September Year 1 to June Year 1
Introductory Clinical Competency
- Introduction to Medical Studies and Medical Sciences
- Introductory clinical competencies
- Systems based learning and teaching (Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal and Liver, Musculo-skeletal, Skin, Nervous, Genitourinary, Endocrine, Reproductive, Haematology, Immunology)
- Integrated Clinical Demonstrations
- Multi Professional Experience (a 2-week teaching block focusing on clinical skills development)
- Early Years General Practice Placement (10 half-days through year 1)
- Community Attachment Scheme
- Public Health and Population Health Science
- Medical Ethics
- Personal and Professional Development
- Student Selected Components (SSCs)
The structure of Phase 1 follows the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Guidelines and is largely ‘systems-based’. Information is presented in a series of modules which cover the basic systems of the body and also involves Public Health and Population Health Science, Medical Ethics, Professionalism and Patient Safety and Student Selected Components.
Much of the teaching takes place in the Medical School which is sited next to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. A significant part of Phase 1 involves working outside the main campus, for example at the clinical skills units at the Northern General Hospital and the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, on the wards of nearby hospitals or within a community setting including general practice and some social service locations.
Phase 1 includes a two-week Multi Professional Experience (MPE), which introduces you to working with doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Students also have ten regular placements in a General Practice throughout the first year, starting in week 2 of the first term.
Phase 1 focuses on the normal structure and function of the human body. Whilst it is obviously important to cover subject disciplines such as Anatomy (including embryology and histology), Physiology and Biochemistry, these are presented in an integrated way within the relevant body system under study.
For example, in the cardiovascular system module, the structure, function and metabolism of the heart will be studied. In addition, aspects of Public Health, Ethics and other relevant topics are integrated into the course with a Public Health/Population Health Sciences module that runs longitudinally throughout the year.
Learning is by practical classes (including dissection of the human body), lectures, flipped classrooms, tutorials and self-directed study. Computer-based learning is used routinely within Phase 1 and student evaluations of these packages show that they are very well received.
Students complete summative pieces of coursework during Phase 1, which develops generic graduate skills. These student selected components focus on the history of medicine, critical analysis and communicating health information. The first of these is launched in the first week.
Formal assessment in Phase 1 consists of a written examination paper (multiple- choice and clinically related ‘scenario-based short answer’ questions) and a practical examination. The whole examination must be passed before progression to the next stage. However if a student fails there is an opportunity to resit the examination during the summer vacation period.