Biomedical Sciences

I think very few courses require the BMAT other than Oxford and Imperial.

I would note that if you want to work as a biomedical scientist in the NHS after graduating, you need to focus on IBMS accredited degrees, or ideally the Healthcare Sciences (Life Sciences) courses that make up the NHS Practitioner Training Programme, which you can find here: https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/services/accreditation/ptp-academic-programmes/ The relevant specialisms are cellular/blood/infection sciences or genetics, as well as the life sciences stream which is not initially specialised in any of those areas. Doing any other course means that you won't be able to apply to band 5 BMS roles in the NHS without jumping through many other hoops, which may also require you to work for some time in other roles while undertaking expensive top-up modules.

The previous poster covered a lot of other stuff really well so I won't touch on that!

As for EPQ, it is never a required qualification however some universities do offer a lower entry requirement for certain subjects if you get a good enough grade in it. When picking a topic/title, make sure it is a subject that interests you and make sure you can be evaluative with it, not just descriptive. E.g. You can't just explain how a thing works for an EPQ, you have to have different sides to an argument or different approaches you can take, weight them up and compare them against each other and come to a conclusion. I did my EPQ on using bacteria and viruses to treat diseases and got an A if you would like anymore specific advice, I'll try to lend a hand!

Career options wise, the importance of IBMS accredited for NHS positions has been covered. However other options are still open (with ot without IBMS accreditation) such as in labs (e.g. Research), non-lab based science roles (e.g. Working in the admin side of a science company, clinical trials), and non-science based jobs at all. A biology degree teaches a lot of skills that cover a lot of jobs!

Books wise, there's a lot out there and it depends on your interests but one I have read that I loved was The Beautiful Cure by Daniel M Davis. It talks through advances in immunology looking not only at the science, but how they got there, the things going on in the scientists lives around that time, the weird science politics of research and Nobel prizes. I dont so specifically Biomed (but a different biology-related degree) so it might not be completely what you're looking for but I found it really enjoyable and interesting!

I hope this has helped in anyway and please don't be afraid to ask anymore questions!

Thank you! I think I'd want to go into research after my degree, so I probably won't apply for any accredited degrees.

Personally, even if you want to do research, i'd still pick an accredited degree. The IBMS is an external body that certify the quality of the course structure, it is a good thing to have on your CV.

Hi, I'm hoping to study biomedicine next year, and I want to start preparing my university application, so please could you tell me about your experience on the course, what to expect, university recommendations (I'll hopefully apply to mainly Russell groups), advice for the BMAT, doing a biomedicine EPQ, career options, and any good book recommendations as well!

Yes, I guess it would be good on my CV, but I'd have to see if it comes with the university courses I end up liking most.

Sure! On top of the course structure and modules, since you are interested in research, I'd suggest you to check also the research profile of the teaching stuff. You want lecturers actively involved in research and researchers that work on topics you like (cancer or antimicrobial research, neurodegenerative diseases, etc etc). Also it is important to check affiliations with major national and international research initiatives. Just to give you a simple example, University of Essex is part of the Alzheimer’s Research UK Network, and the group at Essex focuses on the study of the connection between genetics and epigenetics markers in the population and the likelihood to develop Alzheimer.

Just finished 1st year Biochem, but same Department as BSc Biomedical Sciences and we share a couple of modules in 1st year. I really enjoyed it. I'm really interested in Alzheimer and we did study Prion disease in Biochem this year, but i now more interested in virology and i really want to get a summer placement next year and work on antiviral drug development. My lectures gave a few webinars this year (https://www.essex.ac.uk/visit-us/cant-visit-us/talks-and-tasters) and they were really interesting.

Hi, I'm hoping to study biomedicine next year, and I want to start preparing my university application, so please could you tell me about your experience on the course, what to expect, university recommendations (I'll hopefully apply to mainly Russell groups), advice for the BMAT, doing a biomedicine EPQ, career options, and any good book recommendations as well!

Hi,

From the start of the course, it's a good idea to look ahead to what you'd like to do in the future. If you want to be a biomedical scientist in the NHS, you need a IBMS accredited degree or a degree that'll fund your accreditation when you finish it. If this isn't your goal, the accreditation is less important. Expect an intense course that you'll have to work hard in, but that will follow logically through the body and leave you with a fantastic understanding of human biology and health.

In terms of doing an EPQ, it can be a really good option and prepares you for some of the key skills you'll use in your degree, so if you have the capacity to do it, it can be a great idea. Make sure you consider, however, that it takes time away from your other studies, so make sure you don't take on too much and overwhelm yourself.

For book recommendations, make sure you're branching outside of the typical list of med/biomed books - e.g. The immortal life of henrietta lacks, the man who mistook his wife for a hat - these books are great reads but try to find some lesser known ones too - it can be good to figure out where your particular scientific interest is at the moment and finding books around that.

Good luck in your applications, Biomedical Science is a really fun and interesting degree!

Best Wishes,
Lauren
2nd Year Biomedical Science Student
SGUL Official Rep