University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2020/21 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Health Sciences > Bristol Medical School > Medicine (MBChB) > Specification
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Programme code | 8MDYF001U |
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Programme type | Conjoined Degree |
Programme director(s) |
Eugene Lloyd
Andrew Blythe Karen Forbes |
Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
School/department | Bristol Medical School |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Accrediting types: |
Accredited by the General Medical Council (GMC), this primary medical qualification entitles the holder to apply to the GMC for registration to practise medicine in the UK. (http://www.gmc-uk.org/) |
Relevant QAA subject benchmark groups | Medicine (2002) (benchmark statement) |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 5 years (full time) |
Specifically the programme will develop the student in the domains of Doctor as Scholar and Scientist, Practitioner and Professional as set out in the GMC standards, Outcomes for Graduates. Additionally we will develop students as Citizens and Agents of Change. Students will learn in a research-rich environment and will be encouraged to develop their scientific curiosity through self-directed learning. The importance of the population perspective and of preventative healthcare will be emphasised throughout the curriculum.
Bristol graduates will possess all the core competences, knowledge and practical skills to enable them to enter the workplace as safe, effective and compassionate practitioners. Through recognition and fostering of their individual talents, they will contribute to the wealth and diversity of the medical workforce. Learning opportunities will foster students’ abilities to be adaptable, resilient and able to deal with uncertainty.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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The principle vehicle of learning will be case-based teaching scaffolded by lectures, workshops and practical sessions. Cases will build in complexity throughout the course from principles of health to dealing with uncertainty and patients with multiple illnesses. All learning opportunities will have explicit clinical relevance to life and practice as a doctor, underpinned by clinical experience in hospital and community settings throughout all five years. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Formative assessment will be based on self-reflection, feedback from peers and from clinical and academic teachers backed up by regular educational supervision and feedback with an academic mentor. Progress tests will be taken three times a year. These will be based on the same format and standards as the final clinical examination. A final exam at the end of years 1, 3 and 4 will determine progression to the following year. Assessment in year 5 (clinical clerkships & preparing for practice) will be carried out using workplace based assessments modelled on the current Foundation Doctor programme. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Case-based learning supplemented by clinical learning in hospital and community settings, including primary care. Effective Consulting horizontal theme running through years 1-3, including consultation, clinical examination, communication and diagnostic skills and clinical reasoning. Scientific basis of medicine underpinning case-based learning will progress from ‘how it works’ to ‘application of scientific knowledge to interpretation of clinical tests’. Helical themes strategy will ensure all clinical competencies are embedded throughout the curriculum and have clear, progressive learning outcomes culminating in skills being embedded into practice. Interprofessional learning with nursing students (UWE) and pharmacy students (Bath) focused on human factors and avoidance of patient harm. Evidence-based medicine is one of the helical themes. Students will have the opportunity to pursue their interests and extend their learning in a variety of topics through the Choice programme. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Students will maintain an electronic portfolio of their achievements; this will include a log of practical procedures completed. Multi-source feedback from patients, peers and healthcare professionals. Clinical practical assessments e.g. workplace based assessments in the final year based around Entrustable Professional Activities EPAs (Association of American Medical Colleges, 2014) www.aamc.org/cepaer |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Professional modelling will be enhanced by clinical clerkships in year 5 and feedback on professional behaviours and attitudes. Helical themes will explicitly include aspects of self-improvement, self-care and resilience. The programme will have blocks of learning that cover: transition from school to university, managing expectations and becoming a self-directed learner & transition to the healthcare environment, including expectations of professional behaviour. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Many of these skills and attributes will be assessed through self-reflection and feedback (peer, multi-source and clinical teachers). Workplace based assessments in the later years of the course. Elements will be included in progress and summative assessments by ensuring helical themes are explicitly assessed. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level C/4 - Certificate |
Year 1 Students will learn about the Foundations of Medicine, including how to develop as a self-directed learner, manage expectations, and work in a team as well as the principles of biomedical sciences. All students will have experience of the healthcare environment through training and practice as a healthcare assistant. Case-based learning, supported by lectures, practical sessions and workshops in the biomedical sciences will be used to learn about how the body systems work in health using an integrated approach incorporating biomedical and clinical science. Effective Consulting will introduce concepts of health, disease and diagnosis from clinical, ethical, pathological, societal, historical and patient perspectives. Patient contact will take place through community visits, including GP practices. All students will be taught basic life support and first aid skills by senior students. Students will complete their first Choice project. |
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Level I/5 - Intermediate |
Year 2 Case-based learning and associated lectures, practicals and workshops will be used to learn about the nervous system and psychology. Concepts of disease are introduced by building on the systems-oriented cases in year 1 to a symptom-based approach to consider disease processes and differential diagnosis. This will be complemented by live-streaming and recordings of post mortem examinations. Students will be introduced to the basic principles of pharmacology and clinical therapeutics. Community visits will involve meeting patients with chronic disorders, such as dementia, kidney failure and cancer, to find out what it’s like to live with these conditions. Intermediate clinical reasoning will begin to introduce to students how to receive a history from a patient and perform a physical and mental state examination leading to the formulation of a list of differential diagnoses for common symptoms. Students will continue to develop their Choice portfolio through project work. |
Level H/6 - Honours |
Year 3 This year is structured around Junior Clinical Clerkships in clinical specialties. Teaching takes place in the Clinical Academies that are part of Bristol Medical School. Students will gain experience of unscheduled prehospital care through attachments with general practitioners and paramedics. Case-based learning will continue to ensure that core topics are covered by all students. Biomedical Science teaching will continue to be delivered through CBL. Advanced clinical reasoning will cover rational approaches to investigations, therapeutics and prescribing. Students will learn about the ethical, regulatory and legal frameworks governing clinical practice, including safeguarding vulnerable groups. Students continue to develop practical procedural skills. All students will learn about basic research methods and will complete a research/audit/quality improvement project as part of their Choice portfolio. Intercalation Intercalation to study for an honours BSc or BA will be optional and will usually be taken between years 3 and 4. Year 4 Year 4 will consider the lifecycle based around intermediate clinical clerkships in relevant specialties: Primary care and community attachments will take place at least one day per week throughout the year to give students experience of undifferentiated presentations and dealing with uncertainty. Case based learning will continue to ensure all core topics are covered including Biomedical Science and Helical Themes. Students will sit their final knowledge examinations at the end of year 4. Students will also sit clinical practical assessments. Year 5 Year 5 will start with an elective period of study as part of our student choice portfolio. The remainder of the year will be spent in longitudinal clinical clerkships in Acute and Critical Care, Ward-Based Care, and Primary and Community Care. During these, the student will act as a member of the healthcare team and will expect to embed into practice the clinical skills that they have learned throughout the course. Students will complete their clinical skills log and their portfolio of reflective practice. Students will complete a patient safety and quality improvement project during their clinical clerkship. Peer-to-peer teaching will be encouraged through student engagement in developing clinical cases for their junior colleagues. Assessments will be workplace based using entrustable professional activities (EPAs) www.aamc.org/cepaer, e.g. case based discussions and mini CEX's. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the undergraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
Workload Statement
The undergraduate population in the Faculty of Health Sciences is in the majority made up of students following the professional programmes of:
For professional programmes, full time attendance is compulsory unless absence is formally approved. Academic activities are timetabled throughout the 5-day week and student workload is around 40 hours per week on average. The professional programmes are designed so that students in the early years are given a solid grounding in the scientific basis of their chosen profession and provides the foundations for knowledge and skills in the subject. The teaching will comprise of lectures, practical work, tutorials, seminars and required coursework. Where possible, students in the early years are permitted Wednesday afternoons for sport and extra-curriculum activities. This may not be available in later years of professional programmes as when a student progresses through the curricula there is an increasing exposure to clinical and professional activities. Students in clinic or on placements may need to stay later than core times of 08.00 – 18.00 or even overnight to observe out-of-hours activities. This increasing exposure to clinical activities means that students on professional programmes in the Faculty often have longer term dates than the University standard. Individual years within programmes are likely to vary in length (for example, because of the requirement for students of veterinary subjects to complete Extramural Studies or the timings of placements in Medicine and Dentistry) and further information on this will be found in individual programme regulations. Another important point to note is that many of the assessments sit outside of the standard University examination timetable and are likely to be more frequent meaning that students will more oftentimes be engaged in revision activities and self-directed learning.
The remaining undergraduate population in the Faculty of Health Sciences will be following either a more standard BSc workload or will be intercalating students who are taking time out from their professional programme (BDS, MB ChB or BVSc) and joining the third-year equivalent of a BSc to gain a BSc in one year. In these courses, the more standard credit framework will apply whereby 20 credits normally equates to some 200 hours of student input. This time will be divided between lectures, practical work, tutorials, seminars and required coursework and self-directed learning. A BSc student can expect an average workload of 40 hours per week over the 30-week academic year. The workload will shift from more directed and structured learning in the early years towards more research led and independent study in the final years of a BSc where significant time will be spent on a research project, dissertation or portfolio of work. Students with examinations in the standard examination periods will be expected to use the Christmas/ Easter vacation to revise and complete work which reflects their interest in, and commitment to their programmes of study. (Students with resit examinations will need to revise during the summer vacation).
Assessment Statement
Please select the following links for statements about assessment. This is University of Bristol access only.
The University of Bristol’s Medical Academy model enable students to work in different hospital and community settings supported by a local medical school infrastructure.
Students are also given the opportunity to apply for an additional, intercalated year of study (usually between years 3 & 4) from a wide range of topics, leading to the award of a BSc or BA (honours) degree.
Opportunities to study abroad are available through an elective period of study that may be spent abroad in year 5.
All students will complete the national Prescribing Safety Assessment prior to graduation.
The GMC plans to introduce a National Licensing Exam by 2022
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2017/medicine/mb-medicine/
Dr Eugene Lloyd, Programme Director
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Year 1 MB ChB | MEDI10007 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Foundations of Medicine | MEDI10008 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Systems Case 1 - Musculoskeletal | MEDI10009 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Systems Case 2 - Cardiovascular | MEDI10010 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Systems Case 3 - Respiratory | MEDI10011 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Systems Case 4 - Gastrointestinal | MEDI10012 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Systems Case 5 - Urinary | MEDI10014 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Systems Case 6 - Nervous System & Psychology | MEDI10013 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Systems Case 7 - Endocrine | MEDI10015 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Certificate of Higher Education | 0 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Year 2 MB ChB | BRMS20001 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Student Choice Project 1 | BRMS20003 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Year 2 OSCE Not available in this year | BRMS20016 | 0 | Mandatory | |
Effective Consulting Clerkship | BRMS20002 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 1 - Skin and Integument | BRMS20004 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 2 - Body Defence | BRMS20005 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 3 - Introduction to Pharmacology and Therapeutics | BRMS20006 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 4 - Anaemia, Blood and Clotting | BRMS20007 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 5 - Low Mood | BRMS20008 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 6 - Chest Pain | BRMS20009 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 7 - Breathlessness | BRMS20010 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 8 - Abdominal Pain | BRMS20011 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 9 - Joint (including Back) Pain | BRMS20015 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 10 - Urinary Symptoms, Thirst and Weight Loss | BRMS20012 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 11 - Headache | BRMS20013 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
CBL case 12 - Collapse | BRMS20014 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Diploma in Higher Education | 0 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Year 3 MB ChB | BRMS30001 | 0 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Year 3 OSCE | BRMS30006 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Year 3 Written Exam | BRMS30005 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Student Choice Project 2 | BRMS30008 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
0 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Year 4 MB ChB | BRMS30002 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Year 4 OSCE | BRMS30004 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Year 4 Written Exam | BRMS30007 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
0 |
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Year 5 MB ChB | BRMS30015 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Elective SSC | MEDI35110 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Final year Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) | BRMS30003 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Prescribing Safety Assessment | MEDI30012 | 0 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
Medicine (MBChB) | 0 |
Unit Pass Mark for Professional Programmes (MBChB, BDS, BVSc): 50 out of 100
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for Gateway programmes.
All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.
Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.
The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).
The pass mark for the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine and Dentistry is 50 out of 100. The classification of a degree in the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry is provided in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
University of Bristol,
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Tyndall Avenue,
Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
Tel: +44 (0)117 928 9000