Studying at Edinburgh Medical School

Overview

The University of Edinburgh was established their medical school in 1726 and has since produced sever Nobel Prize winners in Medicine, the most recent being in 2017 for research into circadian rhythms. The course takes a traditional teaching approach with the first two years focused on the basic medical sciences, followed by a compulsory intercalation and final three clinical years. Edinburgh does integrate clinical skills during pre-clinical years with GP placement and community projects.

Edinburgh take into account your secondary school academic performance, UCAT score and SJT banding when considering who to shortlist for interview. Therefore it’s an ideal pick for students with an all-round strong application.

Key Points

• Scotland
• UCAT
• Compulsory Intercalation
• Traditional Course Structure

Insider’s Guide to Edinburgh Medical School from Mohamed, Edinburgh Medical Student

What makes Edinburgh unique to other medical schools?

In my opinion, there are quite a few things that make Edinburgh unique to other medical schools. For starters, we only have one written exam at the end of each semester, rather than having a separate exam for pharmacology, histology, biochemistry etc. This is because the university wants to ensure that the students do not stress too much, and a great emphasis is constantly made that “the hard part was getting in, but once you are in, we will do our best to make you graduate easily”. Also, the university creates this thing called Acfams, which is short for academic families. In them, you, as a first year, get paired with two parents from the years above you, and two siblings from your year. These families have to compete in challenges against each other, help each other with academics, and just allow everyone to be connected. This eventually leads to everyone knowing each other throughout the 6 years, because you would have grandparents and grandchildren, and so it is a very effective way to meet people who are a few years older/younger than you.

Course Structure at Edinburgh Medical School

Year 1 at Edinburgh Medical School

In year 1, you will study the basics of biomedicine such as anatomy, pharmacology and prescribing. You will also have weekly classes given by different doctors regarding specific diseases and illnesses, ranging from tension pneumothorax to ankylosing spondylitis, allowing you to learn clinical knowledge as well. You will also have an ethics class and a research class, which are essential in forming a good doctor.

Year 2 at Edinburgh Medical School

In year 2, you will continue studying biomedicine, but will also develop more clinical skills, history taking, and research. You will have a weekly GP placement, where you get to learn how to implement your clinical knowledge and skills into actually treating patients. You will also be working on your student selected component (SSC) which can also be published.

Year 3 at Edinburgh Medical School

You will have to do compulsory intercalation, which is really exciting as you get to choose what areas you have a passion for, and learn about them in depth. Many students often choose studying surgical sciences, as that includes them going to actual surgeries and learning from a surgeon. Anaesthetics is also a popular option, as you will also get to go to the hospital and be present inside surgeries. The university offers many different types of intercalations, and if there is one that they do not have, they will allow you to attend other universities for the year in order to allow you to work in your passion.

Year 4 at Edinburgh Medical School

In year 4 your schedule finally starts mainly revolving around clinical placements! You cover some more biomedical sciences, but the main focus will be on working on the wards and GP practices, and learning clinical skills, along with learning how to work in a team with other doctors.

Year 5 at Edinburgh Medical School

In year 5, the clinical placements continue and you will rotate around different specialties throughout the year, working in different wards every rotation. During this time, all year 5 students also learn how to create their very own research project, which their professional mentor will guide them through. This allows you to have some publishable work (could even be clinical)!

Year 6 at Edinburgh Medical School

In the final year of the course, you will start preparing to finally be a doctor! You will continue with your rotations in different specialties, and will be allowed to perform some procedures on your own, finally experiencing what doctors do! Also, year 6 in Edinburgh allows you to travel and do a placement in another country, ranging from the United States all the way to Japan! This allows you to learn even more about medicine, and how it is different in other parts of the world!

Teaching Style at Edinburgh Medical School

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

Edinburgh teaches in an integrated approach, allowing both PBL and Lectures to be used. This allows you to first learn the material in the lectures, and then often discuss problems revolving around the biomedical sciences you have previously learnt.

Does Edinburgh offer dissection?

Edinburgh offers prossection in their degree, allowing all medical students to directly see the important anatomical structures. You wear gloves and rotate as groups looking at all the cadavers. If however you wish to do full dissection, then you can intercalate in anatomy at Edinburgh, allowing you a full year of dissection at the cadaveric lab.

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

Yes, Edinburgh offers a BSc, or intercalated year. The University has many different options available for their intercalated year, ranging from surgical sciences all the way to zoology.

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

In the first semester, you have around 3 tutorials with a GP learning about ethics and preparing to meet a patient, after which you get to interview the patient who has a chronic illness, and explore the patient’s diagnosis. After the first year, clinical exposure rises, and you start having weekly GP placements, as well as many more clinical skills labs.

Social Life at Edinburgh Medical School

What are the clubs and societies like? What is the social life like?

There are all types of clubs and societies available covering almost every possible hobby and passion someone might have, ranging from archery all the way to quidditch. If you can imagine a hobby, chances are we have a society for it. Also, since Edinburgh is a capital city, there are many events happening throughout the year, and it is never quite; from fireworks to light festivals to historic celebrations, there is always something happening in the city.

FAQs