Programme from 2009

MBChB Programme to be delivered from 2009

For a detailed outline of the MBChB programme, click on Course Description that links to the pages of the Division of Medical & Dental Education.

The MBChB curriculum has been revised to ensure that it remains up to date and the introduction of the new course coincided with the opening of the new Suttie Centre.  The main features of the new programme are increased integration of basic science and clinical teaching in the early years and the introduction of a Personal and Professional Development thread (PPD) that runs through all five years.  Years 1, 2 and 3 of the programme offer close integration of basic science and clinical teaching and the use of clinical cases (case-based learning) to allow students to apply their scientific knowledge in a clinical context.  Teaching is systems based, with the final integration of the examination of all body systems coming in third year.

The length of the programme is 5 years and is designed around the concept of incremental learning.  After mastering the basic principles of medicine in Years 1 to 3, much of it learned in the "safe" environment of the Clinical Skills Centre, students progress to a comprehensive series of clinical attachments in Years 4 and 5 which allow them to participate in the practical application of everything they have learned.  Thus there is a step-by-step approach to the development of knowledge, skills and professional attitudes, whilst undertaking a systems-based approach to learning.  In addition, is an option to undertake a 1-year intercalated BSc Medical Sciences degree between Years 3 and 4 and to undertake the Remote & Rural options for Years 4 and 5.

Student Selected Components (SSCs) are to be undertaken each year, which allows students to follow up areas of personal interest for more detailed study (see below "Student Selected Components"). 

Year 1

The first term sets the scene for the whole of undergraduate study.  This provides an understanding of the medical sciences and the disease processes that underpin medicine.  The foundations of clinical method and communication skills are explored with an introduction to the demands of professional practice and patient care. 

The systems-based course commences in January of first year with the study of two major systems, the Respiratory and the Cardiovascular Systems.  This systems-based course will use clinical cases to act as a focus for teaching.  Thus, the appropriate anatomy, physiology & biochemistry of each of the body systems will be explored, as will the disease processes that disorganise normal structure and function within each system.  The clinical cases will illustrate the use of appropriate investigations (tests) and treatments that are undertaken.   Students will learn how to explore patients' symptoms and perform clinical examination (clinical method) for each of the systems studied and thereafter will have opportunities to practice these skills in a variety of clinical settings.

The teaching of communication skills and clinical method will be fully integrated from the start of the new curriculum. 

During Year I students will also undertake a parallel Community Course which uses a network of local general practices. This course will include contributions from disciplines such as General Practice, Public Health, Mental Health, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Care of the Elderly and Child Health, and will provide an opportunity to learn about the effects of social, economic and environmental factors on humans, and will integrate with the Systems teaching.

Towards the end of the year the first 4-week Student Selected Component will be undertaken involving project-based small group work.

Year 2

The systems-based course and the Community Course will continue to develop in second year, and the second 4-week Student Selected Component will be undertaken, focussing on molecular mechanisms of disease.

Year 3 

The study of the systems and the Community Course will be completed in third year.  The SSC in third year will provide a unique opportunity to study Medical Humanities for a six week module.  A wide range of subjects will be available for students to choose from; recent examples have included History of Art, Sprituality, Health, Economics, Disability Studies etc.

 The final term in Year 3 will commence with a Student Selected Component exploring the wider public health aspects of medicine - Clinical Effectiveness.  Following the Easter vacation, the first of nine-five-week clinical blocks will be undertaken (the rotation through the remaining eight blocks to be continued in Year 4 - see below)

Year 4

In Year 4, students will develop their diagnostic and management skills for both individual patients and patient populations of all ages, with medical conditions affecting any of the body systems.

• Students undertake nine (i.e one in Year 3 plus eight in Year 4, see above) five-week clinical blocks during which experience will be gained in many different clinical areas and disciplines, including general practice.
• At least one clinical block will be undertaken in Inverness

During these blocks, students attend various clinical settings including wards, out-patient clinics, general practices, operating theatres and other places of work.  First-hand experience will be gained of how doctors in all the specialties actually go about their practice.

Year 4 may be undertaken as described above along with most of the year group, with the main base in Aberdeen.  Alternately, students may choose to undertake the Remote and Rural option for all the blocks in Year 4 and these students will have Inverness as their main base. There are up to 18 places available for students who wish to undertake this option in Year 4. (see Clinical Attachments, and Remote and Rural Option).

Year 5

Year 5 is very much an apprentice year where students prepare for the competent, safe, effective and professional practice of medicine as a doctor. This Year comprises five courses:

• A medical specialty (student choices from an adult medical specialty, paediatrics and medicine for the elderly).
• A surgical specialty (student choices from a surgical specialty, obstetrics and gynaecology and anaesthetics and intensive care).
• General practice or psychiatry.
• A project based elective on a medical topic, often undertaken overseas.
• An Advanced Professional Practice block giving more of the professional skills required of doctors for the practice of medicine in the years after qualification.

Some students may wish to continue to undertake Remote and Rural attachments for a second year for some, or all of Year 5

Student Selected Components

The MB ChB programme is based on a structure of Core material and Student Selected Components (SSCs). The core material accounts for approximately 80% of all teaching and covers topics which are essential for all doctors. The SSCs make up the remaining 20% of the programme and allow students to follow up areas of personal interest for more detailed study. SSCs appear in all five years of the programme and a considerable range of choices is available. In Year 1 to 4 the SSCs predominantly involve group projects (with the exception of the Medical Humanities Module) but in Year 5 students will undertake individual projects. Ultimately, students must successfully complete both the core and SSC parts of the course to graduate.

MBChB Student Selected Components – FAQs for prospective students

Q.   Are Student Selected Components (SSC) part of the MBChB degree programme or are they separate courses?

A.   SSCs are an integral part of the MBChB degree curriculum mapping on to the learning outcomes.  SSCs enable students to demonstrate mandatory competences while allowing choice in studying an area of particular interest to them.

Q.  What is the purpose of SSCs?

A.  The purpose of SSCs is to further the intellectual development of students through exploring in depth a subject of their choice

Q.  Can a student choose any topic they want for an SSC?

A.  Students can choose from a wide range of options, and there is an opportunity for groups of students to propose topics provided they are relevant to the outcomes of the curriculum, ethical and feasible within existing resources.  The final year elective is on a topic of your choice.

Q.  How many SSCs are there in the Aberdeen curriculum?

A.  There is an SSC in each year of the course based on progressive learning objectives, starting as group work in Year 1 and ending with an individual elective in final year. 

Q.  Can SSCs be used to explore and develop career or research interests?

A.  Yes, they provide an excellent opportunity to study an area in depth and to use successive SSCs to develop a career or research interest.  A number of students each year submit work done during their SSCs for publication.

See also Special Features - Student Selected Components

For more information about our Degree in Medicine, please contact
Medical Admissions, University of Aberdeen, Polwarth Building, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 437923 - Fax: +44 (0) 1224 437921 - Email: medadm@abdn.ac.uk

page content last modified: 5th January 2011 18:09:48