MBBS Medicine With a Foundation Year

This six-year course follows a similar structure to the MBBS Medicinal degree programme, with an additional foundation year. The following five years are organised into 14 modules based on body systems, as you study core sciences alongside your clinical placements. Medical scenarios serve as the basis for your learning.

Year 1 (Foundation Year)
Your foundation year focuses on the sciences, introducing you to the study skills required when studying for a medical degree. Subjects include Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, and elements of the healthcare system. Subject to meeting the progression criteria upon the completion of this year, you will then continue to study as part of the five-year MBBS Medical degree programme.

Year 2
In your second year you will develop a broad range of skills, studying topics including human life, biological and behavioural sciences, and the underlying science behind the musculoskeletal system.

Year 3
During your third year you will engage in a variety of modules, such as how to recognise and treat diseases, including cancer, infection, and common skin and haematological diseases. Your studies will also cover cardiology, vascular surgery and stroke medicine, alongside the nature, management, and psychosocial impact of lung disease.

Year 4
In your fourth year you will study hormone regulation, the kidneys, and the urological system’s role in your body. The programme also focuses on ‘The Senses’ at this stage, as you explore neurology and ophthalmology, alongside ear, nose and throat. Your third key module covers both the medical and surgical disease of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the opportunity to gain general surgical experience.

Year 5
During your fifth year you will study ‘Reproduction’, which covers obstetrics and gynaecology; helping you to understand childbirth. You will begin to develop a broad understanding of child health, including the wider issues related to children. A third module will include the study of mental health, including its impact on patients, their carers and their families. To integrate the knowledge from earlier years of the programme, there are also short placements in Oncology, Palliative Care and Medicine for the Elderly

You will also have the opportunity to take part in a four-week placement as part of an elective module. You have the chance to plan your elective destination (which can be anywhere in the world), learning from and contributing to medical provision in a thoroughly immersed way.

Year 6
In your final year you will undertake a further three modules which will cover a variety of advanced topics. You will also study emergency care, which will immerse you in the management of the acutely sick patient, accident and emergency, and intensive care.

One of the highlights of your final year will be your ‘student assistantship’; a nine-week placement split between a medical and surgical speciality. This will cover practical and logistical aspects of becoming a junior doctor, as you record your progress in a real-life medical environment.

During your final attachment, students select an area to pursue in depth from a range of opportunities.

Intercalation
Students have the opportunity to undertake an intercalated postgraduate (Masters level) degree course after completing year 4 or year 5 of our MBBS with a foundation year degree. Currently students can take a masters in clinical research (MRes), in clinical education (MClinEd) or in molecular medicine (MSc).