University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh runs a six-year MBChB programme, delivered through a combination of didactic teaching (lectures, seminars), interactive sessions (tutorials, small-group teaching), hands-on learning opportunities (clinical skills teaching, GP placements), with a strong focus on developing well-rounded, conscientious clinicians and academics.

Edinburgh is one of the earliest medical schools (if not the first) to incorporate formal data science teaching into its MBChB programme, in the belief that the doctors of tomorrow should possess skillsets that better embrace developments and technological advancements in medicine and medical research.

The course adopts a three-phase approach. The first phase (Years 1 and 2) place more emphasis on the medical sciences, with students learning about the scientific and clinical discoveries that form the basis of evidence-based medicine. Despite a focus on pre-clinical knowledge during this initial phase, opportunities for clinical exposure and clinical skills development exist - clinical skills teaching sessions are delivered periodically throughout the year; additionally, Year 2 students undertake the Introduction to Clinical Practice (ICP) module, where clinical examination and history-taking skills are taught by a designated GP tutor in a general practice setting.

The second phase consists of a single (mandatory*) Intercalated year, with all Year 3 MBChB students undertaking a BMedSci (Hons) degree of their choosing. A total of 23* distinct options for intercalation exist, providing students with ample opportunities to explore an area of interest to them outside Medicine, while providing opportunities to develop research skills at one of the world’s most renowned research universities. For students who are especially inclined to academia, and who are deeply interested in undertaking additional training in research, a number of intercalated PhD opportunities exist.

In the final clinical phase (three years), students will be afforded the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have accrued over the years in a clinical setting, through clinical placements in the teaching hospitals and GP practices in and around Edinburgh, as well as further afield in other regions of Scotland. Beginning in Year 5, students will have the opportunity to explore certain specialty areas and undertake a research project in collaboration with a clinical tutor. Year 6 focuses on the refinement of previously-developed practical skills, as well as the development of more advanced clinical skills in areas such as general and acute medicine, emergency medicine, surgery, anaesthetics and intensive care. Opportunities to undertake an elective outside the UK for 6 weeks exist after Year 6 finals, and is an opportunity to explore practicing medicine in a non-UK setting.