can complete the form?

You will need to ask a representative or teacher at your school, college or university to complete the Extenuating Circumstances Form for Applicants (please note that this form is only for use by applicants and not current St George's students).

If your school or college is unaware of your circumstances, the form can be completed by another official such as a GP or social worker. Forms completed by family members unfortunately cannot be considered.

How and when the form needs to be submitted

The form needs to be completed and submitted by a representative or teacher at your school or college or university within 15 working days of you submitting your application form (UCAS or direct applications)

Please send the form to admissions@sgul.ac.uk

For medicine MBBS5 (A100) and medicine MBBS graduate entry (A101) - the form must be received no later than the 1^st November in the year of application.

For all other healthcare courses - the form should be received no later than 1 March (in the year of entry).

What else you need to include

It should include any information that is relevant to the application and the circumstances. Formal supporting documentation (e.g. from a GP) can also be attached. This will ensure that the Admissions Tutors are able to accurately assess the circumstances in context with the academic record.

Notes for schools/colleges/universities

When considering endorsing an applicant’s circumstances, please note the following points.

1. Appropriate circumstances would be serious, acute or chronic illness since the age of 14 or recently diagnosed illness (for example, depression) that has led to significant educational disruption.

2. Significant caring responsibilities or a recent bereavement or serious illness of an immediate family member.

3. Serious disruption of educational provision at their school/college/university.

In Years 1 and 2, all university-based face-to-face teaching will take place at St George’s, University of London on the campus that we share with St George’s Hospital in Tooting, with appropriate social distancing and infection control measures in place. We have not explored alternative locations for teaching and have no immediate plans to do so. If government advice on social distancing changes, we will consider ways in which we can deliver teaching on-site in a manner that is safe for students and staff. 

For the clinical practice years (Years 3, 4 and 5), clinical placement providers will continue to offer placements as they have in the previous years. We will use our existing procedures for allocating students to placements. It is possible that if there is permanent health care configuration change as a result of Covid-19, that placement providers may necessarily change, but this will be done to achieve the required clinical experience and curricular outcomes for students. 

In Year 2, all university based face-to-face teaching will take place at St George’s, University of London on the campus that we share with St George’s Hospital in Tooting with appropriate social distancing and infection control measures in place. We have not explored alternative locations for teaching and have no immediate plans to do so. If government advice on social distancing changes, we will consider ways in which we can deliver teaching on-site in a manner that is safe for students and staff. 

T, P and F

For the clinical practice years (Years 3, 4 and 5), clinical placement providers will continue to offer placements as they have in the previous years. We will use our existing procedures for allocating students to placements. It is possible that if there is permanent health care configuration change as a result of Covid-19, that placement providers may necessarily change, but this will be done to achieve the required clinical experience and curricular outcomes for students. 

St George’s is not making any significant changes to the content of the Medicine MBBS5 programme in relation to Covid-19. 

A curriculum review project, initiated in April 2019, is being rolled out for course delivery from September 2021 onwards for Year 1 students. This is detailed on our main content pages.

The first 2 years of the course comprise a series of compulsory modules in which there is integrated teaching from the core educational themes which drive the knowledge and skills to achieving qualification as a doctor. We have been able to incorporate student and staff feedback from the experience of online teaching delivery during the pandemic into our new curriculum, informing which content continues to be delivered online and which will be delivered face-to-face subject to any Covid-19-related restrictions. This is detailed in the next section (below) on this page.

Non-Covid-19 health and safety factors are impacting on access to the dissection room, as detailed on the main course pages. At least for the first term, anatomy delivery will take the form of online, interactive practical sessions, recorded dissection room videos and guided virtual dissection using ‘Complete Anatomy’ until the cohort can be accommodated safely in the dissection room. When it is safe to do so, which is not expected to be any sooner than early 2022, Year 1 students will have an initial orientation visit to the dissection room, and practical dissection sessions will resume.

There are primary and secondary care placements within the community from the start of the course. We are planning for all primary and secondary care placements to be delivered as scheduled in 2021/22. If for any reason this is not possible, some may be replaced with virtual placement experiences. Alternative virtual experiences are also already prepared for any community placements that are not able to host students in person during 2021/22.  All students on placement will be expected to undertake a Covid-19 risk assessment and adhere to local NHS provider working patterns and guidance.  In some instances, placement experience may be supplemented by remote learning experiences. We have already prepared to cover learning normally delivered in these environments if it is not possible to attend clinical environments if temporary local restrictions are required, such that the content will be unchanged.

Apart from the annual review and refresh cycle, we have not made any major changes to the curriculum of the clinical practice years (Years 3, 4 and 5). The content of the course, the skills to be acquired, and development of the professional attitudes, abilities and behaviours to be acquired are unchanged. There will be minor changes to the detail of some skills – for example some clinical procedures are currently unsafe to be performed on real patients during the Covid-19 pandemic (e.g., airway management, throat examination), and so simulation may be used instead of learning with real patients.  Although critical care and anaesthetics placements (final year) were suspended during 2020-21, with the content and skills being taught via lectures and small group teaching and simulation instead of experience in the clinical environment, this is resuming for the 2021/22 academic year and we anticipate should continue beyond that.  

There are student-selected components (SSCs) threaded throughout the course. Due to reduced capacity for students at placement sites, we anticipate there may be ongoing reduced opportunities to do clinical attachments for these components of the course, but there will be an expanded range of remote opportunities covering similar areas, including in clinical sciences, health service delivery, research and humanities. We cannot predict at this stage how the pandemic might impact on the potential for overseas travel in the final year SSC (elective) in the future, but we will support this providing it is safe to do so, and ensure alternative local opportunities if required.

All years

The online components of the course will be designed to balance interactive real-time sessions with lecturers and other students alongside self-paced independent study. Students will have clear learning pathways through the activities they are expected to engage with, and there will be opportunities to check learning and progress. Access to course materials, including curriculum information, learning resources, and, where applicable, recordings of live lectures/sessions will continue to be via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Canvas. Hands-on practical teaching including clinical and communication skills, and many small group tutorials (dependent on government guidance for universities) will be delivered on campus with appropriate social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) measures put in place, and with controls on the number of people in each location. If restrictions increase, some early years sessions may be delivered remotely, or rescheduled until later in the course. Students in Years 1 (and 2) will come to the campus on average at least twice a week for scheduled face-to-face teaching for sessions which require a physical presence and/or direct interaction with others – for example, learning clinical skills, communication skills sessions, and a proportion of small group tutorials.  

We are planning for all primary and secondary care placements to be delivered as scheduled in 2021/22. If for any reason this is not possible, some may be replaced with virtual placement experiences. Alternative virtual experiences are also already prepared for any community placements that are not able to host students in person during 2021/22.  Primary and secondary care placements for students in Years 3, 4 and 5 have been continuing on site since early autumn 2020, including through pandemic peaks, and we expect this to remain the case in the future. All our providers are now experienced in continuing to provide an educational experience, and adapting this as required depending on the prevalence of Covid-19 and NHS service capacity during peaks, and the consequent risks to students of being on placement. This is supported by now well-established infection control policies, and the ongoing commitment of our providers, backed up by Health Education England and the General Medical Council (GMC) to keep students on placement now that organisations have had time to prepare.

In the clinical practice years (Years 3, 4 and 5), the curriculum is driven by 15 clinical outcomes which change in content each year and by speciality. These outcomes, together with the list of priority conditions for each speciality, drive your learning as you progress through the course and ultimately graduate. In 2021, using those 15 outcomes and priority case framework, we will teach to the same outcomes using a blended approach to support clinical placement experience, informed by the St George’s online educational framework, which involves: 

1. Remote delivery for teaching where suitable: knowledge dissemination, clinical interventions and videos of operations, case discussions, clinical reasoning, diagnostic investigations, treatments, presentations, debates, and quizzes. Staff have been trained in adapting teaching for remote learning using the online education framework. 
2. More focused clinical placements which are orientated to the safety of the student and the learning and practice of skills which medical students need to develop as doctors in the clinical workplace: witnessing and participating in patient safety processes; clinical communication and examination of patients; real-time investigation and treatment of patients; teamworking; multi-disciplinary team working; and practical procedures. We anticipate providing all speciality placements, including contact with patients who may have, or do have Covid-19, where this is essential for student learning.
3. Enhanced provision of digital resources on Canvas, our virtual learning environment. We are steadily increasing the digital resources relating to clinical medicine which are available for medical students to review, if clinical experience available to the students on placement dips again, as it did in March 2020. 
4. Increased face-to-face, remote, low and high-fidelity simulation where required. 

Even if the Covid-19 pandemic disappears, the success of our blended learning programme while placements were closed has led us to continue with parts of the blended delivery that were considered valuable by students, e.g., video tutorials about operations, but returning to the delivery of clinical education in healthcare environments for those clinical outcomes which cannot be otherwise taught.  

Additional teaching about personal protective equipment (PPE), Covid-19, and how to learn effectively in a remote or blended environment has been developed.  

Module changes published*

*This was Covid-19 related in 202021, but changes to non-Covid-19 health and safety regulations have precluded return to the dissection room until these are resolved as detailed on the main course pages

We expect to deliver the course within the planned timescales to enable successful students to progress through the programme and graduate without delay. Information about contingencies for teaching, placement experience and assessments to facilitate this in the event of further outbreaks of Covid-19 are detailed in other sections.

2, T, P and F year students 

We expect to deliver the course within the planned timescales to enable successful students to progress from one year of the programme to the next and to graduate without delay. Information about contingencies for teaching, placement experience and assessments to facilitate this in the event of further outbreaks of Covid-19 are detailed in other sections. However, for students in Final year whose personal circumstances preclude attending placements at times of high covid-prevalence, in the event of further outbreaks there is a possibility that graduation may be delayed until they are able to complete all placements. 

The applied clinical and scientific knowledge, clinical skills and professional attributes of our students is assessed in a variety of ways. These include formal written examinations (mainly Single Best Answer with some Short Answer Questions), Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and a professionalism portfolio that varies in content over the duration of the course.  

We intend to carry out all of the assessments as outlined in the programme specification for students in 2021/22.

Written assessments will be in the format previously specified, and delivered online, as will be the case for the national Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) at Finals. Whether cohorts are required to be on campus, or expected to access assessments remotely will depend on local or national health conditions restrictions in relation to large gatherings at the time, and site capacity depending on social distancing requirements. We successfully delivered online assessments in 2020 and 2021. All assessments will be invigilated either in person (on site), or via remote proctoring if students are sitting remotely.  Students with special circumstances (meaning they would find it difficult to find suitable space and facilities to sit assessment remotely) will be able to take assessments on campus.

If conditions mean large-scale OSCEs for all cohorts are not possible, our contingency plan is to either use remote clinical examinations or to defer assessment until later in the academic year, or even following year. Decisions on this will depend upon the degree and extent of disruption at the time and throughout the academic year. The professionalism portfolio will be assessed as described in the programme specification. Again, if health conditions interrupt the academic year, we may have to modify certain elements of this assessment. In the first year, however, major changes should not be required.

All students in all years 

The undergraduate Medicine MBBS5 programme is accredited and quality assured by the General Medical Council (GMC). We have discussed the changes that we are making with our regulators who have confirmed that the programme continues to meet their standards.  Graduates will, therefore, be eligible to apply for provisional GMC registration when they complete the programme. 

2, T, P and F year students 

We assess the applied clinical and scientific knowledge, clinical skills and professional attributes of our students in a variety of ways. The methods that we use include formal written examinations (mainly Single Best Answer with some Short Answer Questions), Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and a professionalism portfolio that varies in content over the duration of the course.  

We intend to carry out all of the assessments as normal for students in 2021/22. Written assessments will be of the same format as specified and delivered online as will be the case for the national Medical Licensing Assessment at Finals. Whether cohorts are required to be on campus or expected to access assessment remotely will depend on local or national conditions in relation to large gatherings at the time, and site capacity depending on social distancing requirements. We successfully delivered online assessments in 2020 and 2021. All assessments will be invigilated either in person (on site), or via remote proctoring if students are sitting remotely.  Students with special circumstances meaning they would find it difficult to find suitable space and facilities to sit assessment remotely will be able to take assessments on campus.

If conditions mean large scale OSCEs are not possible, our contingency plan is either to use remote clinical examinations, to use a clinical portfolio-based approach, or to defer assessment. We have already looked at and trialled remote OSCE delivery platforms as a back-up plan. We do not anticipate the need for their use, but will revisit this if the situation requires it. Decisions on this will depend upon the degree and extent of disruption at the time and throughout the academic year. If that happens, graduation for some final year students may be delayed until you are able to complete all assessments, because we have any obligation to our regulators to confirm that our students have met the clinical and practical outcomes for the programme before they graduate. This was not an issue in 2020-21, so we think very unlikely it will be so in 2021-22.

The professionalism portfolio will be assessed as described in the programme specification. Again, if Covid-19 impacts on clinical contact time on placements, we will have to modify certain elements of this assessment. We may need to use ‘student selected components’ and ‘elective time’ to ensure you have adequate clinical placement time. Where this is required, and a student has as a result not been able to complete an SSC or elective, any associated assessment requirements will also be amended to reflect the change. We have a formal, institutional process for any assessment amendments that are requires and this has worked well so far when needed. Workplace-based assessments are another important part of this assessment which may be affected by reduced clinical contact time where the make-up and numbers may need to be modified proportionally to any disruption. All other strands of this portfolio will be delivered as normal. This was less of a problem in 2020-21 than we had prepared for, and we expect few, if any adjustments will be required in future years.

In all years of the course, the programme does include essential practical elements (clinical examination skills, procedures and communication skills) that require some learning and assessment on campus, as well as on clinical placements in a range of NHS settings. We have identified the elements of learning and assessment essential to progression and graduation that must  be delivered on-site, and aim to deliver these as planned in 2021/22 with appropriate social distancing and personal protective measures.

Clinical placement providers are continuing to offer placements as they have in previous years, but with reduced capacity in some areas, and with substantial changes to how services are delivered. Their capacity to offer placements may change if, in the event of a further outbreak of Covid-19, delivering care to affected patients becomes the overriding priority. 

If that happens, it is expected that students will remain on their placements and continue to benefit from the experience of apprentice-style learning in a clinical environment, although opportunities in some specialist areas may be reduced. We will limit the impact on students where possible. We will rotate students through the sites that are continuing to accept students and, where necessary and possible, we will use remote and simulation facilities to offer a comparable clinical experience.  

2, T, P and F

The programme does include practical elements (clinical examination skills, procedures and communication skills) that require delivery on campus, as well as experience in clinical placements in a range of NHS settings. We have identified the elements or learning and assessment essential to progression and graduation that have to be delivered on-site, and were able to deliver these during 2020/21 with appropriate social distancing and personal protective measures.

Clinical placement providers are continuing to offer placements as they have in the previous years, but with reduced capacity in some areas, and with substantial changes to how services are delivered. Their capacity to offer placements may change if, in the event of a further outbreak of Covid-19, delivering care to affected patients becomes the overriding priority. 

If that happens, it is expected that students will remain on placements and continue to benefit from the experience of apprentice-style learning in a clinical environment, although opportunities in some specialist areas may be reduced. We will limit the impact on students where possible. We will rotate students through the sites that are continuing to accept students and, where necessary and possible, we will use remote and simulation facilities to offer a comparable clinical experience. For continuing students, it may be possible to delay placements until the following academic year to protect their safety.

We do not expect students to incur any extra costs over and above those that we have advertised on the course page.

As a result of our courses beginning with most lectures and some tutorials being delivered online, you will need a personal laptop or computer and reliable access to the internet to participate in online learning. Information is available on the recommended device specification.

If you are worried you might struggle to meet these requirements, you should email IThardship@sgul.ac.uk so we can look at support options for you.

Personal protective equipment in line with guidance at the time will be provided for free to students who attend for onsite practical sessions at the university, and also to those on clinical placements, as long as the NHS supply chain to those placements is maintained. 

2, T, P and F year students 

We do not expect students to incur any extra costs over and above the normal level, as previously advertised on the course page. 

Personal protective equipment in line with guidance at the time will be provided to students who attend for onsite practical sessions at the university will go on clinical placements, as long as the NHS supply chain to those placements is maintained. 

This is a full-time course. Timetables are normally available 1 month before the start of each module or placement.

While we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, students should expect to be on placement, or available for virtual or campus-based teaching Monday through Friday during normal working hours, apart from Wednesday afternoons which are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities.

In later years of the course, some placements also offer, or occasionally require out-of-hours shifts with on-call teams (other than for students with approved exceptional circumstances).

It is the course team’s intention, in-line with current public health advice, to deliver small group face-to-face teaching on site. This currently includes twice-weekly Problem-Based Learning (PBL), clinical and communication skills. As covered elsewhere, we hope at least some anatomy lessons may also resume on site, though no earlier than January 2022. All lectures for at least the first two terms will be delivered online. 

The situation will be reviewed throughout the first term, and should there be a need to increase or reduce face-to-face teaching, all student cohorts will be informed in good time.

Year 2

It is the course team’s intention, in-line with current public health advice, to deliver small group face-to-face teaching on site, this would average at least twice weekly onsite teaching, for clinical and communication skills or selected tutorials. As covered elsewhere, we hope at least some anatomy may also resume on site though no earlier than January 2022. All lectures for at least the first two terms will be delivered online. The situation will be reviewed throughout the first term, and should there be a need to increase or reduce face-to-face teaching all student cohorts will be informed in good time

Years T, P and F

This is a full-time course. Timetables are normally available 1 month before the start of each module or placement. While we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, students should expect to be on placement, or available for virtual or campus-based teaching Monday – Friday during normal working hours, other than Wednesday afternoons which are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. In later years of the course, some placements also offer, or occasionally require other than for students with approved exceptional circumstances, out of hours shifts with on-call teams.

Academic terms dates can be found on this page.

At enrolment or re-enrolment you consented to the changes we anticipated as a result of the pandemic, which were outlined on the ‘Covid-19 updates’ tab of your course page at: www.sgul.ac.uk/study/courses.

The changes that we are making are the consequence of current public health advice and our need to anticipate changes to that advice. Our capacity to offer alternatives is therefore limited. We do not feel that the changes will adversely affect students.  

If you wish to avoid these changes (e.g., by taking a year out from your studies) please discuss this directly with your course team in the first instance.

We remain, as always, focused on the best experience and outcomes for our students.  

If you have concerns about the quality of course delivery, please use the existing feedback mechanisms which will be explained to you at the start of your course, to raise these with your course team, in the first instance.

If you wish to take a more formal route, guidance is available to you in our student concerns and complaints procedure.

2, T P and F

If you have concerns about the quality of course delivery, please continue to use the existing feedback mechanisms you will be familiar with to raise these with your course team in the first instance. If you wish to take a more formal route, guidance is available to you in our student concerns and complaints procedure.