Triangle

Course overview

Already have a degree, but want to move into medicine and start your journey to become a doctor?

Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is designed specifically for graduates to prepare you for a successful career in medicine. You'll learn from world-leading researchers and clinicians to achieve your goals.

The course is split into two phases:

  • the early years, where students learn the skills and knowledge required to become a doctor
  • the later years, called the Clinical Phase, where students put their learning into practice on placements at hospitals and GP surgeries

You'll be taught by experienced tutors in a modern purpose-built medical school with an excellent reputation for teaching and research. 

At Nottingham, you'll join a great student community, with a student-led society that is always putting on events throughout the year and provides support in the form of peer mentoring and more.

With us you'll get the clinical skills you need for a successful career in medicine and still have time to enjoy your university experience.

Join us at an open day

Find out more about this course at our GEM open day on Saturday 1 October. Learn more and reserve your place.

Application process

We understand that applying for medicine can be complex. Please visit our applying to GEM guide for full information.

Why choose this course?

Open to all

Open to people with a degree in any subject

Welcoming early years

Learn in purpose-built facilities and be part of a small group of students in the early years of the course at our modern medical school at the Royal Derby Hospital.

Work with patients

through regular visits to GPs from as early as your first term in your first year and hospitals in your final years.

Placements

Experience placements across a range of NHS trusts and general practices in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2023 entry.

UK entry requirements
A level N/A

Please note: Applicants whose backgrounds or personal circumstances have impacted their academic performance may receive a reduced offer. Please see our contextual admissions policy for more information.
IB score N/A

Degree offer

Minimum of a 2:2 degree in any discipline

Additional information

If you have applied for Medicine previously (or you have been interviewed for Medicine at Nottingham on only one occasion previously), we will usually be able to consider your application.

If you’ve successfully completed or are due to complete a postgraduate masters or PhD degree, we will consider your application even if you achieved a third class degree at undergraduate level.

Offer conditions

You must also be able to provide us with ratified evidence of your completed degree by 20 July of your year of entry, this is usually a copy of your final degree transcript or your certificate.

If you are not going to be able to submit the transcript for your undergraduate degree by 20 July, we strongly advise you to withdraw your application before the interview stage and apply the following year.

Similarly, if you are not going to be able to submit the transcript for a postgraduate degree by 20 July (and this qualification is required in order to meet the academic entrance requirements) we advise you to apply the following year.

It is not possible to defer applications.

Please note that you cannot be registered on two full-time degrees at once. If you are currently attending an undergraduate or postgraduate course, you must complete this prior to the beginning of term (usually late August or early September).

English language

If English is not your first language, you will need to have proof of your fluency with one of the following:

  • IELTS 7.5 (no less than 7.0 in any element)
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic) 79 (minimum 76)
  • Cambridge Proficiency/Advanced test (from January 2015) 191 with no element below 185

Work experience

Applicants are usually expected to complete regular work experience when applying for medicine.

This can be:

  • Volunteering in a care related setting
  • Volunteering with disadvantaged groups
  • Paid employment in a job working with the general public

As part of our application process, we usually send you a questionnaire in which we ask you to provide details of relevant work or volunteering experience from the previous 36 months. This may include a description of the experience, dates for when it took place, and a reference contact.

Please note, we are not expecting any significant work experience to have taken place between March 2020 and May 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Your application for 2023 entry will not be negatively affected if you’ve not been able to complete as much work experience as you originally planned. We will however be looking for some experiences, knowledge of the profession and an understanding of the scope of the role which we may ask you about if you are interviewed. If you're unsure about your work experience, contact us. 

If possible we'd advise that you speak to someone working in the NHS to ensure you are making an informed choice about your career in medicine.

We expect you to demonstrate a commitment to caring for people and a realistic idea of what working as a doctor entails.

Test

You must also complete the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT).

This is to ensure you have the knowledge and reasoning skills needed to study medicine. You can sit the GAMSAT as many times as you wish, but we will only use your highest results obtained during the last two years. You must have taken the GAMSAT before you apply. The test results are valid for two years.

Find out more about the GAMSAT.

To be considered for an interview, you must achieve a minimum score of:

  • 55 in Section 2
  • 55 in either Section 1 or 3
  • 50 in the remaining section

Interviews are offered to those who achieve the highest total scores in GAMSAT. If a large number of applicants obtain the same total score, the section scores may also be used as a ‘tie breaker’.

Find out more about how we use the GAMSAT in the Graduate Entry Medicine selection process web page.

Interview

You will be required to have an interview.

Interviews usually take the form of a small panel interview or adopt the multiple mini interview format. Interviews may be held face to face or online using Microsoft Teams.

Fitness to practise

We must be confident in your conduct, health and ability to be professional and interact safely with patients.

As part of your application, you'll be required to have an occupational health assessment and a disclosure and barring service (DBS) check.

We cannot accept pre-existing DBS checks. More information about this will be sent to you closer to your start date.

If we have any serious concerns we will not offer you a place, and reserve the right to revoke offers should serious concerns arise before starting the course.

Find out more about fitness to practise.

Excluded students database

When offering places to students we check the MSC Excluded Students Database as part of our commitment to professionalism and fitness to practise. We may also ask if you have encountered professionalism issues with other professional bodies such as the Pharmacy Council or the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

If either we or another medical school have terminated your studies, your details are shared with regulatory bodies and other medical schools through this database.

Offers

All offers are made subject to being successful at interview, and having an occupational health assessment, DBS clearance, and no fitness to practise issues.

If you are still studying for the required qualifications and your predicted grades meet the entry requirements, offers will be conditional on you achieving those grades.

If you have already met the offer requirements, offers will be unconditional subject to having an occupational health assessment, DBS clearance, and no fitness to practise issues.

Find out more about the Graduate Entry Medicine selection process webpage.

Mature Students

At the University of Nottingham, we have a valuable community of mature students and we appreciate their contribution to the wider student population. You can find lots of useful information on the mature students webpage.

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

Teaching methods

  • Anatomy sessions
  • Clinical relevance sessions
  • Clinical skills sessions
  • eLearning
  • Lab sessions
  • Lectures
  • Placements
  • Practical classes
  • Problem-based learning
  • Prosection
  • Self-study
  • Seminars
  • Small group learning
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops

How you will be assessed

Assessment methods

  • Case studies
  • Clinical exams
  • Coursework
  • Examinations
  • Formative assessments
  • Logbooks
  • Objective structured clinical exams
  • Portfolio (written/digital)
  • Poster presentation
  • Practical exams
  • Presentation
  • Short project
  • Workplace-based assessment

Contact time and study hours

During your first 18 months, you will have approximately 14 to 15 hours of teaching contact time with around eight hours of independent study per week. You will also spend around four hours on placement every five weeks.

During your time on the Clinical Phas,e you will spend between 35 to 40 hours across five days every week studying and on placements. You’ll spend around two to three days on ward, clinic or GP placement visits per week with one day of independent study and one to two days of teaching contact time. This will include some time on call and some out-of-hours work.

Your holidays will also differ during the Clinical Phase from the standard student timetable. You will get around the same holiday you would get on a regular job for each of your final years, approximately six weeks. This is usually taken as two weeks at Christmas, two weeks at Easter, and two weeks during the summer.

Study abroad

You're given a five-week elective placement at the end of your final year which you can usually spend abroad (this is extended to six-weeks to allow for travel). Elective placement destinations will depend on location restrictions (such as Covid-19, climate-related disasters, etc).

Placements

The course includes 15 main placements over the clinical phase, with each lasting up to six weeks. There are also 10 weeks of student selected modules and a six-week elective placement.

You will experience a range of settings including medical, surgical, specialty skills, mental health and community-based medicine. Placements are located within four large NHS trusts in the region, as well as with general practices.

During placements, you will be supported by experienced clinical mentors.

Placements can take place in:

  • Nottingham at the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham City Hospital, and Highbury Hospital
  • Derby at Royal Derby Hospital
  • Mansfield at King's Mill Hospital
  • Chesterfield at Chesterfield Royal Hospital
  • GP practices across the region

Find out more about where clinical placements take place

Study Abroad and the Year in Industry are subject to students meeting minimum academic requirements. Opportunities may change at any time for a number of reasons, including curriculum developments, changes to arrangements with partner universities, travel restrictions or other circumstances outside of the university’s control. Every effort will be made to update information as quickly as possible should a change occur.

Modules

Building on the intellectual skills of your previous degree, your first 18 months will see you work in small groups to examine clinical scenarios using case studies, and study the various different systems of the body. 

In the final months of your second year, you'll begin the Clinical Phase which will see you rotate through a series of placements at major teaching hospitals and within primary care across the region.

Structure, function and defence

This module introduces students to the study of basic and clinical medical sciences and their clinical and ethical context through the medium of problem-based learning. It aims to familiarise the student with the depth and breadth of knowledge required and with the instructional process. It introduces basic concepts concerning the structure, function and defence of the body. 

Cardiovascular sciences

This module covers the basic structure and function of the cardiovascular system in normal and a range of common abnormal conditions. 

Respiratory sciences

This module covers the basic structure and function of the respiratory system in normal and a range of common abnormal conditions.

Endocrine system

This module covers the basic structure and function of the endocrine system in normal and a range of common abnormal conditions.

Limbs and back

This module covers the basic structure and function of the musculoskeletal system - limbs and back specifically - in normal and a range of common abnormal conditions.

Alimentary system

This module covers the basic structure and function of the alimentary system in normal and a range of common abnormal conditions. This includes introduction to the basic anatomy, physiology, psychology and pharmacology of the alimentary system - that follows the processing of food from the mouth to anus, principles of nutrition, clinical problems found in the gastrointestinal system and principles of their management.

Personal and professional development 1

This module begins the process of personal and professional development of future doctors. It employs a regular cycle of recording, analysis, reflection and action planning covering progress in the GEM course. In addition, it comprises instruction and practice in the areas of basic communication & clinical skills and professional development as a doctor (e.g. ethics). Also included is a programme of part-time placements in primary care and sessions with patients in the medical school.

Assessment comprises a portfolio that includes assessed coursework, certification of a range of basic clinical skills and summative OSCEs at the ends of Years 1 and 2. Assessment of clinical skills is conjunctive not compensatory -  the required level of competence must be achieved on each of the specified skills. 

Neurosciences

This module covers the basic structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems in normal and a range of common abnormal conditions. This includes introduction to the basic anatomy, physiology, psychology and pharmacology of the central nervous system - the anatomy of the brain and cranial nerves, the motor systems in health and disease, the somatosensory system and psychology and pharmacology of pain, consciousness, sleep and arousal. Structural and functional abnormality encountered in common neurological conditions such as dementia, epilepsy, stroke & multiple sclerosis will be covered. 

Personal and professional development 2

This module begins the process of personal and professional development of future doctors. It employs a regular cycle of recording, analysis, reflection and action planning covering progress in the GEM course. In addition, it comprises instruction and practice in the areas of basic communication & clinical skills and professional development as a doctor (e.g. ethics). Also included is a programme of part-time placements in primary care and sessions with patients in the medical school.

Assessment comprises a portfolio that includes assessed coursework, certification of a range of basic clinical skills and summative OSCEs at the ends of Years 1 and 2. Assessment of clinical skills is conjunctive not compensatory - the required level of competence must be achieved on each of the specified skills. 

Urogenital system

This module covers the basic structure and function of the renal and reproductive systems in normal and a range of common abnormal condition. 

Integrative module

This module covers all the systems of the human body.

It aims to integrate and consolidate understanding of the normal structure and function of the human body and of key ways in which these are disturbed in the diseases and conditions studied in the earlier modules of the GEM programme. This is done by basing learning around a number of clinical cases involving multi-system disease.

It includes review of aspects of microbiology, pharmacology, population medicine (epidemiology, public health, evidence-based medicine), behavioural, psychological, social and professional issues. 

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Thursday 24 November 2022.

Your final two years form the majority of the Clinical Phase. You'll rotate through a series of six-week placements at major teaching hospitals and within primary care across the region. These years will provide you with the professional knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours to succeed through direct experience.

During both years you will have the option of student selected modules which can be at home or abroad and will end with a six-week placement of your choice and a medical assistantship to prepare you for the UK Foundation Programme.

Foundations for Practice

This phase provides students with the opportunity to acquire and develop professional knowledge, skills, values and behaviours through experiential learning in primary care settings, outpatient clinics, operating theatres, the emergency room and patients’ homes. This is combined with seminars and simulation-based learning.

This phase will comprise of an introductory week followed by five sets of six-week placements in medicine, surgery, specialty skills, mental health and community-based medicine.

Placements are integrated to allow students to maximise their learning in each setting. After two placements there will be a formative assessment week, and at the end of the five placements, students will have summative assessments. Students will progress to a 12-week block involving a two-week junior assistantship and 10 weeks of two or four-week Student Selected Modules (SSMs). Students will choose from a wide variety of SSMs from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

Advanced Practice

This final phase of the course is divided into two components: Advanced Practice 1 and Advanced Practice 2.

This part of the course is intended to prepare students for the transition to working as a Foundation doctor and enable appropriate preparation for the GMC Medical Licensing Assessment.

Advanced Practice will consist of an introductory week followed by a series of clinical placements including a formative assessment mid-way through between Advanced Practice 1 and 2. Topics covered will include: Health Care of Later Life; Leadership and Management training; Intermediate Medicine including Rheumatology; Cancer and Palliative Care; Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Advanced Primary Care; Critical Illness; Advanced Medicine and Surgery. Upon completion of these clinical placements, a revision week will be held followed by the final summative examinations.

Transition to Practice

The Transition to Practice programme is embedded in within the Advanced Practice phase. This is completed with a final 12-week period incorporating a six-week elective and a six-week senior medical assistantship.

The elective period is an opportunity for you to gain insight into medical practice in a different setting within the UK or anywhere in the world. The elective holds an exciting opportunity that will provide you with a chance to expand your skill set and overcome new challenges.

During the medical assistantship you will apply previous learning to the practical assessment and management of patients by workplace based learning. You will be expected to attain the level of practice of an FY1 doctor at the start of their employment being assessed by portfolio and logbook review. It will include shadowing a Foundation Year 1 doctor, and provides an excellent preparation for your own Foundation Year training.  

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on
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Where you will learn

Royal Derby Hospital

Royal Derby Hospital is based in the city of Derby, around 15 miles from Nottingham. This modern, purpose-built building offers you all the facilities you need to study.

You will have access to laboratories and anatomy, clinical skills and computer suites. The NHS library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. View a tour of the medical school online.

You can travel to University Park Campus in around 45 minutes on our free hopper bus. Derby city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus.

Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Where you will learn

Medical School – Queen's Medical Centre

Our Medical School is based in Queen’s Medical Centre, one of the UK’s largest hospitals.

There are dedicated clinical skills facilities including a dissection suite and teaching laboratories for medicine and healthcare students.

The hospital is located opposite University Park Campus and connected by a footbridge for easy access. Nottingham city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus or tram.

Fees and funding

UK students

£9,250
Per year

International students

£28,700*
Per year

*For full details including fees for part-time students and reduced fees during your time studying abroad or on placement (where applicable), see our fees page.

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

Additional costs

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses such as travel and accommodation.

  • £40 for an enhanced DBS check, and you may wish to subscribe to the DBS update service for £13 per year.
  • £12 to £30 for a lab coat
  • £65+ for a stethoscope

You may need to buy some smart clothes to wear for clinical work settings.

You should be able to access the books and resources you need for the course through our libraries, however, you may wish to purchase your own copies or get specific books which may cost up to £80 each.

Scholarships and bursaries

In the final year of your course, students who live in the UK are eligible for NHS bursary funding (with some exceptions) which can help cover living costs and tuition fees.

Find out more about the NHS Bursary

Home students*

Over one third of our UK students receive our means-tested core bursary, worth up to £1,000 a year. Full details can be found on our financial support pages.

* A 'home' student is one who meets certain UK residence criteria. These are the same criteria as apply to eligibility for home funding from Student Finance.

International students

We offer a range of international undergraduate scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

International scholarships

Careers

On graduating, you'll be able to provisionally register with the General Medical Council (GMC) for a licence to practice medicine in the UK. We'll help you through this process and provide support as you transition to the UK Foundation Programme.

To fully register with the GMC and be able to practice medicine unsupervised in the NHS or as part of a private practice, you will need to complete a Medical Licensing Assessment and complete the UK Foundation Programme.

Find out more about the GMC registration process

While most students continue in a traditional medical career to become doctors, a medicine degree can lead to careers in research, sales, journalism, illustration, communications, and economics and more.

Average starting salary and career progression

A doctor on the UK Foundation Programme can expect to start at £27,689 to £32,050.

As you gain experience as a doctor and develop your professional skills, you may progress on to senior clinical posts and earn up to £107,688 depending on your role and years of service.

98.8% of medicine undergraduates from the School of Medicine secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £34,461.*

*HESA Graduate Outcomes 2020. The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on graduates working full-time within the UK.

Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.

Throughout your time with us, our Careers and Employability Service can work with you to improve your employability skills even further; assisting with job or course applications, searching for appropriate work experience placements and hosting events to bring you closer to a wide range of prospective employers.

Have a look at our careers page for an overview of all the employability support and opportunities that we provide to current students.

The University of Nottingham is consistently named as one of the most targeted universities by Britain’s leading graduate employers (Ranked in the top ten in The Graduate Market in 2013-2020, High Fliers Research).

General Medical Council (GMC)

This course is accredited by the General Medical Council (GMC). Upon graduation, you will be able to register provisionally with the GMC and begin the UK Foundation Programme. 

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" We develop exceptional knowledge and skills in Derby. The support we receive provides a great foundation for a fulfilling career in medicine. "
Joshua Valverde, Graduate Entry Medicine BMBS

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Important information

This online prospectus has been drafted in advance of the academic year to which it applies. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content) are likely to occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for the course where there has been an interval between you reading this website and applying.