Medical & Dental Schools
in the United Kingdom
Dr K M Tekeli
MBCHB DDS MFDS MRCS
Facial Surgical Registrar
Overview
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132 000 EU students enrolled - 2013 UK
High quality education
Early adequate patient contact
EU wide degree recognition
High school fees though grants and loans
available for EU students
Introduction
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Medicine / Dentistry as a career
Medical & Dental Scheme Overview - EU relationship
Pathways of medical education & UK Medical Schools
Pathways of dental education & UK Dental Schools
How to apply to medical / dental school ?
Academic criteria and exams
Personal statement & interviews
English language proficiency
Funding and other possible pathways
Top tips and websites
Medicine / Dentistry as a Career
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Why do you want to become a doctor / dentist ?
Do you have the necessary attributes ?
Your expectations and long term plans ?
Career path of a doctor / dentist
Differences
Lifelong learning
UK Medical & Dental Schemes
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General Medical Council (GMC)
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Regulates doctors
Maintains standards for medical education
Fosters high quality of care and good medical practice
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General Dental Council (GDC)
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Regulates dentists and dental care professionals
Maintains standards for dental education
Investigates complaints
UK Medical & Dental Schemes (cont’d)
•Medical & Dental Schools
MB BS , MB ChB , BDS , BChD Degrees
•Regional Deaneries for Training
Foundation Training (Full GMC Reg. after FY1)
Dental foundation training
Specialist Training
•Medical Royal Colleges
Oversees post graduate training
Organises postgraduate exams
Short courses and specialist training
After qualification, if doctors want to work in a different EU country
then , it is advisable to have their full registration with GMC / GDC.
( Additional academic pathways are not mentioned above )
Pathways of Medical Education
Medical School
(MBBS , MBCHB)
Foundation Training
F1 & F2
(Full GMC Registration after F1 Year)
Specialist Training
GP, Surgery, Medicine, Obs &
Gynae, Paediatrics
Pathways of Medical Education (cont’d)
High School - GCSE Level
A Levels (2 Years) (IB, BTEC)
Foundation +
Medical Course
BSc Degree
Medical Course
5 Years
3 Years
5 + 1 Years
Oxbridge (6 Years)
Dentistry
5 Years
Combined BSc/MBBS
(6 Years)
GEP Medical Course
MxFx Medicine
4 Years
3 Years
UK Medical Schools
• 33 Medical Schools
• 31 Undergraduate medical
courses
• 15 GEP Medical courses
• 12 Foundation courses
• 4 Access to medicine courses
(after 1 gap year, semi
mature student)
• Location
• Type of degree course
• Problem base Vs Lecture
base learning
• Entry criteria
Pathways of Dental Education
Dental School
(BDS, BChD)
Full Registration with GDC
Vocational Training – Dental Foundation Year 1
(Obtaining performer’s number )
Dental Foundation Year 2
( Hospital Based in Different Specialties )
Specialist Training
Oral Surgery, Restorative , Orthodontics etc.
General Dental Practitioner
Pathways of Dental Education (cont’d)
High School - GCSE Level
A Levels (2 Years) (IB, BTEC)
Predental +
Dental Course
Dental Course
5 Years
BSc Degree
Medicine
3 Years
5 Years
GEP Dental Course
MxFx Dentistry
4 Years
3 Years
5+1
UK Dental Schools
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14 Undergraduate dental courses
4 GEP Dental courses
3 Pre-dental courses
BDS / BChD : 5 year degree course or 4 years as GEP
How to apply medical / dental schools ?
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UCAS application (centralised)
4 Choices of medicine / dentistry + 1 choice of other
Deadline : 15th of October
Academic criteria
Non academic criteria (skills, experience, motivation)
UKCAT , GAMSAT, BMAT
Personal statement
Interviews
Reference(s)
GCSE
• General Certificate of Secondary Education
• Compulsory subjects: Maths,Science,Language and
Religious Studies
• Variety of non compulsory subjects from humanity, art,
technology, language,business
GCE A Level Studies
• General Certificate of Education Advanced Level
• Subjects for medicine & dentistry: Maths, Physics,Chemistry
• Variety of subjects from different areas
Academic Criteria (check with the school)
Undergraduate Courses
• Combined GCSEs and GCEs
• AAA at least in 3 subjects ; including chemistry,
biology, physics or mathematics
• International Baccalaureate (IB) : 36-40 points
• Diploma di Esame di Stato (opzione Classica /
Scientifica) : overall 88 - 95
Graduate Entry Programmes (GEP)
• At least 2:1 from a science BSc degree programme
• Necessary GEP course exam
Academic Criteria (check with the school) cont’d…
Foundation Course
• 1 year foundation course if you do not fulfil the requirements
• If successful upon completion progress into the course
• Not every foundation course accepts EU students
MxFx (Maxillofacial) Medicine / Dentistry Course
• Prior Dentistry / Medicine degree
• MJDT or MRCS Diploma from RCSENG
• Previous maxillofacial experience in the UK
UKCAT, GAMSAT, BMAT
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Reasoning and decision making assessed
In the past only for GEP but now almost all schools
No curriculum content, tests examines innate skills
Evaluation of different types of information and
inferring results
UKCAT - 26 medical schools , 9 dental schools
GAMSAT - 3 medical schools
BMAT - Oxbridge , Imperial and UCL
Attend specialist courses
Personal Statement
• On UCAS form, 4000 characters max.
• Statement is crucial for getting shortlisted (interviews)
• Reasons behind why you want to become dentist /
doctor
• Supporting evidence showing enthusiasm
• Work experience & placements
• Abilities and attributes
• Do your RESEARCH beforehand
Interviews
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Securing interview biggest obstacle
After interview, chance of securing a place 50%
Proper planning is crucial
Questions on :
Motivations and reasons to become a doctor / dentist
Previous work experiences : shadowing, volunteering
Knowledge of current affairs, healthcare topics
Communication and interpersonal skills
Extracurricular activities
Teamwork
English Language Proficiency
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Early clinical contact
Good command of written and spoken English
IELTS Academic exam score: 7-7.5 (overall)
TOEFL: 100, each band min. 25
Comm. Skills assessment during interview
Very quick improvement due to continuous contact
Funding for EU Students
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High tuition fees in England
Scotland no tuition fees
Tuition fees lower than England in Wales and NI
EU Grants and loans available for students in the UK
Overseen by Student Finance England (SFE)
Tuition fee loans
Living expenses loans
Other Possible Pathways for EU Students
• Dentistry / medicine outside EU
• Pass accreditation exams in home country OR
• Temporarily work in a different EU country initially and
3 years after full registration move back home
• Courses taught in English
• Examples: Caribbean's , US / Canada
• Downside: High school fees
Top Tips
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Do your RESEARCH beforehand
Plan early and work towards deadlines
Follow online forums actively
Attend open days
Work shadowing and experience
Ultimate target is medical / dental school
Age < 30 - ok
Websites
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Medicalcareers.nhs.uk
Medschools.ac.uk
Studentdoctor.net
Thestudentroom.co.uk
Getintomedicine.co.uk
Ukcisa.org.uk