Pros and cons of your med school?

14

My PBL group were discussing this yesterday and decided that the biggest problem with the UEA course was the lack of basic science teaching we get (while we get some lectures for guidance, a lot is very much DIY and dependent on us motivating ourselves to get it done.) Even the end of year exam is 50% psychosocial stuff (including ethics and legal

)
I do think we get a good amount of patient experience and teaching on communication skills though.
What do you think is the biggest drawbacks of your med school? And what do you think works particularly well?
*just out of curiousity

*

Aberdeen 1 Aberdeen 2
Barts 1 Barts 2 Barts 3
Birmingham 1 Birmingham 2
BSMS
Cambridge 1 Cambridge 2 Cambridge 3
Cardiff 1 Cardiff 2
East Anglia
Glasgow 1 Glasgow 2
Imperial 1 Imperial 2
Keele
Kings 1 Kings 2
Leicester
Liverpool
Manchester 1 Manchester 2 Manchester 3 Manchester 4 Manchester 5
Newcastle
Nottingham
Oxford
Peninsula 1 Peninsula 2 Peninsula 3 Peninsula 4 Peninsula 5 Peninsula 6
Sheffield
Southampton 1 Southampton 2
St Andrews 1 St Andrews 2 St Andrews 3
St Georges
UCL 1 UCL 2 UCL 3 UCL 4
Warwick

(edited 14 years ago)

Reply 1

randdom

20

This I like are the early clinical teaching that we had, the fact that we did dissection and the fact that it is lecture based.

I think that the main drawback is the fact that while the RSCH is a big hospital we are so close to London that often more specialist things (especially in paeds) seem to get referred away.

Reply 2

Philosoraptor

18

Not (m)any really. I like the fact we get taught a good amount of basic science (as it's pretty much traditional) and that I'm forced to do a BSc so I can't be lazy. :p:

.
The only thing could be maybe a placement or two on the wards seeing as even Imperial 2nd years are on the wards now... just to keep people that are crazy about clinics (i.e. me) going.

I've had to sort that out myself, but you know all good fun.

Reply 3

Saffie

11

My year are the last yr with this curriculum so I guess some of its 'cons' will be erradicated. I'm not entirely sure what the new curriculum entails- but more anatomy teaching, shorter terms in the first 2 years, more placements in 3rd year, no more PPD...

My year (and those above me) might be unlucky in the long run but not much. I mostly think the course has been good.

Anyway:

Pros-
London, lots to do
Lots of bad health to learn from- TB/HIV included
Unions quite friendly
Course not too hard but being changed
We've kept our name, we always win RAG in London
Variety of people with different cultures
Some amazing world class consultants at the hospitals we have placements at
Mostly nice, good lecturers
Good transport links (to placements and other stuff)
If you want to have leadership roles, not too much competition
Get longer holidays than other med schools when we're clinical students

Cons-
East London- mostly not a nice area and still very expensive
The unions ugly too
Heavy drinking culture- I knew people who died cause of it
Probably not enough fun societies but can always start your own if you want
People group off too much by ethnicities
I never met students studying anything else (bar dentistry)- though now first years live with people doing other stuff
Poor anatomy teaching, but improving now for first years
A lot of variation between placements. Mine in preclinical years were all pointless. My first clinical ones were very good though.
Some of the teachings a bit iffy.
Not that much choice outside sciences for Bscs

Reply 4

Helenia

20

Pros:

•

Cambridge is lovely.

•

The collegiate system is very good for making non-medic friends and getting involved in all sorts of activities

•

If you like hardcore science, it'll do it for you - there's lots of practicals, lots of dissection and you'll be stretched. Third year, especially if you do a research project, is an opportunity to really get into that side of things.

•

The clinical course is good, in my opinion - the DGHs are as a rule friendly, and you get free accommodation at all of them. I feel like I will be pretty well-prepared to hit the wards as an F1.

Cons:

•

If you want to see patients early on, don't come here. The "Preparing for patients" course is a very lame nod to the GMC's requirements for early clinical contact.

•

In a similar vein, you will feel (compared with others on here discussing examinations, investigations etc in their first year) very behind in some areas, but you do get rapidly up to speed in clinical years.

•

It is a pressure cooker. Two people in my year have died - but this is hopefully an exception rather than the rule.

•

While the DGHs are lovely, quite a few of them are quite far away, which is a pain in the arse if you have commitments in Cambridge

•

Addenbrooke's isn't all that nice for students.

I'll add more if and when I think of them.

Reply 5

Democracy

21

Helenia

•

It is a pressure cooker. Two people in my year have died - but this is hopefully an exception rather than the rule.

Why?!

Reply 6

Helenia

20

I don't think anyone knows, and I don't think it's something that I should discuss too much on here.

Reply 7

Asclepius

12

The fact we do full dissection is good, I don't think I'd have been as motivated to learn the anatomy if it was just using assorted wet specimens in a resource area with no teaching/supervision.

As far as cons go, I guess we have the same issue here with a lack of basic science teaching to start with. We also have the issue of being shown up by the St Andrews lot when we start clinicals :tongue:

Reply 8

Asclepius

12

Helenia

If you want to see patients early on, don't come here. The "Preparing for patients" course is a very lame nod to the GMC's requirements for early clinical contact.

What does this involve? How many hours/days is it?

Reply 9

Democracy

21

Helenia

I don't think anyone knows, and I don't think it's something that I should discuss too much on here.

Fair enough, I understand. I did read about the Leeds student who commited suicide after failing his exams and being asked to leave...it's really quite sad stuff, that the pressure is so high that he thought that was the only way I out.

Reply 10

ThisLittlePiggy

12

Pros

We are a rag tag bunch of misfits and we all get on really well with one another.

We have a great deal of community and it is rare for anyone not to know or be able to have friendly chat with most of the year.

We have a year of basic sciences and systems teaching that is really good and sets up your second and subsequent years nicely

We have friendly staff, probably because they are rag tag misfits also, and they are keen to help.

Clinical teaching starts in second year and we get taught clinical skills early and do wards early.

A really large Hospital full of patients who treat us well and are always prepare to let us learn and practice.

Cons

We are North

We are Cold

We use Prosection,which was great,but I'd preferred to have done Dissection.

We do everything so rushed- never heard any medical school do it this rushed;
1) One year anatomy: everything!
2) Clinical skills was very intensive and we where tested straight away on the wards
3)Systems is also full on and we get barely anytime between the course end and exam time ( 6 nights ).

Public health!

Reply 11

terpineol

14

Far too much time spent on placements and doing patienty things.

Reply 12

Asclepius

12

Democracy

Fair enough, I understand. I did read about the Leeds student who commited suicide after failing his exams and being asked to leave...it's really quite sad stuff, that the pressure is so high that he thought that was the only way I out.

We had a guy commit suicide in my accommodation block in the first couple of weeks. It just struck me how tragic it was that someone could feel that isolated and lonely so soon. Made all of us feel pretty ****, don't think anyone around slept much that night :frown:

Reply 13

Helenia

20

Alex L

What does this involve? How many hours/days is it?

PfP consists of 4 sections:
A: 1st year, 2 afternoons in GP surgery, one seeing patients there, one on a home visit to a chronic patient.
B: 2nd year, 2 sessions (morning/afternoon) in hospital, seeing a couple of patients each time, then a discussion session.
C: Holidays between 2nd/3rd year, go to an "alternative health practitioner" (I went to an osteopath) or some kind of community health place e.g. drug rehab centre, for one day, then a short presentation.
D: 3rd year, 4 home visits over ~4-6 months to a pregnant lady (ideally 3 before and one after delivery, but mine was due too late so ended up doing all 4 antenatally).

All of them require a 2-page reflective write-up, so over three years it's not much at all. There are a couple of lectures along the way with the basics of communication skills but it's not anything about history taking or anything like that, it's mainly just nice little chats.

Reply 14

Democracy

21

Alex L

We had a guy commit suicide in my accommodation block in the first couple of weeks. It just struck me how tragic it was that someone could feel that isolated and lonely so soon. Made all of us feel pretty ****, don't think anyone around slept much that night :frown:

Maybe it's cause my halls don't have many medical students in them, but this type of story is really rare at my uni...though one of our students was murdered last year :unsure:

Reply 15

Asclepius

12

Helenia

PfP consists of 4 sections:
A: 1st year, 2 afternoons in GP surgery, one seeing patients there, one on a home visit to a chronic patient.
B: 2nd year, 2 sessions (morning/afternoon) in hospital, seeing a couple of patients each time, then a discussion session.
C: Holidays between 2nd/3rd year, go to an "alternative health practitioner" (I went to an osteopath) or some kind of community health place e.g. drug rehab centre, for one day, then a short presentation.
D: 3rd year, 4 home visits over ~4-6 months to a pregnant lady (ideally 3 before and one after delivery, but mine was due too late so ended up doing all 4 antenatally).

All of them require a 2-page reflective write-up, so over three years it's not much at all. There are a couple of lectures along the way with the basics of communication skills but it's not anything about history taking or anything like that, it's mainly just nice little chats.

I thought our experience here was fairly limited, but we get more experience than A-C combined in the first year alone. Although I do like the follow up aspect to the pregnant lady visits, that's something I'd quite like to do if I could

Reply 16

pamelaa

17

Democracy

Maybe it's cause my halls don't have many medical students in them, but this type of story is really rare at my uni...though one of our students was murdered last year :unsure:

why im not going to london. :wink:

Reply 17

Asclepius

12

Democracy

Maybe it's cause my halls don't have many medical students in them, but this type of story is really rare at my uni...though one of our students was murdered last year :unsure:

Wasn't a medic, but was an international, so they had the added pressure of distance from home I guess. Still horrible, regardless of their situation :frown:

Reply 18

terpineol

14

There are a few trees with plaques in memory of medical students around the medical school, so I guess the odd one must transfer to ECU.