Curriculum

Introduction to the curriculum
From October 1996 the School introduced a new five-year undergraduate medicine curriculum leading to the degrees of MB BS of the University of London. This was developed in part to meet the General Medical Council’s December 1993 Recommendations on Undergraduate Medical Education (Tomorrow’s Doctors). In summary, these were:

1. The burden of factual information should be reduced
2. Learning through curiosity, exploration and critical-evaluation should be promoted
3. Attitudes that befit a doctor should be inculcated
4. Essential skills should be acquired and rigorously assessed
5. A ‘core curriculum’ should be defined
6. ‘Special Study Modules’ should be provided
7. The core should be system-based, integrating scientific and clinical aspects
8. Communication skills should be emphasised
9. Public health medicine should be prominent
10. Clinical teaching should adapt to changing patterns of health care
11. Learning systems should be informed by modern educational theory and technological advances
12. Assessment should encourage appropriate learning skills
13. Effective supervisory structures should be established to design, implement and monitor changes
14. The GMC should ensure implementation of its Recommendations

In line with the principles of Tomorrow’s Doctors the new curriculum is intended to stimulate your intellectual curiosity through a smaller ‘core curriculum’ supplemented with special study modules in which you choose areas to study in depth. All students cover the core curriculum, and this is assessed in a fair but rigorous way.

Aims and Objectives
The aim describes the direction in which the curriculum points, the objectives are statements of what you will have achieved at the conclusion of the curriculum. The objectives are described at several levels, each more detailed and specific.

Our aim is to produce graduates with the essential foundation of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes required for the practice of medicine. We aim to provide this within an integrated and stimulating curriculum which forms the basis for future learning and development within the graduate's chosen field.

The curriculum is underpinned by four themes running throughout: Basic and Clinical Sciences; Patient and Doctor; Community and Population Health; Personal and Professional Development. At the successful conclusion of the undergraduate course you will:

1. have a knowledge and understanding of the sciences underlying medical practice (Basic and Clinical Sciences)
2. have a knowledge and understanding of health and its promotion; and of disease, trauma and disability and their prevention, diagnosis and management. This should be in the context of the individual, the family and the population as a whole (Basic and Clinical Sciences, Community and Population Health)
3. have proficiency in basic clinical skills (Patient and Doctor)
4. have demonstrated the professional behaviours needed to achieve high standards of medical practice and patient care (Personal and Professional Development)
5. have demonstrated intellectual curiosity and a capacity for critical understanding (Personal and Professional Development)
6. be ready to perform pre-registration house officer jobs competently (all themes)
7. have the potential to undertake further training in medicine (Personal and Professional Development)
8. recognise the value of life-long learning (Personal and Professional Development)