Advice on applying for a course in medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

Undergraduate courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine in the UK all lead to professional registration to practice and the universities must ensure that their degree programmes meet the recommendations of the relevant Statutory Body and comply with QAA Subject Benchmarks.

Statutory recommendations for Medicine may be found at http://www.gmc-uk.org/med_ed/default.htm, for Dentistry at http://www.gdc-uk.org/educate.html, and for Veterinary Medicine at http://www.rcvs.org.uk/visitors/vetcareers/careersinfo.html. QAA Benchmarks can be found at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/crntwork/benchmark/phase2consult.htm

Admission to all three professional subject areas requires the demonstration of a high level of academic achievement, usually determined by ‘A’ level grades or their equivalent. While entry requirements, in terms of the subject combination offered, have become more relaxed, most Schools will still require a background in science. In considering their choice of course, applicants should research in good time the specific institutional entry requirements for each individual programme they are considering. A full list and easy access to the individual medical, dental and veterinary medical school web sites is provided at List of links to schools.

For most Schools, high academic achievement alone is not enough and they will in addition use other criteria to assess the individual candidate’s personal attributes, suitability and potential for future professional practice. Individual schools use a variety of methods to make such assessment, but typically these include careful assessment of the personal statement and open reference provided in the UCAS application, and structured or semi-structured interview. Most selection processes consider here such factors as motivation, enthusiasm, problem-solving ability, the potential for life-long learning, dedication, industry, empathy, and evidence of good communication skills, the ability to relate to others and involvement in extra-curricular activities.

Schools will be looking also for evidence of previous experience of interacting with people in a caring environment which may have been acquired in relation to previous employment/work experience or through hospital or voluntary work, or in the case of veterinary medicine, on farms and other animal establishments or working with veterinarians in practice. It is important to list the exact amount of time spent on these activities as some universities apply quantitative scores to such experiences.

Once an applicant has decided on the professional subject they wish to study, the next step is to consider the particular Schools to which they wish to make application. Factors that may influence this choice include:

• The reputation of the individual school – all medical, dental and veterinary schools in the UK have recently had the quality of their undergraduate provision assessed, and the individual QAA reports are available for the English schools at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/revreps/subj_index.asp
• The pedagogic approach and institutional learning and teaching strategy – will the methods of teaching and learning suit the candidate’s preferred learning style?
• In relation to dentistry and medicine, when do students get first contact with patients? - for some this is a key reason for going to certain schools as some promote early contact with patients while others delay this until later in the course.
• What opportunities are offered for student choice, e.g. to incorporate a period of intercalated study for an honours degree, to study a subject in depth or to pursue research; for elective periods which offer the opportunity to extend experience and study elsewhere, either at home or abroad.
• The availability of learning resources – What is the availability and state of the library, IT, laboratory and clinical facilities? Are these easy and freely accessible?
• The overall student experience – Is there a supportive environment? Are the staff supportive? Is there a good, supportive and welcoming atmosphere to the School? Are there good arrangements for academic, pastoral and welfare support? What is the availability of student accommodation, recreation and sporting amenities? What facilities and methods does the school have for dealing with students who have got problems, either social or with learning and is there support available for those who have difficulties?
• Location, this is important as most graduates tend to work, certainly in their first year, in the area where they qualified. One question prospective students should consider is whether or not they would like to live and work in the area.
• The arrangements for general clinical training after graduation in medicine and dentistry are organised by the local Postgraduate Institute - How good are the links to postgraduate vocational training (obligatory for medicine and dentistry)?

Much of the information required to inform choice may be obtained from the University prospectuses, brochures, and web sites, from open-days, and from talking to students past and present.

There is more information on the BMA website.