Overview
Highlights of GEM at Nottingham
- Created for applicants who wish to change career direction
- Enjoy learning in purpose-built facilities and be part of a small cohort of students in the early years of the course at our modern, purpose-built Medical School on the Royal Derby Hospital's site
- Learn anatomy by prosection in a dedicated anatomy suite
- Learn through a variety of teaching methods, including problem-based learning in small facilitated and interactive group sessions
- Gain competence in clinical skills and experience of history taking in a purpose built clinical skills suite
- Gain early interaction with patients through regular visits to general practices and hospitals
More information
Structure
Early Years
The first 18 months will be spent at our Medical School in Derby. During these early years, problem-based learning (PBL) methods are used in combination with a variety of other teaching methods, including: lectures, workshops and clinical skills sessions. Early clinical experience is also provided in clinical settings and personal and professional development is encouraged.
The course is divided into modules, each of which examines a different system of the body. Working in groups, you will study the underlying science, physiology and wider issues presented by a case study each week.
You will also take part in:
- anatomy workshops – looking at how the body works
- pathology workshops – examining the processes of disease
- clinical skills sessions – introducing all the skills you will need to practise medicine
- GP practice attachments – visiting a practice to see how your learning is applied in a clinical context
Clinical placements
The GEM students join their undergraduate five- and six-year counterparts for the clinical phase of the course and enjoy the same opportunities to rotate through placements in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire clinical hubs.
There are three main forms of teaching:
- Clinical clerkships – rotating through different clinical attachments to gain first-hand experience of all the modules
- Small-group teaching – providing basic instruction on specific topics
- Central teaching – lectures, clinical demonstrations and clinicopathological conferences complementing your practical experience, plus instruction in the legal and ethical aspects of medicine
Entry requirements
No offers are made without an interview.
GAMSAT
GAMSAT is used to ensure entrants have the requisite knowledge and reasoning skills needed to study medicine. You must have sat the GAMSAT before you apply. Test results are valid for two years. For 2020 entry, the last GAMSAT test date is Wednesday 11 September 2019.
Please note, the registration for GAMSAT and application to the School of Medicine via UCAS are separate processes and both are required for admission to the graduate entry course.
A higher cut off score is usually employed where an applicant has a lower second class honours degree.
Further information and costs are available on the GAMSAT website.
Work experience
A great deal of emphasis is placed on work experience, as we want to ensure that you are making a well-informed choice about your future career, something which a few days shadowing would not provide.
Relevant experience could include volunteering in a care home, or working as a healthcare assistant within a hospital.
English language requirements
- IELTS 7.5 (no less than 7.0 in any element)
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 73 (minimum 67)
- Certificate of Proficiency in English: Grade B
- Cambridge Proficiency/Advanced test (from January 2015) 191 with no element below 185
If you require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional course at the Centre for English Language Education, which is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.
Students who successfully complete the presessional course to the required level can progress onto their chosen degree course without retaking IELTS or equivalent.
For details of other English language tests and qualifications we accept, please see our entry requirements page.
Health note
Offers are subject to the results of hepatitis B and C, HIV, tuberculosis screening, two MMR vaccinations (or evidence of immunity to measles and rubella),and varicella vaccinations (or a history of having chicken pox). In addition, once you have been made an offer, you will be required to have an occupational health assessment.
Students with disabilities
If you have a disability, please seek advice from the School of Medicine before applying. The school welcomes students who have a disability but also has a responsibility to ensure all candidates admitted to the course will be eligible for registration by the General Medical Council on graduation. The GMC document 'Gateways to the professions’ provides further guidance.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
Offers are subject to satisfactory DBS clearance. The University is required to use the DBS to assess the suitability of applicants for medicine. Information held by the DBS will be considered on an individual basis and will be handled and disposed of securely in compliance with legislation. The GMC document ‘Outcomes for graduates’ sets out expectations for newly qualified doctors.
Conduct/Fitness to Practise
All UK medical schools have a duty to ensure that no member of the public is harmed as a consequence of participating in the training of medical students. If your conduct as an offer holder falls below the high standards of behaviour that the public has a right to expect, your offer may be subject to a review through the School of Medicine’s professionalism and fitness to practice processes. Students will also be expected to comply with regulations and policies required by the University of Nottingham.
Additional information
Teaching methods and assessment
There are two types of assessment on this course:
- Formative exams – these are usually taken at the end of one or two blocks and do not count towards your final result, but act as a guide to learning.
- Summative exams – these are taken at the end of each term in the form of clinical skills assessment. You will also take exams at the end of year one (July) and the end of the 18 months pre-clinical course (February) which, provided a satisfactory mark is attained, allow you to progress to the clinical phase of the course.
Medical Licensing Assessment
The GMC has decided to introduce a Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) from 2022 to demonstrate that those who obtain registration with a licence to practise medicine in the UK meet a common threshold for safe practice. Applicants should be aware that to obtain registration with a licence to practise, medical students will need to pass both parts of the MLA, pass university finals and demonstrate their fitness to practise.
The MLA will be in two parts: there will be a knowledge test, which will be set and run by the GMC, and an assessment, delivered by medical schools, that will evaluate students’ clinical and professional skills.
First 18 months
Typical year one/two modules (first 18 months)
- Alimentary System
- Cardiovascular sciences
- Endocrine system
- Limbs and back
- Neurosciences
- Respiratory sciences
Following the first 18 months, you will join A100 BMBS Medicine students to undertake the clinical phase.
Clinical Phase
Clinical placements
The GEM students join their undergraduate five- and six-year counterparts for the clinical phase of the course and enjoy the same opportunities to rotate through placements in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire clinical hubs.
There are three main forms of teaching:
- Clinical clerkships – rotating through different clinical attachments to gain first-hand experience of all the modules
- Small-group teaching – providing basic instruction on specific topics
- Central teaching – lectures, clinical demonstrations and clinicopathological conferences complementing your practical experience, plus instruction in the legal and ethical aspects of medicine
We develop exceptional knowledge and skills in Derby. The support we receive provides a great foundation for a fulfilling career in medicine.
Careers
At the end of the undergraduate course you will receive your BMBS degree, which is a primary medical qualification (PMQ). Holding a PMQ entitles you to provisional registration with the General Medical Council, subject only to its acceptance that there are no Fitness to Practise concerns that need consideration. Provisional registration is time limited to a maximum of three years and 30 days (1,125 days in total). After this time period your provisional registration will normally expire.
Foundation doctor training
After successful completion of the BMBS degree, graduates are required to undergo a further two years of foundation doctor training. Full registration is granted by the GMC at the end of the first year of this training.
UKFP Foundation Programme
Although this information is currently correct, students need to be aware that regulations in this area may change from time to time.
There is some discussion about whether to remove provisional registration for newly qualified doctors. If this happens then UK graduates will receive full registration as soon as they have successfully completed a BM BS degree. It should be noted that it is very likely that UK graduates will still need to apply for a training programme similar to the current UKFP Foundation Programme and that places on this programme may not be guaranteed for every UK graduate.
In addition the GMC has announced that from 2022, the students graduating in that year onwards will be required to undertake the UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA).
Professional recognition
This course is recognised by the General Medical Council.
Postgraduate medical education
Find out more about training opportunities in the East Midlands region after graduation.
Average starting salary and career progression
100% of undergraduates in the School of Medicine secured work or further study within six months of graduation. The average starting salary was £30,000.*
* Known destinations of full-time home undergraduates who were available for employment, 2016/17. Salaries are calculated based on the median of those in full-time paid employment within the UK.
Careers support and advice
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 2013-2019, High Fliers Research).
Fees and funding
Scholarships and bursaries
The University of Nottingham offers a wide range of bursaries and scholarships. These funds can provide you with an additional source of non-repayable financial help. For up to date information regarding tuition fees, visit our fees and finance pages.
Home students*
Over one third of our UK students receive our means-tested core bursary, worth up to £2,000 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.
Please note: currently only first year Graduate Entry Medicine students are eligible to apply for the core bursary.
Related courses
Disclaimer
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.