University of Birmingham

Study Medicine at The University of Birmingham

Birmingham offer a five-year medical course that combines both problem-basedlearning and traditional teaching methods (lectures, small group teaching,etc.). You receive teaching from clinicians, academics and researchers meaningstudents gain a well-roundedbroad perspective of medicine. The clinical education at Birmingham honesimportant skills in communication, professionalism and compassion in itsstudents in order to shape well-equipped, ethical future doctors.

The first two years are spent learning the biological knowledge that underlieseach system of the body alongside pathology and therapeutics. You also learnpsychology, sociology of health and illness, population health and ethics.Anatomy is deliveredthrough prosections and small-group teaching. You also receive initial patientcontact experience through some community placement days early on in the course.

In the third year, placements in the hospital environment begin. Now you beginto develop your clinical skills for example in physical examination andhistory-taking. You also expand your knowledge of presentation of disease anddiagnostic reasoning.

In the final two years, you have clinical placements across a range of medicaland surgical specialties including neurology, cardiology, orthopaedic surgery,obstetrics and gynaecology, oncology, psychiatry, etc. During these years (year3-5) you alsowork with a senior academic tutor who will act as a mentor through your clinicaleducation.

Birmingham also offers an intercalation year to study into an area of your owninterest and obtain a Bachelor’s degree. This can involve lab research orcommunity-based research to get a chance to enhance research skills andexperience. In the fourthyear students undertake an elective either in the UK or abroad which can involvecarrying out clinical research or exploring medicine in differentcountries/cultures.