Graduate Entry Medicine MBChB

Key details

• A Levels BBB
  Other entry requirements
• UCAS code A101
• 4 years / Full-time
• September start
• Find out the course fee
• Industry placement

Course description

This course is for graduates with an appropriate life sciences degree who come from a widening participation background. You'll bypass phase 1 (the first year) of the A100 Medicine degree and start in phase 2 with an introductory module instead of a research project.

Based on a patient-centred approach, the course is designed around common and important clinical conditions. It relates clinical medicine to the underlying medical sciences. You'll have the opportunity to develop your clinical competencies from the very start.

The course includes clinical teaching on wards in hospitals, clinics (both in general practice and in hospitals), lectures, seminars, tutorials, small group work, practical classes and personal development supported by experienced teachers and personal academic tutors. We aim to ensure you're well prepared for a career in medicine.

The medical course at Sheffield offers a broadly-based but extensive education and training incorporating the recommendations of the General Medical Council's report Outcomes for Graduates. The course leads to the professional qualification of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB).

Our MBChB programme has been designed to educate and train you so that you will become a doctor equipped with the clinical abilities, knowledge, attitudes and professional behaviours needed to become a junior hospital doctor. This preparation will also prepare you for your continued professional development after graduation.

This course is only open to home students from widening participation backgrounds. There are no international places available for this degree.

Course aims and philosophy

Course aims

Our medical course aims:

• to equip students with the essential personal and professional skills required throughout the rest of their course and in their future careers
• to integrate the basic and clinical sciences throughout the course
• to cultivate in students an attitude of curiosity and a desire for intellectual exploration and critical evaluation.

A patient-centred approach

The underlying philosophy of the curriculum is that all learning and teaching should be thought of from the perspective of the patient. A medical curriculum should include what a student needs to know, understand and be able to do in response to the problems presented by patients in a range of health care settings. To achieve this the Sheffield medical course is designed around answering the following questions:

• How should I talk to this patient?
• What affects and guides our relationship?
• Why do they think they're ill?
• Why is the patient ill?
• Is the illness part of a pattern?
• How do I know my advice is the best?

To answer these successfully, students must develop skills and understanding in:

• Communication and interpersonal relationships
• Patients' perceptions
• Biology of disease
• Epidemiology and Public Health
• Evidence-based medicine

Developing clinical skills 

Clinically led learning

The medical course in Sheffield is clinically-led and gives students opportunities to start developing their clinical skills from the very start. It is designed around the common and important clinical conditions and uses an integrated learning and teaching approach that relates clinical medicine to the underlying medical sciences.

Course themes

The two main themes that run throughout the course, Clinical Competencies and Medical Sciences are linked together by Integrated Learning Activities where students work in teams, and later in the course by themselves, to solve clinical problems. A combination of teaching approaches, including clinical teaching on the wards in hospitals, in clinics both in general practice and hospitals, lectures, seminars, tutorials, small group work, dissection, together with professionalism and patient safety training supported by experienced tutors and personal mentors helps ensure that graduates are well prepared for work in the National Health Service.

Accreditation and obtaining your license

Primary medical qualification (PMQ)

At the end of the undergraduate programme you'll receive your degree. The General Medical Council (GMC) approves your university's degree as a primary medical qualification (PMQ). This is important because, provided there are no concerns about your fitness to practise, a PMQ from a UK university entitles you to provisional registration with the GMC for a licence to practise medicine in the UK.

Medical licensing assessment (MLA)

The GMC is introducing a Medical Licensing Assessment. The MLA will create a demonstration that anyone obtaining registration with a licence to practice medicine in the UK has met a common threshold for safe practice.  To obtain a PMQ, graduates from 2024 onwards will need to have a degree that includes a pass in both parts of the MLA. One part will be a test of applied knowledge (the AKT), set by the GMC and held at your medical school.  The other will be an assessment of your clinical and professional skills delivered by your medical school (the CPSA). Each School's CPSA must meet GMC-set quality assurance requirements. The MLA will test what doctors are likely to encounter in early practice and what's essential for safe practice. It intentionally will not cover the whole of a medical school curriculum. So, you will also need to meet your university's degree requirements. You can find out more about the MLA for UK students at www.gmc-uk.org/mla.

Foundation year one

Provisional registration is time limited to a maximum of three years and 30 days (1125 days in total).  After this time period your provisional registration will normally expire. Provisionally registered doctors can only practise in approved Foundation Year One posts: the law does not allow provisionally registered doctors to undertake any other type of work.  To obtain a Foundation Year One post you will need to apply during the final year of your undergraduate programme through the UK Foundation Programme Office selection scheme, which allocates these posts to graduates on a competitive basis. All suitably qualified UK graduates have found a place on the Foundation Year One programme, but this cannot be guaranteed, for instance if there were to be an increased number of competitive applications from non-UK graduates.

Full registration

Successful completion of the Foundation Year One programme is normally achieved within 12 months and is marked by the award of a Certificate of Experience. You will then be eligible to apply for full registration with the General Medical Council. You need full registration with a licence to practise for unsupervised medical practice in the NHS or private practice in the UK.

There is some discussion about whether to remove provisional registration for newly qualified doctors. If this happens then UK graduates will receive full registration as soon as they have successfully completed an MBChB (or equivalent) degree. It should be noted that it is very likely that UK graduates will still need to apply for a training programme similar to the current Foundation Programme and that places on this programme may not be guaranteed for every UK graduate.

Modules

Learning and assessment

Assessment

You will be assessed by exams, coursework and practical tasks.

Entry requirements

Summary of entry requirements

Please ensure you also read the more detailed entry requirements below.

For more information and frequently asked questions about the course, check the Medical School website.

More detailed entry requirements

We have fifteen places available to Home applicants from widening participation backgrounds for our four-year Graduate Entry Medicine - MBChB (A101) programme.

Applicants for this programme will be required to demonstrate that they come from a widening participation background and that they meet our minimum academic and UCAT requirements.

Meeting the minimum academic, UCAT and widening participation entry requirements does not guarantee an invitation to interview or the offer of a place. If you wish to also be considered for the 5-year Medicine - MBChB A100 programme you will need to apply to that course via UCAS as a separate choice.

Widening Participation entry requirements

This degree programme is only open to Home students from Widening Participation backgrounds. The A101 Graduate Entry Medicine MBChB programme is not open to Home students who are not from a Widening Participation background.  There are no International places available for this programme.

We will consider applicants to meet our widening participation criteria if they met any two or more of the following criteria at the point they completed their A Levels (or equivalent qualifications):

• Lived in an area with a low progression to higher education
• Lived in a deprived area
• Received free school meals in years 10-13
• Received a 16-19 Bursary or similar grant
• Was a young carer
• Lived in local authority care during secondary education
• Was estranged from both of their parents or legal guardians during their secondary/further education
• Have parents who do not hold higher education qualifications
• Have parents who were unemployed or working in unskilled jobs
• Have a disability

We will determine whether applicants meet our widening participation entry requirements by sending them a simple form to complete, which includes definitions for the criteria set out above.

Widening participation form (Word, 52.8KB)

Academic entry requirements

In addition to meeting our Widening Participation entry criteria, applicants are required to meet both our minimum A Level and our minimum Degree academic entry requirements. (We do not consider GCSEs or AS Levels for this programme.) Applicants are also required to meet our minimum English Language requirements. We do not rank applicants on the basis of their academic attainment.

A Level qualifications

Applicants must have grades of at least BBB at A Level at the time of application, one of which must be Chemistry or Biology.

Please note:

• The requirement for BBB at A Level means at least a B grade in each of the three A Levels
• All three A Levels must have been taken in the same first sitting
• We do accept A Level resits.  Any and all A Level resits must be taken in the same sitting, and only one resit per A Level is permitted.  Only those A Levels that do not meet the above entry requirements need to be retaken
• A Levels in Further Mathematics, Critical Thinking and General studies are not accepted for the A101 programme
• For applicants who took four A Levels in a two year period (typically years 12 and 13 at school) including Mathematics and Further Mathematics, we will accept the Mathematics A Level, even if it is taken in Year 12, and irrespective of whether the A Level is certificated in Year 12 or 13. It is expected that Chemistry or Biology and another subject (that is not Critical Thinking, Further Mathematics or General Studies) will be taken in Year 13
• Where a graduate applicant has BBB or better at A Level but the pre-degree A Levels do not include Chemistry or Biology we will consider their application provided they have taken an A Level in either Chemistry or Biology during or after their Bachelor's degree and achieved (or are predicted to achieve) a Grade B or higher

For applicants not holding A Levels, our usual requirement for other qualifications is:

• Cambridge Pre-U Certificate - grades M2, M2, M2 including Chemistry or Biology
• Scottish Highers - Advanced Highers grades BB including Chemistry or Biology
• Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma - grade B, plus grades BB in two A Levels, subjects must include Chemistry or Biology
• Irish Leaving Certificate - H3,H3,H3,H3,H3,H3 with H3 in Chemistry or Biology
• International Baccalaureate - 32 points overall with 5's in Higher Level subjects (to include Chemistry or Biology) and no less than 4 in each of the Standard Level subjects

We are not able to consider the following qualifications for entry to our Graduate Entry Medicine course:

• Access courses
• Bachelor's degrees that are not in acceptable Life Sciences subjects
• Bedales Examinations
• BTECs
• Foundation courses
• HE Diplomas
• International Certificate of Christian Education
• Masters degrees
• PhDs
• T-Levels

Degree qualification

Applicants for this programme will need to have attained, or be predicted to attain, an upper second class or first class Bachelor's degree in an appropriate life sciences subject. We are looking for applicants whose degrees will have given them an appropriate level of understanding of human anatomy and physiology.

Please note:

Appropriate life sciences degrees include, but are not limited to the following degrees (this is not an exhaustive list):

• BDS (Dentistry)
• BMedSci
• BSc Anatomical Sciences (provided this relates to Human Anatomy)
• BSc Anatomy and Physiology
• BSc Biomedical Science
• BSc Clinical Science
• BSc Healthcare Science
• BSc Human Biology
• BSc Human Physiology
• BSc Medical Physiology and Therapeutics
• BSc Medical Science
• BSc Pharmacology
• BSc Pharmaceutical Science
• BSc Physiotherapy
• BSc Sport and Exercise Science
• BSc Sport Rehabilitation and Exercise Science
• MPharm

We do not consider the following degrees to be appropriate life sciences degrees and they do not meet our entry requirements. Please note that it is not an exhaustive list:

• BSc Adult Nursing
• BSBA/BSc Ayervedic Medicine and Surgery
• BSc Biochemistry
• BSc Biochemistry with Human Biology
• BSc Biology
• BSc Biological Science (Genetics)
• BSc Biomedical Engineering
• BSc Biomedial Material Science
• BSc Botany
• BSc Cancer Biomedicine
• BSc Chemical Engineering
• BSc Chemistry
• BSc Clinical Speech and Language Sciences
• BSc Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience
• BSc Diagnostic Radiology
• BSc Engineering
• BSc Forensic Anthropology
• BSc Forensic Psychology
• BSc Forensic Science
• BSc Genetics
• BSc Global Health
• BSc Human Genetics
• BSc Immunology
• BSc Marine Biology
• BSc Medical Biochemistry
• BSc Mental Health Nursing
• Bsc Molecular Cell Biology
• BSc Nursing
• BSc Operating Department Practice
• BSc Orthoptics
• BSc Podiatric Medicine
• BSc Prosthetics and Orthotics
• Bsc Psychology
• BSc Zoology

Potential applicants whose degree does not appear in the lists above are strongly advised to contact the medical admissions team (medadmissions@sheffield.ac.uk) prior to submitting an application, enclosing a degree transcript, to determine whether their degree will be acceptable or not.

We do not consider postgraduate Masters degrees (i.e. when taken as a second degree) or PhDs when determining whether you meet our academic entry requirements.

University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) requirements

Everyone applying to study Medicine at the University of Sheffield will need to undertake the University Clinical Aptitude Test for Medicine and Dentistry (UCAT) in order to be eligible for admission. 

The test must be taken prior to your application in the year of application. Details of test dates and how to register can be found on the UCAT website. Please note that test results are only valid for the current admissions cycle: if you re-apply to this Medical School you will need to sit the test again. 

In addition to the academic requirements, applicants must have achieved a score of 2430/3600 or above to be given further consideration. Applicants must meet the UCAT entry requirements AND the academic entry requirements AND the widening participation criteria. 

The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) component is only considered for those applicants who are invited to attend a Multiple Mini-Interview. UCAT have produced a guidance video to help you prepare for the test:

We will aim to invite approximately 40-60 A101 applicants for interview. In the event that we receive more applications than we have interview spaces for, applicants who meet or exceed the minimum academic requirements, the minimum UCAT requirement and the widening participation criteria will be ranked based on their UCAT score after the application deadline to determine which of these applicants are invited to attend a Multiple Mini-Interview.

Disclosure and Barring Service check

All medical students are required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before starting the course. Admission to the courses offered by the University of Sheffield Medical School is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) Section 4(2) (Exemption) Order 1975 and the Department of Health Circular HC (88)9 guidelines regarding child protection and police checks. All offers will therefore include a condition relating to a satisfactory DBS check.

On the UCAS form, you will need to tell us about any criminal convictions, including spent sentences, cautions (including verbal cautions), reprimands and bind-over orders.

If you have any queries regarding the DBS check please contact the Medical Admissions Office on +44 114 222 5531.

Health requirements

All medical students are required to show that they are not infectious carriers of hepatitis B and will be required to complete a course of hepatitis immunisation after enrolment. Students undergo occupational health screening and vaccination as appropriate on arrival.

So that we can provide effective support, disabled applicants, applicants with serious health problems, or applicants who know that they are infected with hepatitis C or HIV must disclose this on their UCAS form. All potential students with significant support needs will be individually assessed to ensure that the University is able to support them on their chosen course of study.

If you have a disability, medical condition or learning difficulty, including dyslexia, please indicate this on your UCAS form. Contact the Medical Admissions Office for details of our admissions policy or visit our department website for more information.

All the above procedures must be followed precisely to avoid prejudicing your entry to the course.

Disrupted Studies policy

If you have experienced issues of a personal, social or domestic nature that have affected either your post-16 studies, or any GCSE Qualifications that are cited in our course entry requirements, you can let us know by completing our Disrupted Studies form. Read the Medical School's Admissions Policy on Disrupted Studies carefully before submitting a Disrupted Studies form.

Disrupted Studies policy

Admissions policy

Read our A101 admissions policy

School of Medicine and Population Health

The Medical School at Sheffield integrates teaching, research and the practice of medicine. Our teaching is supported by internationally recognised research.

You'll go out to primary and secondary care providers in the region, learning about best current practice. You will be part of an academic, clinical and scientific community.

Our Clinical Skills Centre is based at the Northern General Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the country. The centre contains mock clinical wards, resuscitation suites, simulated theatres and teaching rooms – a perfect facility for training the healthcare professionals of tomorrow.

Facilities

Our Clinical Skills Centre is based at the Northern General Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the country. The centre contains mock clinical wards, resuscitation suites, simulated theatres and teaching rooms – a perfect facility for training the healthcare professionals of tomorrow.

Why choose Sheffield?

School of Medicine and Population Health

Student profiles

Sheffield is training me to be a doctor where the patient is at the heart of everything I learn

Andrew Maud MBChB Medicine

Born and bred in Yorkshire, Medical Society president Andrew explains why he chose to stay local and study in Sheffield for its vibrant and friendly community.

I wanted to do something that had a real, immediate, positive effect on people’s lives

Catherine Jesson MBChB Medicine

Catherine shares why it's important to get a feel for the city you choose to study in and what makes the Medicine undergraduate school at Sheffield special.

Being able to apply what I’ve learnt to help people is the most rewarding

Tobias Tan MBChB Medicine

Originally from Singapore, Tobias shares how Sheffield has become his 'home from home' and is helping to fulfil his dream of doing mission work as a doctor.

Graduate careers

School of Medicine and Population Health

After graduating, you may become a Foundation Year 1 doctor, working primarily in hospitals to consolidate your knowledge. This is followed by a further Foundation Year. These two years give a structured and comprehensive continuation of undergraduate studies and lead on to speciality training.

You might choose to become a GP or train to become a hospital consultant. Some graduates become academic teachers of medicine or go into research. Others join the pharmaceutical industry or become managers in the health service. Whatever route you follow, the undergraduate course prepares you for the lifelong learning needed in medicine.

Graduates can provisionally register with the GMC. This gives you a licence to practise, providing you meet all of the GMC's Fitness to Practise guidelines.

Fees and funding

Fees

Students entering the A101 Graduate Entry Medicine programme all come from widening participation backgrounds. While you can apply for a loan to part-cover your tuition fee, you must pay the first £3,465 of your first year fees yourself.

Visit us

Offer holder days

If you've made an application to study with us, we may invite you for an interview. If you are then successful in receiving an offer, we'll invite you to one of our applicant days. These applicant days have a strong department focus and give you the chance to really explore student life here, even if you've visited us before.

Apply

Make sure you've done everything you need to do before you apply.

How we process applications and select applicants for offers

How to apply When you're ready to apply, see the UCAS website:
www.ucas.com

Contact us

Telephone: +44 114 222 5531
Email: medadmissions@sheffield.ac.uk