Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - selection and admissions process
Our selection and admissions processes.
Applications should be made through UCAS by 15 October. You should apply to no more than four medical or dental degree programmes. You may use the remaining choice on the UCAS form for an alternative course.
Deferred entry
We welcome students who wish to defer their entry. However, you must indicate this when you apply.
Age
Whilst there is no strict upper age limit for starting your degree, the length of the course and period of time in which you can practise after qualifying will be taken into account.
For detailed selection and admissions process guidance please review our technical manual for the current application cycle.
Students with disabilities
We are committed to meeting the needs of students with disabilities and we recognise that they are an integral part of the academic community which we strive to make as inclusive as possible.
We will need to consider the impact of a disability on an applicant’s fitness to practise medicine, dentistry or healthcare science because we have a special responsibility to ensure that all students admitted to our programmes in medicine and dentistry will be eligible for registration by the GMC or GDC or HCPC on graduation.
We are committed to ensuring that all applicants, who are judged to be academically suitable, are neither treated less favourably nor placed at a substantial disadvantage on the grounds of their disability. If you consider that you have a disability you should tick the relevant box on the UCAS form. Disclosing a disability on your UCAS application form will not affect the screening of your application, or, indeed, influence the decision to invite you to interview. If an offer is made, we will seek advice from the University’s Disability Services and the health and wellbeing service, so that the type of assistance needed to enable you to successfully follow our degree programmes can be assessed in more detail.
There may be rare occasions when, following professional assessment of a disability, a student’s suitability for admission may be affected. However, we will take a positive view and will try to meet the needs of students with disabilities by making, where possible, reasonable adjustments to their programme of study.
If you would like to discuss this further or would like general advice and information about the support available at the University of Plymouth for students with a disability, or a specific learning need, please contact our Disability Co-ordinator Debbie Couch (debbie.couch@plymouth.ac.uk | +44 752 437332)
For further information about our Student Gateway Support Services please visit Disability Services.
Guiding principles to the admission of medical students
Selection for medical school implies selection for the medical profession. All medical school admissions teams are tasked with selecting those applicants with the potential to be the best doctors. We are guided by current thinking on what makes a good doctor, for example The Role of the Doctor Consensus Statement, agreed in 2008, outlines the unique combination of attributes and abilities doctors require. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry recognises the importance of a transparent and valid selection process and agrees with the Medical Schools Council's Guiding Principles to the Admission of Medical Students, revised in 2010.
Also available is The Selection and Admissions Technical Manual which sets out the management structures and administrative procedures in place to govern the admission of all candidates onto the undergraduate courses offered by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.
When taking the decision to embark on a career in medicine it is advisable to consider the range of different careers within the medical profession and the education and training these involve. The majority of UK graduates will go on to work as hospital doctors or in primary care for the NHS. Significantly, up to 50 per cent of all UK graduates become general practitioners, providing comprehensive health care for the local community. There is a broad spectrum of careers across medical, surgical and other specialties, and it should be noted that whilst many of these specialties have historically been hospital based, healthcare is moving towards a more community centred model of delivery and consequently doctors will increasingly be expecting to deliver healthcare in a range of settings.
The interview
The interview attempts to identify whether a candidate has the personal attributes required to become a doctor, dentist or dental care professional of tomorrow. We place great value on the following qualities and we are looking for you to demonstrate these at your interview:
- integrity
- veracity and honesty
- flexibility
- motivation and commitment
- pro-social attitudes, for example students who show empathy and who are non-judgmental
- communication skills, including listening
- potential for leadership
- students who show insight into what it is to be a doctor
- the ability to be a team player
- the ability to deal with stress appropriately
- problem solving skills
- students who know their limitations, their strengths and weaknesses
- reflectiveness
- students who demonstrate a suitable approach to life and people.
The interviews follow a structured and formal process in order to ensure that every student applying to a particular programme, is asked the same questions and receives the same prompts. The interview should take approximately 20 minutes. It is not a test of medical or scientific knowledge, but aims to explore your attitudes, outlook and way of thinking.
The interview panel is made up of clinicians, the public and patients. The interview process is patient and public inclusive. We expect students to demonstrate the values set out in the NHS constitution including: working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion and improving lives. The full list of values can viewed at the nhs.uk website.
Candidates with specific access requirements that have not previously been disclosed on the UCAS form are encouraged to discuss these with the Admissions Team prior to the interview.
Please note that candidates are responsible for the cost of travel to the interview. All students attending an interview must bring current photographic evidence of their identity, normally a valid passport or a UK issued Driving Licence with photo card. If candidates are not able to provide this, their interview may be cancelled and we cannot guarantee that it will be re-scheduled. Should this occur, your travel costs to the interview cannot be reimbursed.
Feedback
Feedback is only given directly to unsuccessful applicants who request it in writing. Normally, the feedback provided includes the numerical score from the interview and the position of this score in the overall ranking, which determines which students received a conditional offer of a place of study on each of the programmes. Please contact the Schools’ Admissions Team should you wish to receive feedback on your application at meddent-admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.