Studying at Leicester Medical School

Overview

The University of Leicester has been training medical professionals for the past 40 years. The curriculum takes patient-centered approach with the integration of clinical attachments very early, from year 1. Leicester Medical School are keen to incorporate the latests and most modern technology into teaching, and generously provide all students with iPads to facilitate this. The facilities are modern, with a recent £42 million investment to create the most up-to-date learning environment. Leicester are one of the only medical schools to still provide the opportunity to perform full-body dissections, with fully-equipped and recently renovated dissecting rooms.

Leicester place equal emphasis on UCAT score and previous academic experience (such as GCSE performance or degree classification when selecting applicants to interview. Therefore it makes an ideal choice for candidates with a strong academic background as well as good UCAT performance. It’s also possible for an exceptional UCAT score to compensate for lower academic history, and vice versa, so it could also be a good choice for candidates who are extremely strong in either of these aspects.

Key Points

• UCAT
• Integrated Course
• Optional Intercalation

Insider’s Guide to Leicester Medical School from Zarva, Leicester Medical Student

What makes Leicester unique to other medical schools?

Leicester has a dissection room which is used the most in first year. Prior to the dissection day students are provided with some pre-reading on the topic being taught. They get provided with a workbook which has all the notes. Then they go through the information through lectures, apply that knowledge in group work and proceed to dissect that part of the body on cadavers. By the end of the day students have consolidated the same information in 4 different ways which really strengthens their understanding of anatomy.

Additionally, Leicester really recognizes the emotional challenges that come with being a medical student. They have included ‘Health Enhancement Programme’ in their course that teaches students research supported ways to manage your mental health and encourages practice of healthy habits like meditation. Equally, they allow students to choose your clinical partners in clinical years which makes outblock placements really fun and less stressful since they have their support system there in times of difficulties.

Course Structure at Leicester Medical School

Year 1 at Leicester Medical School

The first year focus on strengthening your microbiology, genetics, pharmacological and general human body knowledge. There will also be some system specific modules such as cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system and endocrinology which really form the basis of student’s knowledge when moving into second year. Additionally, as the student progresses through the year, they are taught key history taking and clinical skills through fortnightly sessions. Importance of maintaining a healthy body and mind is emphasized through practical teaching on meditation and by engaging in activities for stress management.

Year 2 at Leicester Medical School

The second year focuses on key systems of the body such as:

Head and Neck, Respiratory System, Gastrointestinal system, Reproductive System and the Urinary System. 

The next semester focuses on Pharmacology, Neurology and Immunology. These semesters are taught extremely well, the professors keep the content interesting, allowing students to really consolidate and apply their knowledge through group work cases. Semester three is expected to be the most content heavy semester but the support provided by the medical school in terms of resources and good quality teaching really makes it manageable. For first and second year, after each semester there are summative exams which allow your knowledge to be tested. The exams are cumulative so the content being tested increases overtime allowing the students to really consolidate knowledge as they progress.

Year 3 at Leicester Medical School

The first clinical year focuses on Medicine, Surgery and GP block of 12 weeks each. And there is student selected component (SSC) at the end of the year which allows students to choose which specialty and location they would like to spend their 3 week placement at. Some of the outblock locations students can be sent to include: Kettering, Northampton, Burton and Peterborough. For the GP block these locations can expand out to Corby and Loughborough. All accommodation is provided for free on outblock. The accommodations are usually hospital accommodations, thus are quite well kept and comfortable for living.

Year 4 at Leicester Medical School

For the second clinical year, clinical placements occur in specialist areas of healthcare such as paediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, older person’s health care, cancer care, special senses (neurology, dermatology, ophthalmology, ENT) and psychiatry. The length of these blocks is seven weeks and the locations are similar to third year with the addition of Bedford, Lincoln and Grantham.

Year 5 at Leicester Medical School

There is a foundation doctor assistantship organized that helps to prepare the student for being a good foundation doctor. The placements are expected to be in areas of medicine, A&E, surgery and general practice. The year ends with finals and elective.

Teaching Style at Leicester Medical School

What is the general teaching style at Leicester? E.g. is it PBL/Traditional? etc.

Leicester is known for integration of both traditional and some PBL styled teaching. The lectures in first year are delivered between 9am to 1pm. These lectures are delivered by professors, clinicians and clinical teaching fellows. Following the lectures, there are group work sessions which are tailored to answer many questions testing students’ understanding of the content of the lecture. Although, answers to the questions are not specifically provided, the clinical teaching fellows (CTFs) are allocated to each group room of 4 groups. These CTFs guide the students through the cases and answer any questions the students may have.

Does Leicester offer dissection?

Yes, as mentioned above Leicester openly integrates dissection into their curriculum. This begins from the first semester and gets incorporated more frequently in the second semester. Additionally, Leicester tests students on this anatomy knowledge through dissection exams such as Integrated Understanding Assessment (IUA) and Integrated Understanding Practical Assessment (IUPA). IUA is a formative dissection exam which involves identify key structures on prosections and writing your answers on the answer sheet under exam conditions. IUPA is a summative exam at the end of second year which is similar to IUA but requires answering those questions verbally to the examiner assigned to the specific station.

Does Leicester offer a BSc? If so, how is the BSc year?

Leicester does offer a BSc, there are many different courses such as Psychology and biomedical science. There are also opportunities to do a MSc in clinical education, healthcare and management and quality and safety in healthcare.

What is the pre-clinical / clinical split like? Do you get early clinical exposure?

In first year, there will be a 2-week clinical experience at the end of the year to help students consolidate some of their learning. Additionally, there is a compassionate caring holistic diagnostic detective (CHDD) module which allows students to engage in online patients’ knows best service where you get to practice history taking and social prescribing on a real patient through an online GP service. In the second year there are about 3 bedside clinical teaching on your examinations per semester. As part of the CHDD programme you have fortnightly sessions led by a GP where you practice your history taking and examination skills.

Social Life at Leicester Medical School

What are the clubs and societies like?

Leicester medical school have their own main society called LUSUMA which includes a massive variety of different societies. These include sports societies, personal interest societies such as (SpaceMed) and specific specialty societies which aid you further through peer mentoring revision schemes and revision lectures.

What is the social life like?

The city center of Leicester is filled with exciting activities such as places for bowling, arcade games, mini golf, table tennis and ninja warriors. The city is filled with diverse food places that are at a reasonable price for students. The night life is always great as it is always organized by LUSUMA in consideration of exams.

FAQs