MBChB Course Structure

The four-year medical course is split into three Phases:
Phase I (Year 1): Foundations of science and medicine
Phase II (Year 2): Advanced cases 1 (AC1) & Core Clinical Education (CCE) - Principles of clinical practice
Phase III (Years 3&4): Rotational Clinical experience in Preparation for practice Phase I (Year 1)

Phase I consists of university-based teaching with some clinical exposure in various settings. Small group learning is emphasised to enhance the student’s learning experience. Learning activities are arranged by integrating basic medical science disciplines into five blocks of 5 weeks each, with emphasis on case-based learning (CBL) activities. There is also a student selected component (SSC). The five blocks and SSC are arranged as follows:-

The leads for the specialist clinical blocks based at UHCW are as follows:

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3
Health, Metabolism + Homeostasis  Blood, Heart & Lungs	Brain & Behaviour Locomotion	Reproduction and Child Health
	Student Selected Component (SSC)

Phase II (Year 2)
Year 2 commences with a similar learning environment to Year 1, but now involves more complex, integrated case-based learning (‘Advanced Cases’ – AC1).

The students have been introduced to learning in health care settings during AC1 and commence ‘Core Clinical Education’ (CCE) in January, when they become immersed in community and hospital-based clinical teaching. CCE includes time spent in Medicine, Surgery, Orthopaedics, Anaesthetics and elements of General Practice, Psychiatry, Child Health and Obstetrics & Gynaecology. The emphasis is on developing core clinical skills in history, clinical examination and early patient management.

Leads for Phase II
Lanri Sorinola, Academic Lead Phase 2, Warwick
Currently recruiting Lead for Advanced Cases 1
Sarah Grieve, Deputy CCE Lead for UHCW
Dr Cyprian Mendonca, CCE Lead for UHCW
Dr Rajiv Nair, CCE Lead for GEH
Dr Jeremy Shearman, CCE Lead for SWFT

Phase III (Years 3&4) Students will spend eight weeks working on a research-based student-selected component (SSC). Advanced Cases (AC2) will continue to use CBL to focus on development of management skills. Six-week placements in ‘Specialist Clinical Placements’ (SCP) cover seven specialties:-
- Care of the Medical Patient - Care of the Surgical Patient
- Acute Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Child Health
- Musculoskeletal Healthcare
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Students will spend three days per block in General Practice seeing patients with conditions relevant to the students’ current hospital specialty placement.

Students will spend three days per block in General Practice seeing patients with conditions relevant to the students’ current hospital specialty placement.

Immediately prior to their final summative examinations, students undertake a six-week block in Advanced Clinical Cases (AC-3) to enable them to consolidate the knowledge and practice skills they have acquired into a practical clinical context. This block helps prepare the students for their final examinations and also for their subsequent Clinical Assistantship, where the student has opportunity to work alongside a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor to smooth transition from medical school to FY1 clinical practice.
Immediately following summative final year examinations, a six-week Elective block is afforded to allow students to undertake a medical project in a setting of their choice. Many students choose to undertake their electives outside the UK, to observe how medicine is practised in another country and experience a different social, cultural and physical environment.
 

Specialist Clinical Placement	Academic Lead	Administrative Lead
Care of the Surgical Patient	Mr Ling Wong – UHCW Ling.Wong@uhcw.nhs.uk	Gladys Moore Gladys.Moore@uhcw.nhs.uk
Child Health	Dr Prakash Satodia – UHCW Prakash.Satodia@uhcw.nhs.uk
Musculoskeletal Healthcare	Mr Sunit Patil – UHCW Sunit.Patil@uhcw.nhs.uk
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Ms Jacky Woodman – UHCW Jacky.Woodman@uhcw.nhs.uk

Revision block Year 4 students can contact the Clinical Teaching Fellows on teaching.fellows@uhcw.nhs.uk for information and assistance.