Southampton Medical School

Coordinates: 50°55′59″N 1°26′06″W / 50.933°N 1.435°W / 50.933; -1.435

University of Southampton School of Medicine is a medical school in England. It is part of the University of Southampton with a site at Southampton General Hospital, offering four different undergraduate medical programmes, all leading to the award of a medical degree, styled BMBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery).^[2]

History

The school was formed following the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Medical Education (1965-68); their report, popularly known as the Todd Report, was issued in 1968. The Commission estimated that by 1994, the United Kingdom would need to train more than 4500 doctors a year and was of the opinion that this would need to be achieved by both increasing the numbers of medical students at existing medical schools, and by establishing a number of new medical schools. The report recommended that new medical schools should be immediately established at the Universities of Nottingham, Leicester and Southampton. University of Southampton School of Medicine was opened in 1971. Southampton pioneered the integration of patient contact into the early years of the medical curriculum, something which was very unusual when the medical school opened.

Under 2014 CUG Rankings, Southampton Medical School ranked 12th in all United Kingdom Medical Schools making it one of the most esteemed medical schools in the country.^[3] The 2017 Guardian University league tables placed Southampton 9th out of all medical schools in the UK.^[4]

As of 2014 entrance for the BM5 course, there is a minimum requirement of AAA at A level, including chemistry and biology plus either grade A at AS Level in a subject not studied at A2 or grade A in the Extended Project Qualification. General studies and critical thinking are not accepted. Subjects with material that overlaps (e.g. human biology/sports studies, maths/further maths) may not be offered in combination at A level. The UKCAT is also considered. The following shows the minimum score attained for those who were invited for interview:

• BM4: 3000

• BM5 School Leavers/Graduates/Overseas: 2800

• BM5 Mature Non-Graduates: 2500^[5]

Course structure

The three undergraduate medical programmes on offer at the University of Southampton are:

• BM5: Standard five-year course in medicine for school leavers with A-levels or equivalent.
• BM4: Four-year course for graduates of other disciplines.
• BM(EU): Five-year bilingual course designed for German students run in partnership with a healthcare provider in Germany. Applications for this course are made directly to Kassel School of Medicine and not via UCAS.

Intakes for 2016 were (BM5) 202; (BM4) 40; (BM6) 30; (BM(EU)) 24. Applicants are required to sit the UKCAT admission test. The medical school interviews potential candidates as part of its selection process.^[6]

All three courses intercalate a Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree (BMedSc) as a core component of the five or four year course, similar to the BMedSci intercalated degree on offer at the University of Nottingham.^[7] The intercalated degree sees students undertaking a laboratory-based or clinical research project as an integral part of the course.^[8]

A standard optional year-long intercalated degree, awarded as a Masters in Medical Sciences degree, (MMedSc) is also on offer which allows students to integrate modules from across the university to complete an in-depth multidisciplinary research project.^[9]

Facilities

The medical school is based at the Life Sciences building on Highfield Campus, University of Southampton and the South Academic Block at Southampton General Hospital.^[10]

MedSoc

Owing to a large medical student body of over 1400 members,^[11] the University of Southampton Students' Union grants BM4, BM5, BM(EU) and BM6 students parallel membership to MedSoc, a semi-autonomous society within SUSU which organises events and activities^[12] tailored around the course and represents the student body to the medical school via a system of elected representatives.^[13] Over 40 individual societies ranging from academics and the arts, to sports, whose membership is available exclusively to medical students is also administered under the MedSoc umbrella.^[14]

Sport

Many sports teams are established under the MedSoc umbrella, including rugby, football, tennis, cricket, and netball.^[14] The Medical School is very well known for the success of its football team, The Roosters, which compete both intramurally and within the British Universities & Colleges Sport league (BUCS).^[15] Its rugby team (The Moose) won NAMS titles in 2013 and 2016.^[16] and the Badgers basketball team which won NAMs in 2016.

Notable alumni

• Sir Donald Acheson, former Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom^[17]
• Michael Arthur, Provost and President of University College London; former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds^[18]
• Terry Hamblin, haematology and immunology expert^[19]
• Gerald Kerkut, zoologist and physiologist^[20]
• Sir Eric Thomas, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol; chair of the Worldwide Universities Network^[21]

See also

• Complementary and Integrated Medicine Research Unit, University of Southampton
• University of Southampton Students' Union

References

University of Southampton
Campuses	Current Highfield Avenue Boldrewood Southampton General Hospital National Oceanography Centre, Southampton Winchester School of Art Malaysia Former Hartley Institution New College
Schools	School of Electronics and Computer Science Medical School Winchester School of Art
Research centres	Complementary and Integrated Medicine Research Unit Microsoft Institute for High Performance Computing National Oceanography Centre Parkes Institute Textile Conservation Centre Web Science Trust
Students' Union (SUSU)	Boat Club Mustangs Baseball Club Tridents Lacrosse Club Surge SUSUtv Wessex Scene
Halls of Residence	Glen Eyre Halls South Stoneham House Wessex Lane Halls
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