Medical & Dental Schools in the United Kingdom Dr K M Tekeli MBCHB DDS MFDS MRCS Facial Surgical Registrar

Overview EU students enrolled UK High quality education Early adequate patient contact EU wide degree recognition High school fees though grants and loans available for EU students

Introduction Medicine / Dentistry as a career Medical & Dental Scheme Overview - EU relationship Pathways of medical education & UK Medical Schools Pathways of dental education & UK Dental Schools How to apply to medical / dental school ? Academic criteria and exams Personal statement & interviews English language proficiency Funding and other possible pathways Top tips and websites

Medicine / Dentistry as a Career Why do you want to become a doctor / dentist ? Do you have the necessary attributes ? Your expectations and long term plans ? Career path of a doctor / dentist Differences Lifelong learning

UK Medical & Dental Schemes General Medical Council (GMC)  Regulates doctors  Maintains standards for medical education  Fosters high quality of care and good medical practice General Dental Council (GDC)  Regulates dentists and dental care professionals  Maintains standards for dental education  Investigates complaints

Medical & Dental Schools  MB BS, MB ChB, BDS, BChD Degrees Regional Deaneries for Training  Foundation Training (Full GMC Reg. after FY1)  Dental foundation training  Specialist Training Medical Royal Colleges  Oversees post graduate training  Organises postgraduate exams  Short courses and specialist training UK Medical & Dental Schemes (cont’d) After qualification, if doctors want to work in a different EU country then, it is advisable to have their full registration with GMC / GDC. ( Additional academic pathways are not mentioned above )

Pathways of Medical Education Medical School (MBBS, MBCHB) Foundation Training F1 & F2 (Full GMC Registration after F1 Year) Specialist Training GP, Surgery, Medicine, Obs & Gynae, Paediatrics

Pathways of Medical Education (cont’d) High School - GCSE Level A Levels (2 Years) (IB, BTEC) Medical Course 5 Years Oxbridge (6 Years) Combined BSc/MBBS (6 Years) Foundation + Medical Course Years BSc Degree 3 Years GEP Medical Course 4 Years Dentistry 5 Years MxFx Medicine 3 Years

UK Medical Schools 33 Medical Schools 31 Undergraduate medical courses 15 GEP Medical courses 12 Foundation courses 4 Access to medicine courses (after 1 gap year, semi mature student) Location Type of degree course Problem base Vs Lecture base learning Entry criteria

Pathways of Dental Education Dental School (BDS, BChD) Dental Foundation Year 2 ( Hospital Based in Different Specialties ) Specialist Training Oral Surgery, Restorative, Orthodontics etc. Full Registration with GDC Vocational Training – Dental Foundation Year 1 (Obtaining performer’s number ) General Dental Practitioner

Pathways of Dental Education (cont’d) High School - GCSE Level A Levels (2 Years) (IB, BTEC) Dental Course 5 Years Predental + Dental Course BSc Degree 3 Years GEP Dental Course 4 Years Medicine 5 Years MxFx Dentistry 3 Years

UK Dental Schools 14 Undergraduate dental courses 4 GEP Dental courses 3 Pre-dental courses BDS / BChD : 5 year degree course or 4 years as GEP

How to apply medical / dental schools ? UCAS application (centralised) 4 Choices of medicine / dentistry + 1 choice of other Deadline : 15 th of October Academic criteria Non academic criteria (skills, experience, motivation) UKCAT, GAMSAT, BMAT Personal statement Interviews Reference(s)

GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education Compulsory subjects: Maths,Science,Language and Religious Studies Variety of non compulsory subjects from humanity, art, technology, language,business GCE A Level Studies General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Subjects for medicine & dentistry: Maths, Physics,Chemistry Variety of subjects from different areas

Academic Criteria (check with the school) Undergraduate Courses Combined GCSEs and GCEs AAA at least in 3 subjects ; including chemistry, biology, physics or mathematics International Baccalaureate (IB) : points Diploma di Esame di Stato (opzione Classica / Scientifica) : overall Graduate Entry Programmes (GEP) At least 2:1 from a science BSc degree programme Necessary GEP course exam

Academic Criteria (check with the school) cont’d… Foundation Course 1 year foundation course if you do not fulfil the requirements If successful upon completion progress into the course Not every foundation course accepts EU students MxFx (Maxillofacial) Medicine / Dentistry Course Prior Dentistry / Medicine degree MJDT or MRCS Diploma from RCSENG Previous maxillofacial experience in the UK

UKCAT, GAMSAT, BMAT Reasoning and decision making assessed In the past only for GEP but now almost all schools No curriculum content, tests examines innate skills Evaluation of different types of information and inferring results UKCAT - 26 medical schools, 9 dental schools GAMSAT - 3 medical schools BMAT - Oxbridge, Imperial and UCL Attend specialist courses

Personal Statement On UCAS form, 4000 characters max. Statement is crucial for getting shortlisted (interviews) Reasons behind why you want to become dentist / doctor Supporting evidence showing enthusiasm Work experience & placements Abilities and attributes Do your RESEARCH beforehand

Interviews Securing interview biggest obstacle After interview, chance of securing a place 50% Proper planning is crucial Questions on :  Motivations and reasons to become a doctor / dentist  Previous work experiences : shadowing, volunteering  Knowledge of current affairs, healthcare topics  Communication and interpersonal skills  Extracurricular activities  Teamwork

English Language Proficiency Early clinical contact Good command of written and spoken English IELTS Academic exam score: (overall) TOEFL: 100, each band min. 25 Comm. Skills assessment during interview Very quick improvement due to continuous contact

Funding for EU Students High tuition fees in England Scotland no tuition fees Tuition fees lower than England in Wales and NI EU Grants and loans available for students in the UK Overseen by Student Finance England (SFE) Tuition fee loans Living expenses loans

Other Possible Pathways for EU Students Dentistry / medicine outside EU Pass accreditation exams in home country OR Temporarily work in a different EU country initially and 3 years after full registration move back home Courses taught in English Examples: Caribbean's, US / Canada Downside: High school fees

Top Tips Do your RESEARCH beforehand Plan early and work towards deadlines Follow online forums actively Attend open days Work shadowing and experience Ultimate target is medical / dental school Age < 30 - ok

Websites Medicalcareers.nhs.uk Medschools.ac.uk Studentdoctor.net Thestudentroom.co.uk Getintomedicine.co.uk Ukcisa.org.uk