The practice of Medicine offers a breadth of experiences that it is impossible to find in any other subject. Every day brings different patients with different needs. It’s a great choice for scientists who strive to understand and apply research findings to improve the lives of the patients in their care. It offers a meaningful career that is prestigious, secure and relatively well paid. However, practising Medicine can be arduous, stressful, frustrating and bureaucratic and it’s not suited to everyone. You need to be sure that Medicine is the right choice for you. These pages will help you work that out, but there’s no better way to find out for sure than by gaining insight of medical practice by seeing it in action and talking to those who provide healthcare. Studying Medicine because that is what is expected of you is never a good idea: make sure that your motives for choosing to do so are well reasoned.
Medicine at Oxford
Medicine has been studied at Oxford from as early as the 14th century, although a Clinical School was established as recently as 1936 by a benefaction from Lord Nuffield for postgraduate teaching and research. Clinical student training started during the Second World War when medical students were evacuated from London. Today, the Medicine course at Oxford provides a well-rounded intellectual training with particular emphasis on the basic science research that underpins medicine. We have retained a distinct three-year pre-clinical stage that includes studying towards a BA Honours degree in Medical Sciences, followed by a three-year clinical stage.
Although the Medical School at Oxford has expanded in recent times, it remains relatively small, allowing students and staff to get to know one another and benefit from a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Careers
From becoming a GP to training as a brain surgeon, a vast array of speciality training pathways is available after obtaining a medical qualification, ranging from anaesthesia or emergency medicine through obstetrics or ophthalmology to paediatrics or psychiatry.
Of course, you need not remain confined to the surgery or the operating theatre: the lecture theatre or the laboratory could also beckon. Some of our graduates end up leading the education of the next generation of doctors or directing biomedical research. You don’t need to know right now what you want to do when you qualify: the Medical School organises careers sessions for final-year clinical students and helps students learn about and apply for foundation house officer posts.
BM BCh graduates are entitled to provisional registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) with a licence to practise, subject to demonstrating to the GMC that their fitness to practise is not impaired.
Brad, who graduated in 2004, currently works as a Forensic Psychiatrist with mentally disordered offenders at Broadmoor high security psychiatric hospital. Brad developed through tutorials at Oxford the strong academic knowledge base and confidence to challenge ‘received wisdom’. This has allowed him to diversify his clinical career to include roles in leadership and innovation in the NHS.
The standard course (A100)
We have retained a course with distinct pre-clinical and clinical sections that includes studying towards a BA Honours degree in Medical Sciences.
Applicants are initially admitted to the pre-clinical section of the course. Entry to the Oxford Clinical School is competitive; however, currently a joint admissions scheme (under review) is in place with the Universities of Cambridge and London to ensure that all suitably qualified Oxford pre-clinical students will be allocated a clinical school place within the scheme. The majority of students continue their clinical training in Oxford. Upon successful completion of clinical training and the award of the BM BCh degree, subsequent years are spent on Foundation and Specialist Training programmes.
The Pre-clinical stage
The first five terms of this course are devoted to the ‘First BM’ (the 'First Examination for the Degree of the bachelor of Medicine and Surgery'). This addresses not only much of the science that underpins Medicine, but also the clinical problems that arise when systems fail. Students are introduced to the major systems of the body and study all aspects of their structure and function in health and also the principles of disease processes. Students are encouraged to develop an enquiring approach and to consider the experimental basis of the science in the course. Matters of clinical relevance are illustrated from the outset. There are clinical demonstrations in hospitals, and students make regular visits to GP tutors.
The First BM is followed by a four-term BA Honours course (the ‘Final Honour School’) in Medical Sciences. Students specialise in an area of biomedical science selected from one of five options. They will become fully accustomed to working from research papers and primary sources in the literature, and will be encouraged to think both critically and creatively. Students will gain in-depth knowledge of their chosen option, and will improve their technical ability both at the bench and in the use of electronic resources to handle and present experimental results and to search scientific databases.
The Principles of Clinical Anatomy course, delivered at the end of the third year, is designed to teach students clinically relevant aspects of anatomy that will be of immediate use in their clinical years. This is compulsory for students progressing to clinical training at Oxford or elsewhere, but does not impact on the degree classification obtained for the BA in Medical Sciences.
Teaching methods and study support
During the pre-clinical stage of the course, the college tutorial system is a central feature: students see their tutors and are taught weekly in groups often as small as two. This teaching can be tailored to individuals’ needs and interests. Most University lectures, seminars and practical classes take place in the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre in the Science Area. Lecturers are drawn from Oxford’s extensive pre-clinical and clinical departments, all of which have international reputations for excellence in research, and the courses are organised on an interdisciplinary basis so as to emphasise the interrelatedness of all aspects of the curriculum.
Research work
In addition to taking written and computer-based examinations, and submitting practical reports and an extended essay, students undertake a research project as part of their BA course. This will be in a field of interest to the student, and will offer valuable first-hand experience of scientific research. Students have the opportunity to undertake research in a laboratory from a wide range of departments within the University.
A typical weekly timetable
During the First BM, lectures and practicals occupy about half of the time, and the remainder is free for tutorial work, self-directed study and extra-curricular activities. During the BA course, formal lecturing is kept to a minimum, and students are mostly free to pursue their research and to prepare for tutorials and seminars. Strong academic support ensures that students manage their time effectively.
| First BM Part 1 - Terms 1-3 | |
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| First BM Part 2 - Terms 4 -6 | |
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| Final Honour School in Medical Sciences - Terms 6–9 | |
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To progress to clinical training, at the end of Term 9 students take:
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Progress to Clinical training
In December of the third year, students must apply to be accepted by a clinical school. Currently a joint admissions scheme (under review) is in place with the Universities of Cambridge and London to ensure that all suitably qualified Oxford pre-clinical students will be allocated a clinical school place within the scheme. Of those who choose to apply to the Oxford Clinical School, about 85% have been successful in past years. The rest mostly go to London or to Cambridge. No student is guaranteed a place in Oxford, but there are sufficient places in the system to ensure that all qualified students will find a place for their clinical training. Upon completion of the clinical stage of the course, the subsequent years are spent on Foundation and Specialist Training programmes.
Retrived from http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/medicine at 04/09/2014 at 3:07a.m.
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