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A day in the life of a medical student

1. What university do you go to
2. How would you describe a typical day in your life

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1. Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

2. Depends on which year!

First and second year - Lectures every day. Any time between 9 and 5. Most days you'll have about 4 or 5 hours of teaching but it varies day by day. Once a week you have a session in the dissection room. 4 days a week your lectures are on the science modules, one day a week it's more about clinical practice and history/examination/clinical skills. On that day, you spend the morning in lectures, and then the afternoon on various placements, e.g. GP or a hospital visit. Exams (for me anyway, this was like 5 years ago!) at the end of each 10 week term. Evenings free to go to societies, catch up on work, go out or revise.

Third year - On hospital placements 4 days a week. Within these you'll have lectures arranged for whichever placement you're on, and the rest of the time you spend in the hospital in clinics, on ward rounds, etc. On Wednesdays you have science lectures in the mornings and then afternoons for 'sport', more hospital work or whatever you want.

Fourth year - I can't really comment because I know they're changing it for future years!

Fifth year - Placements for most of the year. Similar to third year ones but with more emphasis on you doing what you find helpful, rather than having to fulfill logbook criteria. One month of revision and then exams! (This is where I am right now, arrrgh!)

Hope that helps - sorry it's abbreviated but this is my procrastination from work and now I'm feeling like I should get back to it!

Any further questions, let me know!
Reply 2
Original post by RachelDawn
1. Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

2. Depends on which year!

First and second year - Lectures every day. Any time between 9 and 5. Most days you'll have about 4 or 5 hours of teaching but it varies day by day. Once a week you have a session in the dissection room. 4 days a week your lectures are on the science modules, one day a week it's more about clinical practice and history/examination/clinical skills. On that day, you spend the morning in lectures, and then the afternoon on various placements, e.g. GP or a hospital visit. Exams (for me anyway, this was like 5 years ago!) at the end of each 10 week term. Evenings free to go to societies, catch up on work, go out or revise.

Third year - On hospital placements 4 days a week. Within these you'll have lectures arranged for whichever placement you're on, and the rest of the time you spend in the hospital in clinics, on ward rounds, etc. On Wednesdays you have science lectures in the mornings and then afternoons for 'sport', more hospital work or whatever you want.

Fourth year - I can't really comment because I know they're changing it for future years!

Fifth year - Placements for most of the year. Similar to third year ones but with more emphasis on you doing what you find helpful, rather than having to fulfill logbook criteria. One month of revision and then exams! (This is where I am right now, arrrgh!)

Hope that helps - sorry it's abbreviated but this is my procrastination from work and now I'm feeling like I should get back to it!

Any further questions, let me know!


Thanks for that. How much work do you think you were doing in your first two years each day


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It will depend heavily on med school and obviously what year you are in.

Oxford: Traditional course, minimal early clinical contact, basic science focus. Compulsory intercalation (i.e. 6 years).

Pre-clinical

1st year: Lectures at 9am every day. Between 2 and 4 hours worth, all basic science. Practical (physiology labs, biochemistry labs or prosection) in the afternoon 2-3x per week, tutorial in the afternoon 2-4x per week college dependent. Expected to do an essay for most tutorials, which probably forms most of your work.
You visit a GP/hospital ward for an afternoon once per term.
Exams (essays and MCQ) at end of the year. Mock exams at the beginning of terms.
Just 3x8 week terms

2nd Year: Similar to the above for first two terms. Focus shifts to using more primary and experimental evidence in your essays rather than textbooks. Exam (essays and MCQ) at beginning of 3rd term, then change to intercalated BA which is very different:
People often say this year is the most difficult as it crams what should be 3 terms of work into 2 to make room for intercalation.

3rd Year: Far fewer contact hours. 3 main aspects: Taught aspect, research project and extended essay.
Taught aspect - you might have around 5 lectures and a seminar per week but as you select modules you aren't expected to attend them all and attendance drops way below 1st and 2nd year. Just 8-10 tutorials for the whole year that you have to book yourself. Exam (essays) at end of year.
Research aspect - have to organise your own 8-10 week project. Usually you help with part of someone's PhD project, doing research no one else in the world has ever done before which is cool. Usually 9-5 or thereabouts. Write up as if its a publication (and indeed many do get published).
Extended essay - write an extended essay on a topic of your choice. Supervisor available to guide you.

Clinical

Note: about a third of the year will have gone to London at this point. Some choose to go, others lose out in a re-application process including interviews. Assuming you've passed, you are guaranteed to get in somewhere no matter how bad you are!

Terms from now on are around 48 weeks per year.

4th year: Med ed - 3 weeks of learning how to take a history, examine patients on the wards 9-4ish.
Lab med - then straight back to the lecture theatre, 9-5 most days. For the first time you are learning actual medicine though, as opposed to human and microbial biology. Exam (MCQ) just before christmas.
Then clinical attachments proper. Various rotations, expected attendance varies. Can be long days but lots of scope for leaving early if you're bored. Small amount of logbook work. Clinical lectures on Fridays.
Everyone really loves 4th year.
Formative (mock) MCQ and OSCE at end of year.

5th year: Most intense clinical year. 6x8 week rotations with exam at the end of each (MCQ and OSCE). Actual day to day is a mix of lectures and (mostly) clinical attachments. Might have to do a handful of night and weekend shifts. Again, attendance is largely governed by what you find useful, with a small amount of logbook work.

6th year: Repeat of 4th year clinical rotations but with your motivation now being finals at the end of January. Even more self-motivated as even the strictest of consultants tend to forgive you for wanting to revise at home/in the library.
After that its elective for 10-11 weeks, then self-selected modules as an opportunity to gain experience in what you want. Good opportunity for publications again.
Basically its 6 months to relax before work.

Finish beginning of July.

Start job in August.
Reply 4
I am not really that keen to say where I am but I think the most important thing is that it is variable depending on what school you are at, current rotation, approaching exams etc.

I can have runs of no contact time at all yet sometimes you might have a relatively long day in surgery, for example, followed by revision in the evening.

I think this variety is actually nice. It allows a certain degree of flexibility (even in clinical years) to do things outside medical school.
Reply 5
Original post by nexttime
It will depend heavily on med school and obviously what year you are in.

Oxford: Traditional course, minimal early clinical contact, basic science focus. Compulsory intercalation (i.e. 6 years).

Pre-clinical

1st year: Lectures at 9am every day. Between 2 and 4 hours worth, all basic science. Practical (physiology labs, biochemistry labs or prosection) in the afternoon 2-3x per week, tutorial in the afternoon 2-4x per week college dependent. Expected to do an essay for most tutorials, which probably forms most of your work.
You visit a GP/hospital ward for an afternoon once per term.
Exams (essays and MCQ) at end of the year. Mock exams at the beginning of terms.
Just 3x8 week terms

2nd Year: Similar to the above for first two terms. Focus shifts to using more primary and experimental evidence in your essays rather than textbooks. Exam (essays and MCQ) at beginning of 3rd term, then change to intercalated BA which is very different:
People often say this year is the most difficult as it crams what should be 3 terms of work into 2 to make room for intercalation.

3rd Year: Far fewer contact hours. 3 main aspects: Taught aspect, research project and extended essay.
Taught aspect - you might have around 5 lectures and a seminar per week but as you select modules you aren't expected to attend them all and attendance drops way below 1st and 2nd year. Just 8-10 tutorials for the whole year that you have to book yourself. Exam (essays) at end of year.
Research aspect - have to organise your own 8-10 week project. Usually you help with part of someone's PhD project, doing research no one else in the world has ever done before which is cool. Usually 9-5 or thereabouts. Write up as if its a publication (and indeed many do get published).
Extended essay - write an extended essay on a topic of your choice. Supervisor available to guide you.

Clinical

Note: about a third of the year will have gone to London at this point. Some choose to go, others lose out in a re-application process including interviews. Assuming you've passed, you are guaranteed to get in somewhere no matter how bad you are!

Terms from now on are around 48 weeks per year.

4th year: Med ed - 3 weeks of learning how to take a history, examine patients on the wards 9-4ish.
Lab med - then straight back to the lecture theatre, 9-5 most days. For the first time you are learning actual medicine though, as opposed to human and microbial biology. Exam (MCQ) just before christmas.
Then clinical attachments proper. Various rotations, expected attendance varies. Can be long days but lots of scope for leaving early if you're bored. Small amount of logbook work. Clinical lectures on Fridays.
Everyone really loves 4th year.
Formative (mock) MCQ and OSCE at end of year.

5th year: Most intense clinical year. 6x8 week rotations with exam at the end of each (MCQ and OSCE). Actual day to day is a mix of lectures and (mostly) clinical attachments. Might have to do a handful of night and weekend shifts. Again, attendance is largely governed by what you find useful, with a small amount of logbook work.

6th year: Repeat of 4th year clinical rotations but with your motivation now being finals at the end of January. Even more self-motivated as even the strictest of consultants tend to forgive you for wanting to revise at home/in the library.
After that its elective for 10-11 weeks, then self-selected modules as an opportunity to gain experience in what you want. Good opportunity for publications again.
Basically its 6 months to relax before work.

Finish beginning of July.

Start job in August.


Wow dedication. What would happen if you didnt qualify for the second half of the degree


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Original post by Saj5677
Wow dedication. What would happen if you didnt qualify for the second half of the degree


Like I say, you're guaranteed to get in somewhere. If absolutely none of the london unis want you then Oxford is obliged to take you back, but that is a rare occurrence.
Original post by nexttime
Like I say, you're guaranteed to get in somewhere. If absolutely none of the london unis want you then Oxford is obliged to take you back, but that is a rare occurrence.


Do 1/3 of the year really transfer to London from Oxford?! I never realised it was such a high proportion who had to leave...
Reply 8
Warwick is a postgraduate course!
Early clinical placements and let of time being let lose in the hospitals!
Pretty fun!
Original post by nexttime

Note: about a third of the year will have gone to London at this point. Some choose to go, others lose out in a re-application process including interviews. Assuming you've passed, you are guaranteed to get in somewhere no matter how bad you are!


A third of the year? I'm pretty sure only about a fifth will be leaving my year at most. Also, considering Cambridge are pulling out of the MOCAG system, I think Oxford is looking into keeping all of our students for clinicals (perhaps whilst also keeping the option to move to London) - from what I've heard from people on the Exec committees or whatnot.
Reply 10
Original post by manic_fuzz
A third of the year? I'm pretty sure only about a fifth will be leaving my year at most. Also, considering Cambridge are pulling out of the MOCAG system, I think Oxford is looking into keeping all of our students for clinicals (perhaps whilst also keeping the option to move to London) - from what I've heard from people on the Exec committees or whatnot.


Whats a typical for you


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Original post by Saj5677
Whats a typical for you


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Basically what nexttime said as I'm a 3rd year. The only discrepancy being that in 3rd year the course is a lot more variable. I actually only did 3 medicine tutorials all year, but did 8 history and 5 philosophy ones (optional module). As of next term I'll have practically no contact hours so'll just be in the library... (hopefully). Also, after final exams of 3rd year there is an intensive 3 week anatomy course to somewhat prepare us for clinicals.

Also the GP course spread across 1st and 2nd year involves 8 afternoons spent with the GP and patients. And the few interactive lectures (with patients) at the hospital are poorly attended due to being at the main hospital rather than the med school and often happening on the last week of term.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by manic_fuzz
A third of the year? I'm pretty sure only about a fifth will be leaving my year at most. Also, considering Cambridge are pulling out of the MOCAG system, I think Oxford is looking into keeping all of our students for clinicals (perhaps whilst also keeping the option to move to London) - from what I've heard from people on the Exec committees or whatnot.


I'm pretty sure it used to be 50 out of 150 yeah. The year size would stay about the same despite the influx of 30 graduates and about 20 Cambridge.

Cambridge aren't sending people to Oxford either any more right? Maybe that's allowed the number retained to go up.
Original post by nexttime
I'm pretty sure it used to be 50 out of 150 yeah. The year size would stay about the same despite the influx of 30 graduates and about 20 Cambridge.

Cambridge aren't sending people to Oxford either any more right? Maybe that's allowed the number retained to go up.


Hmm weird, I think only ~50 people even had interviews this year. Cambridge have yet to stop sending people to Oxford/London, I think it's happening in 2017 but not sure? Although I hear that there are only 3 Cambridge -> Oxford transfers in the year above me so perhaps fewer are applying/getting in here.
Original post by manic_fuzz
Hmm weird, I think only ~50 people even had interviews this year.


I mean, that's not mutually exclusive with 50 people leaving, as others may have chosen to go.

(I assume you mean interviews for Oxford)
Original post by nexttime
I mean, that's not mutually exclusive with 50 people leaving, as others may have chosen to go.

(I assume you mean interviews for Oxford)


I do. And no, but I was told they aim to interview twice as many as will be forced to leave. And 6 chose to go. Either way, it's definitely not currently 50, nor has it been recently.
Edinburgh

As a second year:
9am lecture, followed by PBL twice a week (either Mon/Thu or Tue/Fri), afternoon is tutorial/anatomy practical/more lectures (module dependent). On Wednesday am, we have 2-3 lectures instead of 1. ICP (intro to clinical practice) once per week in the afternoon - two hours with a GP learning to examine and take histories. Once I get back for the day, do some work for PBL or SSC (group projects we have to do). Then go to the pub :colone:

First year is similar, but with PBL in the afternoons to make room for more morning lectures.

Can't comment about the intercalated and clinical years as of yet.


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Reply 17
Cambridge, First Year. To add the whole MOCAG thing mentioned above, my year is the first intake group where everyone will be staying in Cambridge for clinical school.

9am or 8:45 lectures each day except Monday (thank god :u:) and a 12:15 lecture every day. All science lectures, except for 2 lectures every wednesday on "the social context of health and illness" - SCHI (actually not too bad if you bring some popcorn along!! :cool:) and statistics (most people don't go :tongue:). 2 hour dissection lab twice a week, 2 hour physiology practical every week, 2 hour histology practical every other week and a 4 hour biochemistry practical once a term. Also have a two afternoons at a GP's surgery, once in each of the first two terms, and two biochemistry PBL sessions in each of the first two terms.

Typically have about 4 supervisions a week, which (in my college) are normally in groups of 3. Not always set essays for each supervision each week; normally we have max. 2 average per week, but sometimes it's none and sometimes they all do them at the same time.

All exams at the end of the year (except for two at the end of easter term for statistics and SCHI).
Reply 18
Sheffield.

Years 1-5: pass the exams and placement based assessments/essays and you can spend the rest of the time doing, sleeping with, drinking and smoking what you want. You can and should do a lot more than this but a lot of students get by on the bare minimum, which, if you're smart about it, isn't really that much.
Reply 19
Original post by vioxx
Sheffield.

Years 1-5: pass the exams and placement based assessments/essays and you can spend the rest of the time doing, sleeping with, drinking and smoking what you want. You can and should do a lot more than this but a lot of students get by on the bare minimum, which, if you're smart about it, isn't really that much.


At the end of your five years is it just a pass or a fail. Or is there a higher award


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