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Biomedical Informatics

Biomedical Informatics is the discipline formed by the intersection of computing, medicine and biology. It reflects the computing revolution that continues to transform medical practice across the world. It is an international discipline and informaticians are found in healthcare around the world.

Our course teaches eight subjects in increasing complexity over the three years of the BSc, these subjects range from e-knowledge management to telemonitoring of patients and from genetics to project management.

St George's, University of London is integrated with the hospital and part of our teaching will involve external visits, and practical demonstrations and visits from experts in the field so you can see how informatics is practised in the real world as well as gaining academic expertise.

We also encourage you to take a year placement so that you experience informatics hands-on.

In the MSci you will complete a project in cutting edge informatics research and through this will gain an understanding of how research is carried out at Postgraduate level.

Course Details

UCAS course code	BG95
Institution code name	SGEO
Institution code	S49
Number of places available	60 places for entry in 2008
Duration	3 years full-time, 4 years for MSci

Entry Requirements

A Levels	Minimum 240 points including at least 2 full A Levels, preferably including Mathematics, Computing or Science
GCSEs	Minimum 5 GCSEs at grade C or above, including English Language and Mathematics
Age limits	Applicants must be 18 years old by the start of the course.
Alternative qualifications	We consider applicants offering Science Foundation Year. Access to Higher Education qualifications in an appropriate subject are also considered.
Mature students	Applications from mature students offering relevant experience in lieu of more traditional qualifications are welcomed.
International students	International and EU/EEA students with equivalent qualifications are welcomed.

Structure of the course
You have the option of completing a BSc in three years or, subject to academic performance, MSci in four. There is also an additional optional work placement year.

The BSc degree consists of 24 taught modules, each lasting 3 weeks and taught at St George’s. These modules fall into eight core subject areas, with six themes running across each of the modules:

Research Methods
Professionalism in Biomedical informatics, including Ethics
Modelling, Implementation and Evaluation
Communication and presentation skills

You will be required to obtain varying levels of skills or knowledge in relevant computer applications. There are also practical/ laboratory sessions in most modules.

Year	Content	Location
Year one	Modules include: Disease Representation, Clinical Consultation, Evolution of Medical Records, Health Services Strategy, Roles in Healthcare, Introduction to EBM, Secure Systems and Introduction to Bioinformatics.	St George's
Year two	Modules include: Spectrum of Disease, Clinical Informatics, Processing Clinical Data, Information Strategy and Implementation, Clinical Roles, E-Knowledge Management, Networking and Authentication and Clinical Genetics Databases.	St George's
Optional sandwich year	There is an option to do a one year work placement in the healthcare industry between the second and third years (sandwich year) which will attract credits and a certificate.	Externally
Final year Year three or Year four (with sandwich)	Modules include: Disease Management, E-Health and Telemedicine, Epidemiology, Nature of Health Services, Application of Health Informatics, Models of Knowledge Management, Standards, Clinical Application of Bioinformatics.	St George's
MSci Year Year four or Year 5 (with sandwich)	The MSci year enables you to study a subject in depth via a project/ dissertation. After completing three compulsory modules, you can specialise in one subject or mix and match from a range of options. Compulsory modules: Research in Health Informatics and Research Ethics in Health Evaluation of Health Informatics applications and implementation Medical Statistics Optional modules provide the opportunity to focus on topics including programming with Java, developing object-oriented solutions, and informatics in primary care and public health.	Kingston University or Royal Holloway, University of London

Methods of Teaching
The course employs modern teaching methods that incorporate lectures with seminars, group learning, scenario-based learning, computer lab sessions and an online virtual learning environment. You have access to a range of computer applications including the same electronic patient record systems that are used in the healthcare industry.

Methods of Assessment
Your performance is assessed by a mixture of in-course assessment and written exams.

Career Opportunities in Biomedical Informatics
Informaticians can be found in diverse posts, some work in medical imaging; others develop telemedicine treatments (the idea of eventually being able to treat patients in their own home via an interface between doctors and patients) and still others participate in genomic mapping projects. The discipline has many threads and graduates may choose to sit at the forefront of systems development, knowledge management or provide management expertise to shape the healthcare systems of the future.

There are currently 20, 000 Informaticians working in the National Health Service. Examples of the positions they hold can be found on the NHS Careers website:
Careers in informatics in NHS

Selection Procedure
Application is through UCAS. The deadline is 15 January, however, we are accepting late applications. You may be required to attend an interview in person or by telephone. In addition to meeting the academic criteria for admission, you should have an interest in IT and an understanding of how it may be used to support the delivery of healthcare.

Contact for further information
Ms Lynda Carter
BSc Admissions Officer

Tel: + 44 (0)20 8725 0499
Fax: + 44 (0)20 8725 0841
Email: lcarter@sgul.ac.uk

Faith and Ruth Agbakoba

Tailor made for me!

Biomedical Informatics is "tailor-made, no other course combines medicine, science and Information Technology; this course is ideal for me" says Ruth Agbakoba, who with her twin sister Faith is looking forward to the rest of the course. Read what else they have to say

Student Videos

Current first and second year students discuss the course at St George's: Watch the Student
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