Programme Specification BM4 Curriculum for students commencing October 2007

Bachelor of Medicine Four Year Graduate Entry Programme (BM4) Programme Specification BM4 Curriculum for students commencing October 2007 1 Awarding Institution 2 Teaching Institution 2b Work-based Learning 3 Programme Accredited By 4 Final Award Intermediate exit points Successful completion of Year 1 Successful completion of Year 2 Successful completion of Year 3 5 Programme Title 6 UCAS Code 7 QAA Subject Benchmark or other external reference 8 Date specification was written and Programme Leader University of Southampton University of Southampton Various NHS Trusts General Medical Council (GMC) Bachelor of Medicine Certificate in Biomedical Sciences Diploma in Biomedical Sciences Bachelor of Medical Sciences Bachelor of Medicine Four Year Graduate Entry Programme (BM4) A101 Medicine October 2006 Dr J Field 9 Educational Aims of the Programme These are identical to those of the five year programme (BM5). The programme aims to help you develop into an educated new doctor able to carry out the role of a NHS Foundation Year One Doctor, with the capability to develop, learn and work within a changing healthcare environment. The programme delivers the main learning outcomes under the framework provided through the GMC s Good Medical Practice which sets out the principles of professional practice which must form the basis of medical education. The duties of a doctor registered with the General Medical Council are: Patients must be able to trust doctors with their lives and health. To justify that trust you must show respect for human life and you must: Make the care of your patient your first concern Protect and promote the health of patients and the public Provide a good standard of practice and care Keep your professional knowledge and skills up to date BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 1 of 14

Recognise and work within the limits of your competence Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients' interests Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity Treat patients politely and considerately Respect patients' right to confidentiality Work in partnership with patients Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand Respect patients' right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health Be honest and open and act with integrity Act without delay if you have good reason to believe that you or a colleague may be putting patients at risk Never discriminate unfairly against patients or colleagues Never abuse your patients' trust in you or the public's trust in the profession. The following aims and learning outcomes are based on these principles. They set out what is expected of BM graduates from the BM4 and BM5 programmes. The aims of the programme are: 1. to provide you with a programme that will enable you to become a competent practitioner in a modern, changing health service and society; 2. to encourage you to think critically and develop the ability to learn independently; 3. to develop the key skills and attitudes which underpin high quality professional practice; 4. to provide you with a stimulating, open and supportive environment; 5. to enable you, after graduation, to undertake the duties and further studies appropriate to an NHS Foundation Year One Doctor; 6. to provide you with a programme of study and skills development that will enable you to become a competent practitioner with the capability to follow a career in general practice or in a wide range of specialties; 7. to enable you to work in a multidisciplinary team, valuing and respecting colleagues. 10 Intended Learning Outcomes BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 2 of 14

In line with the GMC Tomorrows Doctors and the QAA Benchmark statements we are stating the intended learning outcomes under the headings of knowledge, skills and attitudes. 10.1 Knowledge and Understanding Having successfully completed this programme you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of: 1. the sciences upon which medicine depends; 2. the structure and function of the human body and the sociological and psychological factors that contribute to health and illness; 3. the prevention, diagnosis and management of iatrogenic illness 4. the aetiology, natural history and prognosis of common mental and physical ailments; 5. pregnancy, childbirth, development, ageing and dying; 6. the principles of prevention, diagnosis and of therapy, including the amelioration of suffering and disability; 7. human relationships in the context of the family and community; 8. health care systems and public health; 9. the ethical standards and legal responsibilities of the medical profession. Teaching and Learning methods: lectures, group work with and without facilitators, practicals, guided self study, problem based learning scenarios, projects, portfolios, study packs, computer assisted learning, patient based learning. Assessment methods: course work will include: essays, case reports, posters, project reports and presentations. Examinations will include written tests and tests of clinical performance. 10.2 Professional Practical Skills Having successfully completed this programme you will be able to demonstrate the professional skills necessary to: 10. elicit and record the relevant medical history and clinical examination; 11. reach an appropriate differential diagnosis; 12. assess the implications of the diagnosis for the patient and, in partnership with the patient, make appropriate plans for management and treatment of the condition; 13. carry out specified clinical procedures; 14. respond appropriately in emergency situations; 15. communicate with patients, and if appropriate their relatives and friends, to enable them to make informed choices about their health care; 16. communicate clinical information accurately and concisely; 17. use laboratory and other diagnostic services effectively; 18. have an understanding of the principles of teaching. Teaching and Learning methods: lectures, group work with and without facilitators, practical clinical skill sessions, guided self study, problem based learning scenarios, projects, portfolios, computer assisted learning, role play, patient based learning. Assessment methods: course work will include: essays, case reports, posters, project reports and presentations. Examinations will include written tests and tests of clinical BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 3 of 14

performance. 10.3 Attitudinal Outcomes Having successfully completed this programme you will be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with appropriate attitudes, including: 19. valuing the interests and dignity of patients, carers and families; 20. an enthusiasm for the science and practice of medicine; 21. responsibility for life-long learning; 22. the habit of critical evaluation; 23. recognition of the need to work constructively and courteously with others; 24. contributing to the effectiveness of a team; 25. an understanding of how your health and well being and that of others can affect your judgement and care for patients. Teaching and Learning methods: lectures, group work with and without facilitators, practicals, guided self study, problem based learning scenarios, projects, portfolios, study packs, computer assisted learning, patient based learning. Assessment methods: course work will include: essays, case reports, posters, project reports and presentations. Examinations will include written tests and tests of clinical performance. 10.4 Key Skills Having successfully completed this programme you will be able to demonstrate the key skills necessary to: 26. communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals using a variety of means; 27. utilise problem solving skills in a variety of theoretical and practical situations; 28. manage change effectively and respond to changing demands; 29. take responsibility for personal and professional learning and development; 30. manage time, prioritise workloads and recognise and manage personal emotions; 31. manage information including the use of information technology where applicable. Learning and Teaching methods and Assessment methods: Key skills are integrated within units and are incorporated into relevant assessments as appropriate. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 4 of 14

11 Programme Structure A diagrammatic illustration of the curriculum is provided at the end of this document, with explanatory notes. You will study on the programme over four years full-time which leads to a qualification that will allow you to gain provisional registration as a medical practitioner with the GMC. The first two years are made up of four University semesters (30 weeks) with three additional weeks in year 2 for a full time clinical attachment and an ethics and law course. Years 3 and 4 occupy 44 and 40 weeks respectively. The programme is not modular but does attract credits for the Credit Accumulation and Transfers Scheme (CATS) for successful completion of each year of the programme.there are defined exit points. There are defined exit points with appropriate academic awards after successfully completing each year of the programme, which you may apply for if you leave the programme. The curriculum is made up of core material and other areas where you have some choice over what you study. These are called Student Selected Units (SSUs) and appear in years 2 and 3, and 4. As a graduate in any subject, you will bring a unique set of knowledge, skills and understanding to the programme. We expect you, as a graduate student, to have developed effective study and academic skills, including the ability to think critically, which enable you to complete an accelerated medical programme. In common with the BM5 programme, all students on the BM4 programme are selected on the basis that they will have enough science knowledge and understanding to cope with their studies, and students without a science degree who fulfil the admission requirements are likely to be able to cope with the programme with confidence. Graduates in the biological sciences are likely to be more familiar with some terminology and concepts in the scientific domain but less familiar with the social science aspects of the programme. The following are some of the key features of the programme: Clinical topics in the first two years In the first two years the curriculum has been designed around a series of clinical topics and these form the framework for learning. You will undertake clinical placements, group work (Graduate Groups), lectures and practical sessions which directly link to each of the clinical topics. Four levels of biological organisation, running from cells and molecules to the population and society, aim to help you structure your learning around and between clinical topics. Four themes, communication, ethics and law, working with diversity and leadership and team working underpin the whole of the curriculum and relate directly to medical practice. The learning structured around clinical topics has some features in common with problem-based learning (PBL) courses; for example, you will work in Graduate Groups focusing on the learning outcomes. However, unlike most PBL programmes, not all learning about the clinical topics is triggered by cases outlined on paper: some may use actual patients or video material. A range of resources are available to help you; for example, people who are available to support your learning, and web-based resources. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 5 of 14

Substantial clinical experience in the first two years You will have 2 3 clinical sessions each week in both hospital and community settings. There is a clinical base for BM4 students in the hospital at Winchester where there are identified clinical teaching staff, and a range of general practices is also involved. The clinical sessions allow you to observe medical care related to the relevant clinical topic, and also to begin to develop your clinical skills. You are also able to follow up areas of interest and take advantage of other learning opportunities. Graduate Groups You will meet on a regular basis with other students in a Graduate Group, working on the relevant clinical topics with a facilitator. A substantial amount of work will take place in these groups. At the beginning of each clinical topic you will discuss trigger material to help you understand what you need to learn and why, agree in the group on the learning outcomes to be worked on, and then organise your learning around these. Learning with BM5 students In the first two years you will attend some lectures and other teaching sessions with the BM5 students. In the third and fourth years you will work alongside the BM5 students on all your clinical attachments, and will take the same examinations. Dispersed final year attachments and work shadowing In your final year you will attend, in rotation, clinical attachments based in a variety of NHS Trusts outside Southampton. After your final examination, prior to starting work as a Foundation Year 1 doctor, you will have an opportunity to shadow a doctor already in this post. Inter-professional learning Another innovative theme of this programme is leadership and team working which includes interprofessional learning. The New Generation Project Common Learning Programme (CLP) involves medical students learning alongside other student health and social care professional groups including nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, social work, radiography, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry. There are three Interprofessional Learning (IPL) Units which are positioned and integrated across the fiveyear programme. Medical Careers advice The School works with a medical careers advisor and our students apply to postgraduate Medical Foundation Schools through a national process. The majority of graduates take up Year One Foundation posts in the area of the Wessex Institute Postgraduate Medical Deanery. In order to help you choose appropriate Foundation rotations the Deanery organises events enabling you to meet representatives from the different NHS trusts before applying for jobs as well as providing guidance on the application process. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 6 of 14

Year 1 HE Level: 1 You will start the first year with an introductory week, when you will learn about the way the programme is structured, the learning activities you will be involved in, including the way you will work in Graduate Groups, and the sites in which you will learn, including the hospital site at Winchester. For the rest of the year, your learning will be structured around a series of clinical topics, which will themselves be grouped around physiological systems. During this year, after some introductory topics, you will follow a series of topics related to the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system and the locomotor system. You will learn about each clinical topic in relation to four levels of biological organisation, running from cells and molecules to the population and society, enabling you to cover the relevant aspects of anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, sociology, psychology, pharmacology, pathology and epidemiology. At the same time you will be developing clinical skills by talking to patients, carrying out physical examinations and observing clinical care. During the year you will learn in Graduate Groups, in lectures and practical sessions including the Dissecting Room, in clinical settings in hospital and general practice, and independently. Some of the lectures will be common to the four and five year BM programmes. You will also have opportunities to study with a range of health and social care professional students in the first IPL Unit. You will undertake the BM4 Year 1 examination, which will include in-course assessments and the end of year examination comprising written papers on subjects covered during the year, and an assessment of your clinical skills. Students who fail their in-course assessments will be required to resubmit work and those who fail the end of year examination will be required to take a supplementary examination in the component(s) failed in July. To progress to year two you must pass all components of the examination and satisfactorily complete all clinical attachments. Year 2 HE Level: 2 The second year will also be structured around clinical topics, using the same learning methods as in year one. You will follow a series of clinical topics related to the nervous system, the endocrine system, human reproduction, and the renal and gastrointestinal systems. While learning about these topics, you will be building on your developing clinical skills in your clinical experience in hospital and general practice. During semester three in year two you will have a week to undertake a Student Selected Unit, where you will have an opportunity to select a topic to study in greater depth. You will also undertake, during semester four, the first of three practice-based IPL Units, which will take place over a dedicated two week period. In semester three there is additionally a two day course in Ethics and Law, and in semester four you will complete BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 7 of 14

a series of clinical attachments to medical specialties as well as clinical topic weeks. As in year one, the BM4 Year 2 examination will include in-course assessments and the end of year examination comprising written papers on subjects covered during years one and two, and an assessment of your clinical skills. A Distinction will be awarded to those candidates who show excellent performance in the Years 1 and 2 examinations at the first attempt. Students who fail their in-course assessments will be required to resubmit work and those who fail the end of year examination will be required to take a supplementary examination in the component(s) failed in July. To progress to Year 3 you must pass all components of the examination and satisfactorily complete all clinical attachments. Year 3 HE Level: 2 BM4 & BM5 students join together for the third year of both programmes. You start the third year with an introductory week which should help you to orientate yourself in clinical settings. The rest of the third year is organised around a series of clinical attachments (undertaken in health care settings in mainly Southampton, Winchester and Portsmouth) in the following areas: Medical Block: Medicine and Elderly Care (11 weeks), Neurology (1 week), Palliative Medicine (1 week); Surgical Block: Surgery A and Surgery B, Obstetrics and Gynaecology (each 4 weeks); Community Block: Mental Health (6 weeks), Child Health (5 weeks), Primary Medical Care (1 week and 11 half days). In your clinical attachments, the focus of teaching is to help you continue to integrate the biological and social sciences into a clinical context. This is also developed in the Scientific Basis of Medicine course, which runs throughout the year and which is usually based around case based scenarios which will assist you in this process. During the year you will also undertake two ten week half day Student Selected Units which you can choose from a number of options. You will spend a week between the second and third blocks (Medicine in Practice: MIP 3 week) focusing on a number of key issues to which you may have had relatively little exposure earlier on in the course. These will include an introduction to assessment by Mini CEX, exposure to and practise of key practical procedures, advice about practical aspects of drug prescribing and specific teaching concerning death certification and the role of the coroner. You will take the BM Intermediate Examination in the third year of the medical curriculum. The end of year examination in July covers all the formal courses of the instruction during the first, second and third years of the medical curriculum. You will be expected to apply your knowledge and understanding to a clinical context in written examinations and in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination. Written case based assignments submitted during the year contribute to this examination. If your performance in the examination is excellent you have an opportunity to be awarded a Distinction in the Intermediate examination. Students who fail their in-course assessments will be required to resubmit work and those who fail the end of year examination will be required to take a supplementary examination in the component(s) failed in September. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 8 of 14

In order to progress to year 4 you will need to pass the BM Intermediate Examination and also achieve satisfactory reports and assessments in your clinical attachments and SSUs. Year 4 HE Level: 3 BM4 and BM5 students join together for the final year of both programmes. During the fourth year you will undertake clinical attachments in appropriate subjects in hospitals and general practices in Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire. The attachments will be in the following: Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Child Health, Psychiatry, General Practice and a Student Selected Unit, when you will be able to select an attachment depending on your individual interests and abilities. Attachments in hospitals outside Southampton will normally be residential. You will spend some of the year undertaking the final practice based Interprofessional Learning Unit 3: Interprofessional Problem Solving The BM Final examination will be held in June. It consists of clinical examinations together with written papers covering all the subjects studied in the third and fourth years of the medical curriculum. In addition to passing the final examination students will need to achieve satisfactory reports and assessments in their clinical attachments and the SSU. Students who fail Inter-Professional Learning Unit 3 will normally be required by the Postgraduate Dean to undertake repeat study during their time as a Foundation Year 1 doctor. After graduation, but as a compulsory component of the course, you will spend four days shadowing the Postgraduate Foundation School Year one (F1) doctor in the hospital where you will be working on your first job. This will lead into the induction day commencing your year as a Foundation Year 1 doctor with provisional registration with the General Medical Council. In order to be awarded the BM degree at the end of the final Year you will need to: achieve satisfactory performance of clinical attachments including the Interprofessional Learning Unit prior to BM Finals; be certified competent in specified clinical skills, including resuscitation, prior to BM Finals; pass the BM Final Examination Students who fail the BM Final examination at the first attempt may present him/herself for re-examination on one subsequent occasion after repeating Year 5, i.e. the occasion immediately following a repeat of the final year. Failure at the second attempt will normally result in a recommendation for termination of programme. If your performance in this examination is excellent you have the opportunity to be awarded a Distinction in the Final examination. If your performance over the four year programme is consistently excellent you have the opportunity to be awarded a BM degree with Honours. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 9 of 14

Potential Intermediate exit awards If, for any reason, you have to leave the programme without passing the BM Final examination, you will be eligible for an Intermediate exit award at the level of the last year which you have successfully completed. These awards will be as follows: Successful completion of Year 1 Successful completion of Year 2 Successful completion of Year 3 Certificate in Biomedical Sciences Diploma in Biomedical Sciences Bachelor of Medical Sciences Delivering the Curriculum The Director of the BM4 Programme is responsible, through the Director of Education, to the Head of the School of Medicine, for the effective delivery of the BM4 programme. The Director of Education, with the BM Education Management Committee, ensures that strategies and policies are developed to ensure that the BM4, BM5 and BM6 programmes run effectively. Quality is monitored through course working parties and year steering groups reflecting and evaluating the educational experience, writing reports and developing action plans which aim to improve and enhance the quality of educational provision. These are scrutinised, evaluated and reported on by the School s Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 10 of 14

12 Support for student learning There are systems for student support in the School and in NHS placements as well as from central University facilities. In the School you will have access to: personal tutors; fellow students we have an innovative buddy system so you will have more senior students acting as your Mum and Dad (Year 2) and Grandfather and Grandmother (Year 3); teachers: University and NHS; Graduate Group facilitators; course co-ordinators and administrators; year co-ordinators and administrators; staff in the Office of the School of Medicine; Pastoral Tutors, Clinical Sub Dean and Associate Clinical Sub Deans; staff in the Clinical Skills facilities; staff in the Medical Education Development Unit; the School intranet: MEDIS; Faculty computer workstations; Director and Deputy Director of Education; the Head of the School of Medicine. In the University you will have access to: University educational services eg learning differences service, language service; University support and counselling services; the Health Services Library and all the Library services; Student Union services. Student health and Fitness to Practise procedures If you become ill, usually you will be able to deal with the problem yourself, or with the support of your health advisors and the Medical School. Our health procedures allow us to deal with students where they, patients or colleagues are at risk because a medical student may not understand how their health problem affects themselves and others. The matters we have to deal with commonly involve mental conditions. If we use the health procedures, our aim will be to protect patients, staff and other students while helping you to obtain appropriate medical care and supervision. Similarly, students occasionally exhibit behaviour which raises concern about their fitness to practise. If this was to occur we would use our fitness to practise procedures to explore the situation. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 11 of 14

13 Methods for evaluating the quality of teaching and learning You will have opportunities to comment on the quality of the programme to influence changes and developments in the following ways: student evaluation questionnaires at the end of each semester or course and year; student feedback sessions at the end of courses and/or clinical topics; contributing to Year/unit focus groups; acting as or informing student representatives on various committees eg the BM4 steering group, year steering groups, the Undergraduate Education Management Committee and the Board of the School of Medicine. Quality assurance is monitored: externally by the GMC, the QAA for HEFCE and through external examiners reports; within the University by the strategic performance review, University and Faculty Quality assurance mechanisms and within the School by the Quality Assurance Committee; within each year the steering groups and year co-ordinators monitor the quality of teaching and course provision; within the individual courses quality is monitored by their working parties. Each course has mechanisms for monitoring the quality of teaching and course provision, which include questionnaires and direct observation of teaching. 14 Criteria for admission The School has both academic and non-academic selection criteria and welcomes international students. To be admitted on to this programme you must satisfy the regulations for admission to degree programmes as specified in the General Regulations and must satisfy the following additional requirements: admission to and continuation on the programme is subject to completion of satisfactory health and Criminal Records Bureau screening and students are required to inform the Head of School of health problems relevant to future employment as a health professional; to fulfil the academic criteria, applicants are required to have achieved: an honours degree in any subject at 2.1 or above; AS passes in Chemistry and Biology OR A2 level pass in Chemistry (or equivalent); GCSE passes in English, Mathematics and Double Award Science (or equivalent); to fulfil the non-academic criteria, applicants are asked to demonstrate that they: are self motivated and have initiative; are literate and articulate; are able to interact successfully with others; have learnt from their experiences of interacting with people in health or social care settings (this may draw on what you have learnt from your own life experience e.g. friends and family, or some more formalised activity e.g. paid or voluntary work or work shadowing); if your first language is not English you are required to reach a satisfactory standard in an approved test in English or to otherwise demonstrate to the Director of the Language Centre of the University that you have an adequate command of both written and spoken English language to follow the proposed programme. Tests currently approved are listed in Section 4 of the General Regulations. BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 12 of 14

Notes a) If you have other equivalent qualifications they may be considered by the School on their merits. b) Concessions to the normal academic entry requirements may be considered by the School on their merits. c) Combined/integrated/Double Award Science is acceptable in lieu of Physics and/or Biology at GCSE. Further details can be found at https://www.som.soton.ac.uk and the selection procedure and admissions policy at http://www.som.soton.ac.uk/prospectus/undergrad/bm5/selectionprocedure-policy2007.pdf The programme specification provides a summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might achieve if s/he takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information can be found in the BM4 Programme Handbook. Information is also available on line at http://www.som.soton.ac.uk/prospectus/undergrad/bm4/default.asp BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 13 of 14

BM4 curriculum structure Year 1 Semester 1 : 14 weeks Foundation clinical topics Respiratory system clinical topics In-course assessments Semester 2 : 16 weeks Cardiovascular & locomotor system clinical topics In-course assessments BM4 Year 1 Exam Year 2 IPL Unit 1a (1) IPL Unit 1b (1) Semester 3 : 15 weeks Ethics & Law 2-day course Neurological & endocrine system clinical topics Clinical attachments In-course assessments Semester 4 : 18 weeks Reproductive, Renal, Gastrointestinal system clinical topics Clinical Attachments In-course assessments BM4 Year 2 Exam Year 3 SSU (1) IPL Unit 2 (2) (1) Surgical Block (12) Surgery A & B Obstetrics and Gynaecology (each 4) Medical Block (12) Medicine (including Neurology) with Elderly Care (11), and Palliative Medicine (1) Community Block (12) Mental Health (6) Child Health (5) Primary Medical Care (1) Introduction to Final Year (1) Introduction Revise & BM Intermediate Exam (4) SSU SSU Primary Medical Care Scientific Basis of Medicine Final Year Surgery I PMC Medicine O I Child Mental Clinical Revision Graduation Pre- P & P Health Health SSU BM & Holiday F1 L G L Final 3a 3b Exam (6) (2) (2) (8) (4) (2) (4) (4) (4) (4) (1) IPL = Inter-Professional Learning Units: IPL 1 =Collaborative Learning IPL 2 = Inter-Professional Team Working IPL 3 = Inter-professional development in practice SSU = Student Selected Unit Figures in brackets indicate number of weeks BM 4 Programme Specification 2006 Page 14 of 14