Studying Medicine in the United Kingdom

SMSUK JC TALKS 2012

Session Contents A. Brief Introduction to SMSUK B. Studying Medicine in the UK – An Overview • UK medical schools and course structure • Why study medicine in the UK? • Other important issues

• Cost of living and sources of funding • National service and deferred entry

C. Applying to UK Medical Schools • General procedures in applying to the UK • Medical school admissions procedures and pre-requisites • Medical school interviews and admissions tests

D. Applying to UK Dental Schools E. QnA Session F. Contact Details

Singapore Medical Society of the United Kingdom (SMSUK)

• Non-profit medical society established by students for students

• Members: Students studying medicine, dentistry, and allied health sciences in the UK

• Aims:

• Represent interests and enhance members’ welfare

• Offer information and links regarding education and careers in UK & Singapore

• Link between medical and scientific organizations in Singapore (MOHH, SingHeath, NHG, A*STAR, etc.)

Events organised by SMSUK

• Booth at British Council Pre-departure Fair

• Singhealth Student Engagement Dinner

• Freshers and Members’ Gathering

• Orientation Camp

• Charity Run

• Annual Weekend Trip

• Annual Day Trip

• Annual Dinner

Why are we here?

• To help you make an informed decision when deciding which medical schools to apply to

• To give you an idea of what it is like to study medicine in the UK

• To prepare you for the medical school admissions process

• To answer any queries you might have with regard to studying medicine in the UK

Studying Medicine in the UK - An Overview

UK Medical Schools • As of 2009, there are 25 UK Medical Schools offering

degrees that are recognised in Singapore

UK Medical Schools

• LONDON (5)

• Imperial, UCL, King’s, Bart’s (Queen Mary), St George’s

• ENGLAND (Outside London) (13)

• Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester, Bristol, Southampton, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham, Durham

• SCOTLAND (5)

• Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, St Andrew’s

• WALES (2)

• Wales, Cardiff

Visit MOHH Website for full list

• www.physician.mohh.com.sg

Scotland

England

Wales

London

General Course Structure • 5-year or 6-year MBBS Programme

2 years Pre-Clinical

3 years Clinical

1 year Intercalated BSc

Optional/Compulsory (depending on the school)

Usually undertaken in Year 3 or 4

Teaching Methods

Lectures

Tutorials and Workshops

PBL (Problem-Based Learning)

Clinical Skills Teaching

Patient Interaction

Dissection/Prosections

Why study medicine in the UK?

• Multicultural experience

• Cosmopolitan Society

• People from all over the world

• Broaden your horizons

• Rich historical and cultural heritage

• Many world-famous sites of interest

• Free entry to many museums

• Rich medical history (BMA, RCS, etc)

Why study medicine in the UK? • Student-friendly environment

• Vibrant student life

• Wealth of clubs and societies

• Discounts on food, transport, etc

• Varied social life

• Arts (Musicals, Concerts, Art Exhibitions, Plays)

• Sports (Football, Tennis)

• Nightlife (Pubs, Clubs)

• Something for everyone

Why study medicine in the UK? • State-of-the-art facilities

• Self-contained campuses out of London

• City campuses within easy reach of everything you need

• World-famous hospitals

• High quality of teaching

• Passionate educators

• World leaders in their fields

• Learn anatomy by dissection (some schools)

• Dedicated clinical skills centres

• Personal growth and development

• Probably first time living on your own

• New meaning to independence

Why study medicine in the UK?

• SGD has been appreciating vs GBP

• 1 GBP ≈ 1.99 SGD (June 2012)

• Becoming cheaper to study medicine in UK vs Aus (based on June 2012 exchange rates)

• KCL, UK (MBBS 5 years) ≈ SGD 270k

• Monash, Aus (MBBS 5 years) ≈ SGD 385k

Why study medicine in the UK? Practical considerations – Decreased costs

Source: United States Federal Reserve Bank of New York

10-yr Exchange Rate Graph SGD vs GBP

Why study medicine in the UK? Practical considerations – Need for overseas doctors

Why study medicine in the UK? Practical considerations – Need for overseas doctors

• Singapore needs more doctors due to ageing population

• Spaces in NUS medicine are limited (300 a year)

• Spaces at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine are limited as well (50 for inaugural batch)

• Increasing efforts to attract foreign-trained doctors (e.g. Pre-Employment Grant)

• UK medical schools are viable alternatives

•Consider: UK as a first choice above Singapore?

Why study medicine in the UK? Singapore vs UK Medicine

“A major factor that influenced my decision was the encouragement of several doctors whose opinions I consulted. From their experience, while graduates from Yong Loo Lin have more knowledge (in terms of the hard facts) and are aware of local disease patterns, graduates from reputable British medical schools are stronger in the basic concepts and better at working from first principles (while NUS graduates tend to depend more on memorization).” “Furthermore, there is a greater emphasis on patient care and communication in the UK, though YLL might be starting to pay more attention to this as well, and an additional advantage for the UK graduate is more flexibility in employment – the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore etc.”

“As the doctors who advised me concluded: if there are no personal or financial issues that require you to be in Singapore, studying abroad is exciting and can be a real eye-opener!”

- 1st year Singaporean medical student UCL Medical School

Other Important Issues Cost of Living

Current Exchange Rate : 1 GBP ≈ 1.99 SGD (June 2012)

• Tuition Fees

• ≈ £18 000 (Pre-clinical) and £32 000 (Clinical)

• Costs vary with different universities

• London colleges generally more expensive

• Accommodation (London)

• £150-200 per week (catered)

• £100-150 per week (self-catered)

• £100-250 per week (private)

• Cheaper out of London

Other Important Issues Cost of Living

• Estimated Total Expenditure (Living Expenses + Course Fees for 5-yr MBBS)

• ≈ £200 000 = S$400 000 (minimum)

• Depends on location, course length and lifestyle

• Slight increases in course fees over the years

• Annual Living Expenses • ≈ £8000 – 9000

• Accommodation + Transport + Shopping + Food

• Depends on your lifestyle

• Generally cheaper outside of London

Other Important Issues Sources of Funding

• Supplementing living expenses (NOT a source to fund all your expenses)

• Getting a job • Max 20 hours during term-time, no limit during holidays

• Taking part in paid experiments • Usually about 7-10 pounds per hour

• Scholarships from the universities/colleges • Usually a few hundred or thousand pounds, generally

insufficient to cover your tuition fees

• Exam Prizes • Usually a few hundred pounds if you attain one of the top

positions in your cohort

Other Important Issues Sources of Funding

• Full Scholarships (Very Few)

• PSC – President’s Scholarship

• A*STAR MBBS-PhD Scholarship

• Graduate in 8-9 years with BSc, MBBS and PhD

• 6 year bond with A*STAR

• Jardine Matheson Scholarship

• Only for selected colleges in Oxford and Cambridge

• Loke Cheng Kim Scholarship

• However focus not on medicine

• MOH Health Science Scholarship

• Allied health professions – speech therapy, physiotherapy

Other Important Issues National Service Issues

• Disruption from NS not allowed for overseas medicine

• Must finish NS commitment before embarking on medical studies in the UK

• Can apply for deferred entry at end of 1st year of NS

• Meaning the school will hold your place for 1 year

• Unlikely that they will hold it for 2 years

• Most will allow deferred entry for 1 year, but check individual school websites/prospectuses

Applying to UK Medical Schools

General Procedures in Applying to the UK

Application via

UCAS, deadline

15th Oct

UKCAT/BMAT

A Level

Examinations

Offers/Interviews

by schools

Release of A Level

Results

Application of

visa and

paperwork

OFF TO UK!

Medical School Admissions Procedures and Prerequisites • UCAS Choices

• A level subject requirements

• References

• Personal Statement

• Preparing for Interviews

Admissions Prerequisites

Application through UCAS • 5 Choices, 4 medical schools max

Minimum ‘A’-level requirements • AAA at H2 Level, Chemistry (essential), Biology

(most require at least at H1 level E.g. Imperial, Barts, Edinburgh)

References and personal statements • Perfect your personal statement • Get a good reference

Interviews • Universities and Course Structures • Read up on the prospectuses of medical schools • Anything in your personal statement can be asked,

so be familiar with it! • General medical updates or recent breakthrough

research • Medical ethics

Admissions Prerequisites

Medical Interviews 1) Why do you want to be a doctor? 2) What qualities do you think patients appreciate in a doctor? 3) What qualities do you think colleagues appreciate in a doctor? 4) What qualities do you possess that will make you a good doctor? 5) Do you think/why is research is important? 6) What are the benefits/limitations of research? 7) Can you give an example of how medical research has been beneficial? 8) Tell us about something medically related that you have read in the press? 9) Describe a situation you have been in which was stressful. 10) How do you deal with stress?

11) What do you think the benefits of PBL (problem-based learning) are? 12) What are the disadvantages of PBL?

13) What do you think you will find most difficult about a career in medicine? 14) Tell us about your work experience 15) What did you learn about yourself from your work experience? 16) What did you learn from the doctors and nurses from your work experience?

17) Research has shown that "Integrity" is an important quality in a doctor. What do you think is meant by this and can you give an example of a situation in which acting with integrity might be important? 18) Give an example of when you have worked in a team.

19) How can you contribute to the University?

20) Is there anything else that you'd like to add?

21) Why do you choose to study medicine here? What do you like about the course we have here?

Medical School Interviews • Highly Recommended (Except for Oxbridge Interviews)

Medical School Admissions Tests • UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude Test)

• All other universities

• BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test)

• Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL

• Different schools use the tests differently

• Some use it to shortlist candidates for interview, after that test results not considered

• Others place greater weight on the test results

University UCAS Course Code

University of Aberdeen A100, A201

Brighton and Sussex Medical School A100

Barts and The London School of Medicine and

Dentistry A100, A101, A200, A201

Cardiff University A100, A104, A200, A204

University of Dundee A100, A104, A200, A204

University of Durham A100

University of East Anglia A100, A104

University of Edinburgh A100

University of Glasgow A100, A200

Hull York Medical School A100

Keele University A100, A104

King's College London A100, A101, A102, A202, A205

Imperial College London Graduate Entry A101

University of Leeds A100

University of Leicester A100, A101

University of Manchester A104, A106, A204, A206

University of Newcastle A100, A101, A206

University of Nottingham A100, A108

University of Oxford Graduate Entry A101

Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry A100

Queen's University Belfast A100, A200

University of Sheffield A100, A104, A200

University of Southampton A100, A101, A102

University of St Andrews A100, A990, B900

St George's, University of London A100

Warwick University Graduate Entry A101

UKCAT

• The test is delivered in 2 hours.

• Each subtest is in MCQ format and separately timed

Section Time

(mins) Items

Verbal Reasoning 22 44

Quantitative Reasoning 23 36

Abstract Reasoning 16 65

Decision Analysis 32 28

Non-Cognitive Analysis 27 varies depending upon the

version section taken

Format of UKCAT

• Verbal reasoning - assesses candidates' ability to think logically

about written information and to arrive at a reasoned conclusion.

• Quantitative reasoning - assesses candidates' ability to solve numerical problems.

• Abstract reasoning - assesses candidates' ability to infer relationships from information by convergent and divergent thinking.

• Decision analysis - assesses candidates' ability to deal with various forms of information, to infer relationships, to make informed judgements, and to decide on an appropriate response, in situations of complexity and ambiguity.

• Non-cognitive analysis - identifies the attributes and characteristics of robustness, empathy and integrity that may contribute to successful health professional practice.

Taken from: www.ukcat.ac.uk

UKCAT Sections

Answer: Set B All shapes in set A with four sides are shaded, whereas in set B all shapes without four sides are shaded

UKCAT-Abstract Reasoning

3: Man C: Opposite 12: See C12: Can’t See? 13: Warm C13: Opposite warm=cold C13(4): Cold Sheep? Answer: D

D13: Change warm? D1 (13): change water (warm) E(CG): small female EG: big female Answer: E

UKCAT-Decision Analysis

Date Remark

1 May 2012 Registration Opens

3 July 2012 Testing begins

21 September 2012 Registration deadline, bursary

application deadline and exemption

application deadline

5 October 2012 Last testing date

Test fees: £65 EU(July-August), £80 EU (September – October) / £100 Non EU

More info: http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/

UKCAT Key Dates

Practice Books

(These books are available at Kino)

• 2 hour pen and paper test

Taken from: http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/bmat/about

Section Time

(mins) Items

Aptitude and Skills 60 35 multiple choice or

short answer

Scientific

Knowledge and

Application

30 27 multiple choice or

short answer

Writing Task 30 1 essay question

from a choice of 4

• Test taken at British Council, Singapore • Date of Exam: Wednesday, 7 November 2012, 9am GMT • Cost: 1st September – 1st October £72.50 (standard) 2nd October– 15th October £102.50 (late registration)

Format of BMAT

Date Remark

1 September 2012 Entries Extranet Opens

14 September 2012 Last date for requests for modified

question papers (eg. Braille or

enlarged)

1 October 2012 (BST 5pm) Standard entry closing date. Entries

after this will be charged a late fee.

15 October 2012 Last date for BMAT entry.

15 October 2012 Last date for requests for

reimbursement of BMAT fees

7 November 2012 BMAT

21 November 2012 BMAT results released

28 November 2012

Last date for BMAT result enquiry

submissions

BMAT – Key Dates

Practice Books

More info: http://www.bmat.org.uk

Applying to UK Dental Schools

UK Dental Schools: 1. University of Birmingham B.D.S. 2. University of Bristol B.D.S. 3. University of Leeds B.Ch.D. 4. University of Liverpool B.D.S. 5. University of London B.D.S. - King’s College London - Bart’s and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry

6. University of Manchester B.D.S. 7. University of Newcastle upon Tyne B.D.S. 8. University of Sheffield B.D.S. 9. Queen’s University of Belfast B.D.S. 10. University of Dundee B.D.S. 11. University of Edinburgh B.D.S. 12. University of Glasgow B.D.S. 13. University of Wales B.D.S.

1.National University of Ireland 2. University of Dublin

Taken from www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg

Ireland Dental Schools:

• Application opens before the sitting of A’levels/IB • UCAS deadline same as for medicine – 15th October • You would need reference letter from a teacher, and

their sealed predicted grades • For dentistry, a minimum of 2A and 1B is required, in

which the ‘A’ must be for Biology, and either Mathematics or Chemistry must be an ‘A’

Dental School Admissions Procedures and Prerequisites

Advice

• Personal statement is very important, do try to make it sound interesting and fluent

• Having some clinical experiences/observation to include would be great

• King’s College London being the biggest dental school in the UK (140 spaces), probably offers the highest chance of entering

• About 10-15 spaces are offered to International students, as opposed to 3-5 spaces in other smaller dental schools

Advice

• The downside to KCL is the higher cost of the tuition fees (about 30K GBP=60K SGD per year) and cost of living

• Interviews are held after A’levels in between Jan-April

• They can be held in Singapore or in the UK

• Bart’s Interview: Singapore British Council

• KCL Interview: in London

• Some universities do offer Skype Interviews

Q&A Session

Who to contact?

18th SMSUK Committee

Email us at sms.unitedkingdom@gmail.com

Visit our website at http://www.sms-uk.net/

(Powerpoint slides and brochure available on the website)

The End

Good luck for A’s and we

hope to see you in the UK!