COVID-19 cancelled my intercalation and I dont know what to do

Was meant to be intercalating in anatomy (BSc) this September at a different uni than I am currently at. The uni has rung me to say its not happening this year due to COVID-19. I just don't know what to do and just want to cry ngl.
My options:
Continue with my medical degree
Do a different intercalation at the uni I applied to (but I don't feel as enthusiastic about any of them compared to what I originally applied for)
Try and hope that another uni doing the course is still doing the course and will let me join even though I never applied to them in the first place.

Masters isn't an option for me (cost), I'm screwed over at the moment for accommodation and SFE.
I was hoping to use this intercalation year to not only pursue something I'm interested in, but also to use it as an opportunity to gain research/publishing/teaching

Any advice about what to do would be great, and also if your med school offers BSc anatomy, what the course is like and if it is still running next year

Reply 1

asif007

19

Can’t you defer your offer for a year? You can continue with med school at your current uni, then intercalate in September 2021 when hopefully it will be running again.

Reply 2

pizza404

3

Hi, I am in an almost identical situation to you Elise. I had an unconditional offer for a Clinical Anatomy BSc at the University of Leeds (was this where you were planning on studying?). Unfortunately I can't defer either because I'm in 4th year now.If it isn't possible to find an alternative Anatomy course I'll be looking for places doing an MRes or ClinEd (with a view to gaining points for surgical training in the future).If you haven't done so already it's worth looking into an NHS bursary (should cover tuition fees if you meet eligibility criteria). Sorry if that's just stating the obvious though!

Reply 3

Elise28

OP

3

Original post by asif007

Can’t you defer your offer for a year? You can continue with med school at your current uni, then intercalate in September 2021 when hopefully it will be running again.

I just feel a bit conflicted going out of fourth year when it gets close to finals and for 3rd year at my med school the placements last end of may -mid July and then start again end of July - mid September so I’m confused at which point I would come out of 🙃
I'm also waiting to hear back if its even an option

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 4

Elise28

OP

3

Original post by pizza404

Hi, I am in an almost identical situation to you Elise. I had an unconditional offer for a Clinical Anatomy BSc at the University of Leeds (was this where you were planning on studying?). Unfortunately I can't defer either because I'm in 4th year now.If it isn't possible to find an alternative Anatomy course I'll be looking for places doing an MRes or ClinEd (with a view to gaining points for surgical training in the future).If you haven't done so already it's worth looking into an NHS bursary (should cover tuition fees if you meet eligibility criteria). Sorry if that's just stating the obvious though!

Yep I also applied to Leeds. I got some more information about their medical education course but I’m not sure if I want to actually do it or if it would almost be a waste.

So, I called Cardiff today and their course is full (and very small). The only other options for anatomy are Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester (only if you’re an internal student), Dundee/Glasgow and a few London ones (excluded for costs too).

Birmingham’s modules have a lot of assessments for each module (and from what I’ve heard so does their medicine course)
Bristol I had heard some negative reviews about it and people dropping out
And then there’s Scotland

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 5

Anonymous #1

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear about this! I was just wondering, why did they cancel the anatomy course but not the other courses?

Reply 6

Elise28

OP

3

Original post by Anonymous

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear about this! I was just wondering, why did they cancel the anatomy course but not the other courses?

'The University of Leeds has taken this decision due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation which has a specific impact on this programme of study. Advanced dissection classes are integral to the programme (approximately 250 hours during the year) and are embedded in the learning objectives of the majority of the modules. They require prolonged close contact between the teachers and students, and unfortunately, due to social distancing requirements, it will be impossible to run this advanced dissection during the academic year. Please be assured that we have carefully considered a range of possible options that might have allowed the dissection classes to go ahead but have had to conclude that these would either be unworkable in practice or that they would not provide sufficient levels of safety and protection.'

Reply 7

pizza404

3

Original post by Elise28

Yep I also applied to Leeds. I got some more information about their medical education course but I’m not sure if I want to actually do it or if it would almost be a waste.

So, I called Cardiff today and their course is full (and very small). The only other options for anatomy are Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester (only if you’re an internal student), Dundee/Glasgow and a few London ones (excluded for costs too).

Birmingham’s modules have a lot of assessments for each module (and from what I’ve heard so does their medicine course)
Bristol I had heard some negative reviews about it and people dropping out
And then there’s Scotland

Ah, sorry to hear that. You must have had the same surprise phone call that I did. I have spent today writing to various course directors to see if I can incorporate anatomy into a different intercalation. So far the best I've been able to come up with is an MClinEd at my current university that will allow a module in anatomy teaching (in whatever form that takes place in this year).

One point to note - after speaking to some friendly F2s and CT1s I've had universally positive feedback about doing an MClinEd. If you're interested in a career in surgery it is definitely worth considering for the portfolio points that are required at interviews for training posts (google "surgical portfolio scoring" and you'll see). Anyway, best of luck with whatever you decide to to!

Reply 8

2500_2

18

Original post by Elise28

Yep I also applied to Leeds. I got some more information about their medical education course but I’m not sure if I want to actually do it or if it would almost be a waste.

So, I called Cardiff today and their course is full (and very small). The only other options for anatomy are Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester (only if you’re an internal student), Dundee/Glasgow and a few London ones (excluded for costs too).

Birmingham’s modules have a lot of assessments for each module (and from what I’ve heard so does their medicine course)
Bristol I had heard some negative reviews about it and people dropping out
And then there’s Scotland

have you seen this list? https://www.intercalate.co.uk/listings/?ls=anatomy&location=&st=listing&radius=100&lat=&lng=

Reply 9

Elise28

OP

3

For anyone curious, I got in contact with my med school and they'll let me intercalate after 4th year, thanks for all the advice!