Keele University Medical School, Keele University, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG. Tel: 01782 733632. Website: www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms Contact Us: www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/ContactUs.htm

WelcomeCampus mapThe Medical School at KeeleAssessmentsActivities for schools, colleges andcareers advisors

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Student profilesHealth Foundation YearGraduate Entry ProgrammeStudent Selected ComponentsOpportunities for anintercalated degreeKeele medical research pathway

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Community and GP placementsOur staffClinical placementsStudent supportCareer guidanceStudent groups

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Tuition fees & bursariesAfter graduationHow to apply

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Information provided in this brochure is accurate at the time of goingto press (November 2009) but it may be subject to change.Please visit: www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/ or contact our admissionsoffice for the most up-to-date details.

Acknowledgements:A special thanks to all the staff and students who helped withthis production.

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On behalf of staff and students of the Schoolof Medicine, I would like to extend to you avery warm welcome to our School. Webelieve that we offer an attractive combina-tion of a new and distinctive curriculum,excellent educational and clinical resourcesconveniently located in the centre of theUnited Kingdom, and a friendly and safeenvironment where staff and patients havetime to help students learn. The Keele expe-rience is different from that of most medicalschools in the UK because of our small size,our campus community and our location.

Medicine is a very diverse profession with anexpanding range of possible career options.We believe that a degree from Keele, basedon a strong grounding in the medical andsocial sciences, an understanding of thehealth care system and an appreciation ofthe health care needs of the population, willprepare you for this exciting future.

The Keele curriculum, which started in 2007,has the following features:

• Integration of basic science and clinicalexperience throughout the course• A variety of learning approaches, includingproblem-based learning (PBL)• Smaller student group sizes than mostmedical schools• Early clinical involvement that anchorslearning in clinical practice• A balance of community and hospital basedlearning opportunities, drawing on thestrengths of both• Clinical placements across Staffordshireand Shropshire• Substantial student choice outside of corematerial through selective and elective com-ponents• A faculty-wide focus on interprofessionallearning with other health profession students• Opportunities to take an intercalatedMasters degree after year 4 in a range ofinteresting and relevant health related fields.A more traditional intercalated BSc degreeoption after year 2 is also available.

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It is important that you choose a medicalschool that provides you with the right bal-ance of personal and professional develop-ment. Please think seriously about studyingmedicine at Keele and take some time toexplore our website, come to our open daysor telephone us with your queries.

Professor Richard HaysHead of School of Medicine 2005 - 2009

Professor Val WassHead of School of Medicinefrom 2010

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Get more information from:www.keele.ac.ukwww.keele.ac.uk/undergraduate/prospectus.htmwww.keele.ac.uk/facs/health

www.keele.ac.uk/depts/mswww.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/overview.htmwww.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/news

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www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/campus/campus.htmwww.keele.ac.uk/university/campuswww.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/undergraduate/Virtual_Visitwww.keele.ac.uk/studyhere.htm

Keele

Our Facilities

Keele School of Medicine is spreadacross various sites in Staffordshire andShropshire. The three principal buildingsare located at the University main cam-pus and at the University Hospital ofNorth Staffordshire (UHNS) campusthree miles away. There is also a sub-stantial Medical School presence at ourassociate teaching hospital at theShrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHSTrust in Shropshire, at NorthStaffordshire Combined HealthcareNHS Trust, and developing facilities atMid Staffordshire NHS FoundationTrust, and at the South Staffordshireand Shropshire NHS Foundation Trustat both Stafford and Shrewsbury. Allmedical students can expect to spendvarying periods of time at all of thesesites during their five years on thecourse.

The Medical School building at Keelecampus was opened in September2003, and contains everything that onewould expect in a modern purpose-builtfacility, including a large lecture theatre,seminar rooms, IT laboratory, an anato-my suite, multi-user laboratories, aresource room, student common roomand refreshment area. In addition to thisthe university provides library and infor-mation services in the nearbyInformation Services building.

At the University Hospital of NorthStaffordshire campus, there are twoeducational buildings - the KeeleUniversity Medical School (hospitalcampus) building, opened in 2003, andthe Clinical Education Centre (CEC),opened in 2004. As well as the usualteaching rooms, the hospital campusprovides clinical skills laboratories and amulti-professional Health Library.

At the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, anexisting building has been extended inorder to provide the Learning Centre. Itcontains seminar rooms, a clinical skillslaboratory, a student commonroom/resource room, and an integratedHealth Library. These facilities wereopened in August 2008. New livingaccommodation for students opened inAugust 2009 at the Shrewsbury site.

At Stafford, Mid Staffordshire NHSFoundation Trust has an excellentPostgraduate Medical Centre with a for-mal lecture theatre, several teachingrooms, and library facilities, which areall available to medical students. Inaddition, the development of anotherbuilding on the site to add a commonroom, administrative office, teachingrooms, IT facilities and a skills laborato-ry, will enhance the existing facilities.Residential accommodation is also pro-vided on site. The South Staffordshireand Shropshire Foundation Trust is alsoplanning to develop dedicated space for

Keele medical students at St George'sHospital site in Stafford.

You can view short movies of life atKeele School of Medicine or take a vir-tual tour of the school on our website at: www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms

The Keele approach to themedical curriculum

The MBChB Honours Degree at KeeleUniversity is designed to ensure gradu-ates meet the necessary standards interms of knowledge, skills and attitudesthat new doctors should have. The cur-ricular outcomes for undergraduatemedical education are set out inTomorrow's Doctors (General MedicalCouncil, 2009) and the principles of pro-fessional practice as set out in the GMCdocument Good Medical Practice(GMC, 2006). See: www.gmc-uk.org

These are:• Good clinical care - Doctors mustpractise good standards of clinical care,practise within the limits of their compe-tence, and make sure that patients arenot put at unnecessary risk • Maintaining good medical practice -Doctors must keep up to date withdevelopments in their field and maintaintheir skills• Relationships with patients - Doctorsmust develop and maintain successfulrelationships with their patients• Working with colleagues - Doctorsmust work effectively with colleagues(from all health and social care profes-sions)• Teaching and training - If doctors haveteaching responsibilities, they mustdevelop the skills, attitudes and prac-tices of a competent teacher• Probity - Doctors must be honest• Health - Doctors must not allow theirown health or condition to put patientsand others at risk.

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www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/resources/anatomy/anatfacilities.htmwww.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/Facilities.htmwww.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/facilities/facilities.htm

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The Keele curriculum is a modern, high-ly-integrated medical curriculum. It com-bines a range of learning strategiesincluding problem-based learning, earlyclinical experience, integrated communi-cation and clinical skills teaching, lec-tures, seminars, practical sessions andclinical placements in major specialties.The medical curriculum integrates bio-medical, behavioural, social and clinicalsciences, healthcare delivery and pro-fessional developments. Integrationoccurs at all levels and is guided by fivethemes.

Themes:

The five themes running through thewhole course are:1. Scientific basis of medicine2. Clinical, communication and informa-tion management skills3. Individual, community, and populationhealth4. Quality and efficiency in health care5. Ethics, personal & professional devel-opment.

There is a phased integration of basicscience and clinical experience through-out modules 1, 2 and 3, with increasingexposure to clinical practice throughoutthe course.

Interprofessional learning will occur atseveral stages, commencing in module1 with a series of interpro-fessional group activitiesinvolving medical, nursing,pharmacy and physiothera-py students at Keele.These sessions promotemutual understanding ofroles and effective collabo-ration, both essential todeveloping the professionalteamwork required in modern, high-quality health care. Interprofessionallearning in more senior years willinvolve collaborative clinical assess-ments and working with students onother health profession courses.

Diversity of student interest and careeroptions is fostered through the StudentSelected Component programme.During each academic year of thecourse, students are offered a choice oflearning experience that allows eitherbreadth (including exposure to widerareas of clinical practice but also the

opportunity to learn within the contextof, for example, the Arts andHumanities) or depth (more specialistclinical experience). Over the whole fiveyears students will be able to gain adiverse range of such experiences,building on natural aptitudes and provid-ing a basis for future career interest.

Further opportunities for diversity areencouraged through intercalation.

The overall structure of the course com-prises five compulsory modules takenover five years (see chart on the nextpage).

Learning andTeachingmethods

The programme isbased on a 'hybrid'approach that usesmany methods.

Key Features: • Themes are present in eachmodule/year• Students will be allocated to a 'studygroup' each year for modules 1-3• Of the forty expected study hours eachweek, approximately half are devoted toindependent and group study

• Maximum of five to six lectures eachweek• Emphasis on practical sessions,including anatomy and laboratory ses-sions• Clinical, communication and informa-tion skills start early in module 1• Approximately 20% community-basedexperience throughout the course• Problem-based learning (PBL) withgroups of about twelve in modules 1-2• Small case-based learning groups inmodule 3, and case-illustrated learningin module 4• Each week in modules 1-2 ends withan 'integrating' event, e.g. debate, panelpresentation, clinical case presentationand Clinico-Pathological Cases (CPCs) • In modules 3, 4 and 5, students workin smaller groups or pairs, based in avariety of clinical settings.

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1

2a

2b

3

4

1

2

3

4

5

Challenges to Health

Integrated ClinicalPathology 1

Integrated ClinicalPathology 2

Advanced Clinical Experience

Preparation for ProfessionalPractice

Emergencies, Infection and Immunity, Cancer, Ageing,Lifestyle, Complex Family (6 x 4 wks)Student selected component (SSC)

Inputs and outputs (8 wks)Movement (4 wks)Life support and Defence (8 wks)Sensation (4 wks)SSC

Surgical patient, Medical patient 1, Young patient, Elderlypatient, Medical patient 2, Mental health (6 x 4 wks)Consolidating clinical skills (4 wks)SSC (2 x 4 wks)

Surgery, Child health/Mental health, Women's health,Integrated medical practice 1, Integrated medical practice 2 (5x 8 wks)SSC (4 wks)

Medicine in the community (primary care, home care and com-munity hospitals; covering adult, child, mental, women's andmen's health and aged care; following patient pathways) (15wks)Acute and critical care (emergency medicine, intensive careunit and anaesthesia) (5 wks)Surgical student assistantship (5 wks)Medical student assistantship (5 wks)Distant elective/project (8 wks)

Phase Year Module title Units

This diagram is an indication of course content and some of the detail may change.

The assessments have two main aims:firstly to help students achieve thelearning objectives of the course (forma-tive) and secondly to certify those stu-dents who have achieved those learningobjectives (summative).

Formative assessment is a key, integrat-ed component of the course and thereis regular, web-based material on whichyou can assess your understanding.These assessments will reinforce what

you need to know, reassure those stu-dents who are on track and point outany areas which require extra study.They will help to guide you in your pro-fessional development. You will meet alldifferent methods of testing in this form-ative way before you encounter thesame method in a summative examina-tion.

We use a variety of different testingmethods at Keele. We will test your abil-ity to apply knowledge with writtenmethods such as Multiple ChoiceQuestions, Extended MatchingQuestions and Key Feature Problems.We will examine your ability to compre-

hend a medical text and paraphrase it inlay terms. From an early stage in thecourse we will examine your practicaland clinical skills in the laboratory andclinical arena. These tests includeOSSEs (Objective Structured SkillsExamination) and OSCEs (ObjectiveStructured Clinical Examination). Youwill have an opportunity to learn andpractise these skills and receive feed-back throughout the learning year andprior to the summative exams.

You will keep a portfolio detailing thedevelopment of your clinical practiceincluding your reflections on the new sit-uations that you encounter. This will be

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linked to appraisal. You will also partici-pate in Multi-Source Feedback that willhelp you understand how you performas a team member and to assist you indeveloping professionalism.

In the final year of the course (module5), most of the assessments will be"real life" examinations of your clinicalperformance. This will help both us andyou to know that you are ready to takeon the role of a Foundation Year doctor.

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Pupils from schools and colleges canvisit the School of Medicine and takepart in activities on a number of occa-sions throughout each year, includingthe Medical Summer School and theannual Faculty of Health WideningParticipation Event. There are alsotimes when careers advisors are invitedto visit and get the latest informationabout admissions. There are two areasof our website where you'll find furtherinformation on these:

The Widening Participation teamwww.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/widening

The Schools and Colleges Liaison teamwww.keele.ac.uk/facs/health/scl

Royal Society of MedicineCareers Day

For the eighth year running we will behosting the regional Royal Society ofMedicine's Careers Day for students inyears 10-12. This conference, "So Youwant to be a Doctor?" is planned to takeplace at our building on the KeeleUniversity campus on Wednesday 17thMarch 2010.

For further information and to book yourplace please see our website:www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/news/rsm.htm

Open Days

The university open days in 2010 areSunday 13th June and Sunday 22ndAugust. The university campus will beopen to all visitors and the MedicalSchool will be open for prospectiveMedical School applicants and theirfamilies. For further details and to bookyour place please see:www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/news/open-days/opendays.htm

Visit Days

Students who receive an offer to studyat Keele University are invited to attendone of our Visit Days in February andMarch. The aim of the Visit Day is tohelp applicants make a more informedchoice of where to study by enablingthem to find out more about the univer-sity and the medical curriculum, viewour facilities and to meet staff and stu-dents.

The Keele curriculum is a brilliant bal-ance between problem-based learningand lectures. The guidance from thelectures facilitates the independentand group learning opportunities inPBL. The first year incorporatessome clinical skills, preparing youfor the second year, which has alarger clinical aspect. There istime to learn about history taking,specific clinical examinations, andan opportunity to practice theseon placements in a range of clini-cal settings.

All the facilities within themedical school are modern,

and range from a fullyequipped IT suite to

fantastic anatomyresources. The staffare excellent andalways willing tohelp if there isanything youneed.

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Although one of the hardest years, myfourth year was one of the most enjoy-able. We moved on to learning the spe-cialties, but not forgetting the generalmedicine we had studied in previousyears!

I particularly enjoyed orthopaedics. Theircamaraderie, approach to teaching andenthusiasm for their subject was secondto none and certainly encouraged me tolearn about the subject. Rheumatologywas another specialty I enjoyed. Itanswered a lot of questions and empha-sised the importance of good history tak-ing, especially with regard to how cer-tain conditions affect the whole body.

Neurology was initially very daunting butproved to be very interesting. Again theclinical teaching was well thoughtthrough. We were able to see anddemonstrate clinical signs during theexamination of a patient.

Another aspect of the fourth year I par-ticularly enjoyed was the research proj-ect, an eleven week period where weworked in a department of our choice.

The projects ranged from clinical auditsto lab-based research. I was fortunateenough to join the Stroke ResearchTeam where I was involved in the pre-clinical testing of a new treatment forischaemic strokes. The project was chal-lenging, but exceptionally rewarding andgave me a great insight into how treat-ments used in medicine are developed.My supervisors were very supportiveand encouraged me to submit my workfor presentations and to journals. I wasvery fortunate to get some of my workaccepted by the UK Stroke Forumwhere I will present it later this year.

Although there was a lot of work, I didmy utmost to keep up my extracurricularactivities. This was more important inthis year than any other. They provideda much deserved break from medicine,encouraged good time management,and allowed me to be the same personwho got into medicine in the first place.

What spurred me on was the fact thatthe finish line was in sight. Only onemore year and all this hard work wouldbe rewarded and I would finally be adoctor.

Being a student at Keele MedicalSchool for the past few years hasbeen an extremely enjoyable experi-ence. The course is well structuredand problem-based learning allowsstudents to facilitate their own learn-ing, as individuals and as part ofa team.

The staff at the Medical School areextremely friendly and approach-able, making the atmosphere invitingand perfect for learning. I would rec-ommend Keele Medical School toany student who loves medicine andhas a passion for learning.

The campus here is lovely. There isquiet countryside right on your

doorstep, but you are still closeenough to town for everything youneed, including a good night out!

Having the opportunity to study inShrewsbury during the early stagesof my clinical years provided me withan excellent foundation to build mycareer in medicine. The library andcomputer resources in Shrewsburywere excellent and the staff werevery friendly. We had a really highstandard of teaching, which includedlectures and bedside learning. Thewhole approach adopted by theteaching doctors was very wellorganised, with the aim of maximis-ing teaching opportunities for med-ical students.

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There is a lot to think about when choos-ing a medical school. The course atKeele blends the best from all the differ-ent teaching styles without being dog-matic about any particular approach.There are also lots of opportunities forcontact with patients in different health-care settings. The facilities are modernand purpose-built within easy walkingdistance of student accommodation onthe university campus.

Medicine is personally challenging. Youwill find that on occasions the course willtake you out of your comfort zone. It'sthen that I have really appreciated thesmall group sizes and the support avail-able. This comes from both the high ratioof staff to students and the hard to defineethos of Keele Medical School. Keele isa relatively small campus university,which has a distinctive and genuinelyfriendly approach. My first year was aca-demically intense, rewarding, and a sig-nificant step forward from A-levels.

I enjoy playing sport especially at the golfcourse next to the university. I also eatvast amounts of chocolate cake withoutputting any weight on. This may beunique to Keele medics; don't try it athome.

I hope that you come to an Open Day toexperience Keele and see whether youagree with me.

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When deciding upon which university to attend, Keele had alwaysbeen my top choice. The teaching style of PBL in small, well-sup-ported groups is one of its main advantages, as it gives you theopportunity to build your teamworking skills, as well as improvingyour self-directed learning, whilst being supported by lectures tohelp give you the depth of knowledge needed to be successful onthe course.

The early clinical experience and patient contact in a variety ofhealthcare settings really helps familiarise you with the reality ofmedicine and gives you a chance to put the theory to use right fromthe word go.

The facilities at Keele have been purpose-built for the medicalcourse and are brand new and really well equipped. The campusitself is a genuinely friendly place, and somewhere you can go toget tranquillity, while still being near enough to town.

What initially attracted me to Keele werethe modern teaching facilities, particular-ly the Clinical Education Centre (CEC)and the pioneering technologies avail-able to students to facilitate their learn-ing. The medical school's main assets inmy opinion are its staff, anatomy teach-ing and resources, and problem-basedlearning. Having been out of academiafor over five years, being able to discussand share findings with colleaguesunder the guidance of a tutor graduallyboosted my confidence with regard tosucceeding on the course. The staff atthe medical school are ever willing totutor you on a one-to-one basis. Theirgenuine interest in your progress andwelfare are unrivalled.

I'm really enjoying my clinical years anda lot of that is because of the abun-dance of exposure to patients that youget quite early on in your training. Themedical school, in conjunction with thehospitals, has a sign-up system which

allows you to learn more about anaspect of medicine that you may beunfamiliar with or need to develop moreconfidence in, ranging from specialistclinics to surgical procedures. There aremore sign-ups than you can do in yourtime here!

I am currently on a paediatric firm atRoyal Shrewsbury and Telford HospitalTrust in Shropshire. I have to admit, Iwas worried about clinical exposure andhow I would get on as a city lad in arural setting! I am pleased to say that sofar, my worries have been unfounded.Excellent bedside teaching, lovely hospi-tal staff, helpful admin staff and first-class student accommodation more thanmake up for the quieter surroundings.

My experiences so far have reassuredme that I will be well equipped by theend of my training for my first job as anF1.

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One minute you are celebrating at graduation after five years of study-ing and the next you are flung into the world of work where you areresponsible for thirty patients. Scary but exciting stuff!

Keele Medical School uses a combination of PBL, lectures, practicalsessions and clinical placements to great effect. Through this training Iwas provided with a good theoretical knowledge base as well as expo-sure to a wealth of clinical scenarios and disease processes. This pre-pared me well for many situations I encountered in my first few weeksat work.

During my time at Keele I had the chance to spend time in hospitals inStafford and Shrewsbury, as well as the University Hospital of NorthStaffordshire. Teaching standards were very high and I was welcomedby all staff members who were keen to get students involved in the

day-to-day running of the wards. This served as an excellent oppor-tunity to refine practical skills and procedures and to con-

tinue to improve basic skills, such as examining differ-ent body systems and history taking. All of these

skills I now utilise on a daily basis.

I am now in my Foundation Year 1 post andenjoying life as a junior doctor. I particularly

enjoy being able to teach medical studentswhen I have a spare few minutes as I

found shadowing them helpful when Iwas a student. Working as a junior

doctor on vascular surgery is hardwork, but despite the long hours

and many bleeps, asking forpatients to be reviewed, clerked

or prescribed medication, it isvery rewarding to go home

each night knowing I havepotentially made a differ-

ence to patients' lives.

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Initially, on choosing my A-levels, I had wanted to pursue a career inSports Science and chose appropriate A-levels to help gain a placeat university for a Sports Science degree course.

Half way through my A-levels, circumstances changed and I changedmy mind about what I wanted to do in the future. I had started a careassistant job and began volunteering. This showed me I had a pas-sion for helping people and I decided I wanted to become a doctor.

Knowing I hadn't done the right A-levels, I researched alternativemethods of entry into medicine. I found the Foundation Year at Keeleand the new course design and the opportunity for a year of chem-istry and university experience appealed to me more than theaccess-to-medicine courses available.

During the year I enjoyed a wide range of subjects including chem-istry and biology, whilst also gaining valuable experience of the morepersonal modules including communication skills, where we had thechance to experience working with simulated patients in an interviewsetting. This helped me immensely on the first year of my degreewhen I was out on placements.

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I graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Biochemistry.Having always wanted a career in medicine, I researched the graduate entryprogrammes at many universities but Keele stood out. Most graduate pro-grammes stand alone and don't involve the undergraduates, whereas at Keele,graduates enter directly into year two and follow the course alongside theundergraduates. The course at Keele is designed to cleverly integrate both thebioscience aspects and the clinical aspects throughout the course, withincreasing amounts of time spent on the clinical aspect as you progress.Anatomy is emphasised, and Keele is one of now very few medical schoolswho teach with the use of cadavers.

The course at Keele is different to many others as it is PBL-based but also hasa good balance of lectures, labs, communication skills and placements. Havingstudied a degree in a lecture-taught style, it was quite an adjustment for me tolearn via PBL, but the clever design of the Keele curriculum made it easy toadjust.

The early clinical exposure that you get at Keele stood out for me too. Fromday one you are able to attend placements at varying clinical environments. Asa graduate entrant I was a little worried about being behind in areas such ascommunication as I had never been taught the specific skills required for a clin-ical situation. However, I soon found myself working at the same level as mypeers due to a catch-up session in the graduate-entry induction period and alsothrough the way in which communication is taught via a feedback method,allowing you to identify your own strengths and weaknesses.

As a graduate entrant, you are essentially cramming two years into one atKeele, which I have found to be tough, but I've had lots of support from mypeers and from the teaching staff. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year atKeele Medical School and I can't wait to progress to years 3, 4 and 5, all ofwhich are clinically based at the hospitals in the locality. The best quality thatKeele School of Medicine possesses is that it produces all-round excellent doc-tors. I would highly recommend Keele to all graduate entrants.

The Health Foundation Year forMedicine at Keele University was estab-lished to provide an alternative entryroute into the 5-year medical degreeprogramme for students who have theright level of qualifications but are with-out the chemistry or biology A-levelsthat entry to the 5-year medicine courserequires. The course is also open to stu-dents with other level 3 qualificationsand to graduates with non-sciencedegrees.

The first Health Foundation Year stu-dents joined us in October 2006. A goodblend of students join the course eachyear, with varying backgrounds, nation-alities, and reasons for wanting to studymedicine: for example, some come withnursing backgrounds, some with non-science degrees, others with humanitiesA-levels.

Students follow academic modulesrelated to the principal medicine coursewhich they will join once they have com-pleted the year successfully. The yearalso offers training in generic transfer-able skills including communicationskills, counselling skills, IT andnumeracy.

The Graduate Entry Programme blendsgraduates into the medical curriculum atthe start of module 2, giving you theopportunity to complete the degree infour years instead of five. You'll betaught alongside medical undergradu-ates, but with additional course contentand self-directed learning based on alearning needs analysis to help bridgeany gaps in experience.

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Opportunities for Student SelectedComponents (SSCs) occur in eachmodule of the undergraduate medicaldegree. Each SSC is intended to helpyou gain core learning skills and broad-en your knowledge in an area that is ofparticular interest to you (which may ormay not be part of the core curriculum),thereby exploring potential careeroptions and personal interests. You'llwork closely with an SSC supervisorwho can help you make the most ofeach opportunity.

"The elective is a chance to either expe-rience an area of medicine that interestsyou, or to observe medicine in anotherhealth care system. I took the opportuni-ty to do both of these, and spent twomonths working in an Intensive CareUnit in New Zealand. This allowed meto see a broad range of problems, fromroutine surgical cases to preparing for aflu pandemic, and to see alternativeapproaches for treatment. I also dealtwith emergency medicine mid-air, taking

part in a national air ambulance transferfrom Auckland to Dunedin, and handlingan incidence of collapse during my flightto New Zealand.

Despite all the excitement I took theopportunity to explore New Zealand(which meant I didn't have a lot of relax-ing weekends as there is so much tosee!), taking time to view New Zealandfrom above (in a 15,000ft freefall!) andlearning the words and translation forthe famous "Ka Mate!" Haka, which isperformed by the All Blacks before theirmatches.

The elective is a once in a lifetimeopportunity to live and work in anotherculture before starting work as a JuniorDoctor, and allows each MedicalStudent to gain the most from theirexperience, however and wherever theychoose to do it."

Ben Hockenhull

Module

1

2

3

4

5

SSC Focus

A three week literature review. You'll choose either a topic from a list or generate yourown with guidance from your SSC supervisor.

Sixteen half days throughout the year involved with a local organisation within the healthor social care field. The organisations provide for a wide range of needs, from peoplewith mental health problems or learning disabilities to homeless people, asylum seekersand refugee families.

Two blocks of four weeks where you choose from three types of SSC - * case reporting - using a self-selected clinical attachment to give all round exposure to aclinical area, resulting in a case report* study in the humanities - being attached to a humanities-based module* research basics - for those who are contemplating a career in research or academicmedicine. Hands-on experience of how to develop research ideas, formulate ideas intoprojects, write up results, and argue for funding for your project. Run by the ArthritisResearch Campaign's National Primary Care Centre at Keele. For more information onresearch career pathways see page 25.

A four week block of clinical career exploration. Investigating postgraduate training,career pathways and life as a consultant within an individual clinical specialty. Spendingtime with junior doctors, middle-grade specialist registrars, and consultants, to helpinform career choices.

An eight week elective to shadow a specific medical topic of personal interest in a differ-ent health setting (possibly, but not necessarily, overseas). This is a period of maximumflexibility where students will be encouraged to study any topic of interest to them thathas relevance to medicine.

Overview of SSC opportunities

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About a third of medical students in theUK add an additional year to the five-year undergraduate course in order tostudy a subject of their choice in greaterdepth. Students at Keele UniversitySchool of Medicine can opt to take ayear out of their medical studies aftermodule 4 (MSc level) in order to study asubject area in greater depth, beforereturning to complete the medicalcourse. At graduation, you would be eli-gible for the award of two degrees - theMBChB and another for the additionalyear of study.

Why do an intercalated Mastersdegree?

An intercalated Masters degree pro-vides you with an opportunity to get abetter understanding of basic biomed-ical sciences, medical humanities,research methodologies and/or to pur-sue an additional qualification in a sub-ject that interests you. This may helpyou make informed choices about spe-cialisation later in your career, particu-larly if you want to pursue a medicalacademic career. Other benefits couldinclude the improvement of long-termcareer prospects, as you'll have had theopportunity to gain key research skills,publish scientific papers and give pre-sentations at scientific conferences.

What are the intercalated Mastersdegrees on offer at Keele?

• Molecular Parasitolgy and VectorBiology• Biomedical Engineering• Cell and Tissue Engineering• Medical Ethics and Law• Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care• Ethics of Medical Research andBiotechnology• MPhil Primary Care Sciences• MRes Medical Humanities• MMed Sci (all streams)

For further details please see:www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/undergrad/intercalated_degree.htm

"After year four I intercalated to com-plete an MPhil, in conjunction with theprimary care research institute, which isrecognised internationally. Most interca-lated degrees are offered as a BSc, butKeele wanted to encourage intercalationat Masters level and were incrediblyhelpful in organising this project for me."

Sam Creavin

www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/undergrad/intercalated_degree.htm

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Every medical student at Keele hasopportunities to learn whether researchis something they may want to do as adoctor, but the School of Medicine alsooffers an innovative research pathway.This is designed to set you firmly on theroad to a career which combines clinicalwork with patients and the exciting andstimulating world of medical research.The research pathway includes a rangeof opportunities for medical studentsand early-career doctors to enrich theirclinical experience and CVs, at variousstages of their medical training. It isdesigned to find students and youngdoctors who want to develop a trackrecord in research and to encourageand develop the medical researchers ofthe future.

Pathway Step 1 - StudentSelected Component

Students can get early exposure toresearch methods during their module 3Student Selected Component (SSC).See page 23 for more information aboutSSCs. This type of SSC can be done asa stand-alone component or can form auseful lead in to an intercalated degreeafter module 4.

Pathway Step 2 - IntercalatedDegrees

Depending on the course selected,these degrees can be primarily taughtor have a major clinical or experimentallaboratory research component; theywill provide modules in a range ofresearch-related and clinical topics, andcan offer the exciting opportunity todevelop, carry out and publish a pieceof research with a top group at Keele.Even if you decide at the end of theyear that research is not for you, theexperience and qualification gained willmake an important contribution to yourCV. See page 24 for more details of theintercalated degrees on offer at Keele.

Pathway Step 3 - AcademicFoundation Programme

After successful completion of yourmedical degree you'll start yourFoundation training. Keele offers a smallnumber of Academic Foundation pro-grammes that provide the opportunityfor research experience integrated into

the clinical jobs in Foundation Year 1and 2. Although most of the Foundationexperience is clinical, the Academic pro-grammes offer a great stepping stonefor doctors developing a research trackto their career. You'll have the opportuni-ty to develop research projects linked toclinical experience in Foundation postsand to build on research training gainedfrom earlier steps in the research path-way.

Pathway Step 4 - Special Trainingand Research

The next stage after the Foundationyears is a period of specialist training tobe a consultant or general practitioner.For doctors who didn't take an interca-lated Masters during their undergradu-ate years, the Postgraduate Departmentof the School of Medicine supports theoption to complete a Masters degree atthis point. For doctors who have decid-ed on a research track, Keele hosts anumber of attractive Clinical TrainingFellowships. These support doctors inextending their specialist training periodto develop ideas for a research degreesuch as a PhD or MD.

With a PhD or MD, you will then havemoved from Keele's research pathwayand be well on your way to a rewardingcareer in medical research.

Over ninety percent of healthcare is pro-vided in primary care and other commu-nity settings. Learning in these settingsis therefore an essential element of thecourse.

In the first module of the course stu-dents have placements in general prac-tices where they start to develop theirclinical interviewing skills.

During their second module studentsselect a "third sector" community place-ment from a wide range of communityorganisations and projects, charities andvoluntary bodies. These placementsgive students a broad perspective ofcommunity health care and an opportu-nity to learn about the experiences andneeds of their future patients.

In the third module, students have a full-time Clinical Skills Consolidation place-ment in a general practice for fourweeks.

In the fourth module, students will havefive one-week placements centred ingeneral practice as part of an innovativeHigher Consultation Skills block. Thiswill provide key learning in support ofthe core objectives of the year, whichare to assist students to develop skills indiagnosis, therapeutics and patientmanagement.

In the final module they will have a longplacement in a general practice, assist-ing them to integrate their knowledge,skills and attitudes in preparation fortheir first years of work.

Finally, they will have additional oppor-tunities to work in the community andprimary care on student selected com-ponents.

Community placements and teachingpractices can be found in urban, semi-rural and rural areas of Staffordshireand Shropshire, giving students a wideexperience of healthcare in differentcommunity settings. In teaching prac-tices students will work with doctors,district nurses, other community healthworkers and patients. They will learnhow health and illness affect the individ-ual, family and community, and how ill-

www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/undergrad/community/community_info.htm

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ness presents, is diagnosed and man-aged. Students will understand thepatient's journey from health to illness torecovery or continuing care from theirhome through primary care to hospitaland back to the community.

Details of our staff areincluded on our virtual tour at:www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/overview.htm

Clinical placements naturally form a very important part of the undergradu-ate medical curriculum. We use a wide variety of hospital settings inStaffordshire and Shropshire. More information is available on our website.

www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/overview.htm

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We recognise that some student doctorsmay have difficulties at some stage oftheir training. There may be a difficultywith work in the course, with adjustingto the expectations of how a doctorshould behave or personal problems,such as health, money or relationships.

Keele University School of Medicine hasits own student support service to buildon its reputation as a provider of afriendly, supportive environment inwhich to study medicine. This servicehas been highly commended by theGMC.

The student support team will bepleased to help with a wide range of

issues and support is available on anindividual basis at the university and allmajor hospital sites.

There are also other sources of support,guidance and advice beyond theMedical School to which you may bereferred as appropriate with your con-sent or which you can contact yourself.

At Keele, these include: Counselling,Health Centre, Learning Support andAcademic Guidance, Disability Services,English Language Unit, IndependentAdvice Unit and Student Support. Thereis also a free counselling service at theUniversity Hospital Trust, which stu-dents may utilise.

More than ever, today's medical stu-dents need a clear understanding of thecareer options a medical degree offers,the pathways of different medicalcareers, and to realise that there is littletime after graduation in which to testtheir suitability for different types ofmedical careers. In recognition of this,Keele is developing a career supportprogramme that has been designed tospecifically target the needs of studentsin each year of medical school. Thecontent has been informed by feedbackfrom students, the Keele MedicalStudent Career Committee and facultystaff to maximise the benefit that stu-dents gain from these important ses-sions. Indicative content of the careerprogramme includes: one to one sup-port with CV building, specialty-specificsessions detailing training and work inindividual specialties, group sessions toassist with junior doctor job applications,sessions to help students to identifytheir strengths/weaknesses and to asso-ciate these with potential future careers,and an annual career fair. There is adedicated Career Lead whom studentsare free to contact with individualrequests, feedback and suggestions forfuture sessions and further career-relat-ed information is available on the KLEonline learning system.

28www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/studentsupport

The KMS (Keele Medical Society) was established in 2002 by thefirst group of undergraduate students to come to KeeleUniversity. In keeping with other medical school societies aroundthe country, the committee members of KMS are elected at thebeginning of each academic year. Third year students usuallyform the main body of the committee, but there are also repre-sentatives from the other four years which are elected by theiryear group, participate in meetings and raise issues on behalf oftheir peers.

In addition to this Keele students are involved in contributing to arange of local and national student groups and societies such asthe Junior Association for the Study of Medical Education(JASME), the Inter-School Committee of the BMA, the SurgicalSociety, Medsin, and the Medical Careers Committee. Thesesocieties are involved in a range of activities and events, fromattendance at national committee meetings representing studentopinion through to organising events such as summer balls andcareers events.

In line with Keele's standard fee for allundergraduate courses, the 2010/11tuition fees for medicine were £3,290per year for Home and EU students.Tuition fees generally increase eachyear in line with inflation. Usually, stu-dents take out a tuition fee loan fromthe Student Loans Company who willpay your fees directly to the university.You do not see the money and you donot have to repay the loan until afteryou have graduated. In addition, thereare maintenance grants for studentswhose family income is below a setthreshold and loans for maintenance arealso available.

There are many good web sites whichwill give you advice about funding adegree. Some of them will be shown inthe 'useful links' section of our own web-site. To start with, you could read thegeneral information about student fund-ing and eligibility at: www.aimhigher.ac.uk/student_finance

Non-EU tuition fees

For Non-EU students starting inSeptember 2009, fees were £18,000 peryear for the MBChB five-year course.You can find plenty of up-to-date infor-mation on the international section ofKeele's website at:www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/international

Bursaries and scholarships

The latest information about bursariesand scholarships available from KeeleUniversity can be found on the websiteat: www.keele.ac.uk/bursaries

NHS Bursaries

5 Year MBChB Programme (A100)

English domiciled medical studentswill be eligible for means-testedbursaries and help with tuition feesfrom their fifth year of study andbeyond. In addition, these students willbe entitled to apply for reduced rate stu-dent loans from year five of their course.Students receiving NHS bursaries willhave access to student loans for thebalance of their maintenance costs.Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irelanddomiciled students may have slightly dif-ferent arrangements, and you areadvised to consult the NHS StudentAwards Unit in your area.

4 Year Graduate Entry Programme(A101)

From year 2 of their training, Englishdomiciled students are eligible to applyfor means-tested NHS bursaries to help

cover their day-to-day living expenses.In addition the NHS will pay the person-al tuition fee element and students arestill eligible to apply for a reduced ratestudent loan from their LEA.

Please visit the NHS Student Bursarieswebsite at: www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/studentsfor up-to-date information about the bur-saries available when studying medi-cine.

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Living costs

Accommodation costs for students on a33-week let (which excludes the Eastervacation) typical for year 1 are in theregion of £2,390 - £3,467 dependingupon the type of room (2009/10 costsquoted). All accommodation occupancyperiods include the Christmas vacationperiod. In years 3 - 5 the teaching peri-od is much longer and students will

require a longer letting period. Medicineis a course which requires a lot of dedi-cation and study, often with early teach-ing sessions, and you'll therefore beexpected to live locally. You'll also needto budget for food, books, and the travelcosts associated with clinical place-ments throughout the five years of thecourse. White coats for lab work and astethoscope are necessary.

For details of University accommodationplease see: www.keelefm.co.uk

www.aimhigher.ac.uk/student_finance/

After graduation from an approveddegree programme, medical graduatesapply to the General Medical Council(GMC) for provisional registration. It isthen the responsibility of the GMC tocheck a candidate's fitness to be regis-tered. Please see the GMC website at:www.gmc-uk.org for more information.After satisfactory completion of the firstyear of postgraduate training, graduatesachieve full registration with the GMC.The learning objectives of the first yearof the Foundation Programme are setby the GMC. At the time of print, theresponsibility for setting the standardsfor the second year of the FoundationProgramme and for further postgraduatetraining falls upon the PostgraduateMedical Education and Training Board(PMETB).

All new medical graduates in the UKshould undertake the FoundationProgramme. These programmes are runby Foundation Schools which covergeographic areas (such asStaffordshire). The FoundationProgramme runs nationally but deliverymay differ a little between FoundationSchools. The usual model is to under-take six four-month attachments in dif-ferent specialties over two years to

attain a wide range of competencies.There is opportunity for students tochoose the geographical location inwhich to undertake their FoundationProgramme as well as some choice ofspecialties. However, applications arecompetitive so first choice locations andspecialties are preferentially given to thebetter candidates. For more informationon the Foundation Programme pleasesee: www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk

Applications to the main FoundationProgrammes occur at the beginning ofyear 5. Help is provided in applying forthese posts by the Careers Liaison Co-ordinator, who has strong links with thePostgraduate Foundation Schools.Locally, the West Midlands WorkforceDeanery is active in supporting traineesin the West Midlands to pursue theirsuited career and the career pages ofthe website contain details and pod-casts of careers in various specialties.See: http://workforcedeanery.westmid-lands.nhs.uk

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Vocational training and education con-tinues throughout professional life, andfurther postgraduate training is providedthrough recognised specialty trainingschemes leading to the award of a cer-tificate of completion of training (CCT).Attainment of a CCT allows the individ-ual to apply for senior positions, such asconsultant posts or general practicepartnerships. These schemes vary induration from three to seven years,commencing upon successful comple-tion of the Foundation Programme. It iscrucial that students think about whichspecialty route they would like to followas early as they possibly can. Importantcareer decisions have to be made withintwo years of graduation and successfulapplication to specialty training posts ismore likely if students and trainees havestructured their learning and experi-ences towards their final goal. Careersupport programmes and personnel areavailable at the medical school to assistwith this.

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Medical students at UK medical schoolswho are from overseas and do not haveright of residence must check how thelatest information on visa requirementsaffects their postgraduate training peri-od. Please see the UK Border Agencywebsite: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk

N.B. Information about medical careersafter graduation is correct at the time ofgoing to press. For up to date informa-tion please visit: www.mmc.nhs.uk

"After graduation from Keele in July2006, I did my clinical training at theUniversity Hospital of NorthStaffordshire and surrounding GP prac-tices. It is important in medicine to keepyour CV active, so I undertook a num-ber of audits during my clinical posts,some of which have resulted in publica-tions in journals and/or presentations atmeetings and conferences. I have alsobeen lucky enough to obtain both anAcademic Foundation Year 2 post andlater the Academic Clinical Fellowshipfor General Practice Specialty Training.Both these posts have enabled me toundertake research within the ArthritisResearch Council National PrimaryCare Centre which I hope to take for-ward through Masters level studies to aPhD. Following the publication of myfirst book which I co-authored as a med-ical student, The Medical Student

Career Handbook, I have continued towork in the field of medical careers, try-ing to improve local career support formedical students. Keele UniversitySchool of Medicine has been an excel-lent springboard to enable me to suc-cessfully pursue my clinical, academicand personal career goals and I contin-ue to enjoy the links I have forged withthe Medical School over the years."

Elizabeth Cottrell

Application Procedure and Entry Criteria

All applications must be made through theUniversities and Colleges Admissions Service(UCAS - www.ucas.com) by the relevant dead-line, both for applicants wishing to enter the fol-lowing September and for those wishing to defer.

Courses available

At Keele we have three main routes available forentry to the Medicine degree.

Applicants should note that they may be eligibleto apply for more than one route. Those wishingto do this must use separate choices on theirUCAS form for each.

All applicants should check whether they meetthe minimum academic criteria for the coursewhich they wish to apply for. Please see our webpages for the most up-to-date list of acceptablequalifications: www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms

32www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/undergrad/admissions_faqs.htm

120 places available to home/EU applicantsand up to 10 places available to non-EUapplicants.

Typically for school leavers we require a min-imum of 4 GCSEs at grade A/A* with Englishlanguage and maths at grade B or better.Core science plus additional science, or anysingle science not taken at AS/A2, must alsobe passed at a minimum of grade B.Candidates who took GCSEs before 2008should check science requirements on theweb pages.

All applicants must take the UK ClinicalAptitude Test (UKCAT) in the year of applica-tion and have gained experience in a caringrole.

A-level grades required are AAB including biol-ogy or chemistry plus another science subject(maths or further maths accepted) and a thirdrigorous subject. Chemistry as a minimummust be offered at AS-level grade B.

Graduates with a 2i honours degree or betterin a degree subject that includes a substantialbiology/chemistry content are considered. Inaddition graduates should have GCSE Englishlanguage and maths at grade B or better.

Applicants must submit their UCAS applicationfor course code A100 (MBChB degree) at K12(Keele University) by the 15 October deadline.

Medicine Degree5-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB)

Course Code A100

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Up to 10 places available to home/EU applicants,entering directly into module 2 of the 5 year course.This course is not currently open to non-EU students.

The selection process is identical to that for A100entry, except for the source of the academic perform-ance information. Successful applicants will com-mence module 2 two weeks early and undertakecourse work that bridges any gaps in experience (e.g.communication, clinical skills, professionalism, etc.).

The workload will initially be heavier than for studentsprogressing from module 1, with additional coursecontent included based on a learning needs analysisof each entrant.

All applicants must have taken and achieved a thresh-old score in the Graduate Australian Medical SchoolAdmissions Test (GAMSAT) within the last two yearsand have gained experience in a caring role.

Graduates must offer a 2i honours degree or betterif they would like to be considered for direct entryinto module 2 of the course, therefore having theopportunity to complete the MBChB in four years.Places will be offered to the highest ranked appli-cants who meet the eligibility requirements.

This entry route is designed to recognise relevantprior learning achievement of graduates and blendthem with standard entry students into the new inte-grated curriculum at a point that will be more chal-lenging. It is likely that successful applicants willhave a prior degree in either a biomedically relatedscience or another health profession, althoughapplicants with other backgrounds can be success-ful with appropriate prior study and preparation forGAMSAT.

Applicants with prior degrees may choose to applyfor any of the three entry pathways, depending ontheir academic backgrounds and strengths.

Applicants must submit their UCAS application forcourse code A101 (direct entry to module 2MBChB) at K12 (Keele University) by the 15thOctober deadline.

Graduate Entry Programme4-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB)

Course Code A101

Up to 10 places available to applicants(home/EU or non-EU) without the sciencesubjects needed for the 5 year degree.

Typically for school leavers we require a min-imum of 4 GCSEs at grade A/A* with Englishlanguage and maths at grade C.

Students undertaking an access to HEcourse will be considered at distinction level.

All applicants must take the UK ClinicalAptitude Test (UKCAT) in the year of applica-tion and have gained experience in a caringrole.

A-level grades AAB are required and A-levelcombinations should not include chemistrybeyond GCSE level. A-level biology is onlyacceptable when combined with non-scienceA-levels. We expect that the majority of appli-cants for this programme will not have studiedthe sciences at a higher level. Applied scienceis acceptable.

Graduates with a 2i honours degree in ahumanities/social sciences/nursing degree willbe considered if they do not hold the standardscience A-levels required for the 5 year pro-gramme or do not wish to undertake the GAM-SAT qualification required for the 4 year pro-gramme.

Other level 3 or 4 qualifications may be con-sidered.

Applicants must submit their UCAS applicationfor course code A104 (Medicine with HealthFoundation Year) at K12 (Keele University) bythe 15 October deadline.

Health Foundation Year for Medicine6-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB)

Course Code A104

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Additional Entry Tests

All applicants for courses A100 andA104 should note that as part of theentry requirements they must undertakethe United Kingdom Clinical AptitudeTest (UKCAT). The results from this willcontribute to our decision-makingprocess. A bursary system is in opera-tion for candidates requiring assistance,please see: www.ukcat.ac.uk

Applicants for the graduate entry pro-gramme (A101) are required to under-take the Graduate Australian MedicalSchool Admissions Tests, please see:www.gamsatuk.org for more details. Theresult of this test will be used to rankapplications and to determine whichcandidates will be interviewed. GAMSATmust be taken on a single date inSeptember, so please ensure that youhave made suitable arrangements totake the test on this date.

In addition, international applicantsmight also be asked to undertake anEnglish language qualification such asthe International English LanguageTesting Service (IELTS) with a minimumaverage score of seven, with not lessthan seven in any one component takenat the same sitting.

Admissions Statistics

For 2010 entry we received over 1,600applications for the places available.

Work Experience

It is essential that all applicants gainexperience in a caring role before sub-mitting their UCAS application. Moreadvice and guidance is available on theSchool of Medicine website:www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/undergrad/studentinfo.htm

MBChB 2011 Entry Requirements

It is your responsibility to check that youmeet our entry criteria for your chosencourse, as published on our web pages,prior to submitting your UCAS applica-tion. Please see our web pages for themost up-to-date details:www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/undergrad/courseinfo/entryrequirements.htm

If you apply and are offered a place atthe School of Medicine, you will also berequired to apply, through the University,for an Enhanced Disclosure from theCriminal Records Bureau. You will alsobe required to comply with theIndependent Safeguarding Authority'sVetting and Barring Scheme. See:www.isa-gov.org for more details.

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