Medicine and Dentistry selection and admissions process

The University of Plymouth Medicine and Dentistry Admissions Team process applications as follows:

1. Shortlisting for interview

All applications should be made through UCAS by the published deadline. This is typically the 15th October for clinical courses (such as Medicine and Dentistry) and the 15th January for all other courses including Dental Therapy and Hygiene and Diagnostic Radiography. You can apply to no more than four of the same clinical course choice, so although you cannot apply for five dental courses, four dental courses and one medical course would be permitted.

All decisions on applications are made by the Admissions Advisory Panel, which consists of academics, clinicians and senior members of the administrative team.

Applicants are considered for interview based on relevant academic qualifications alone. We do not currently consider personal statements or work experience when selecting for interview.

The Admissions Advisory Panel consider many factors when choosing who will be invited to attend an interview, including the number of places available on each course and the number of applications received, alongside the academic profiles of our applicants. The advertised entry requirements for each of our courses are not necessarily the threshold for interview.

2. Interview

Prior to receiving an offer to study on one of our clinical programmes, successful applicants will be invited to attend an interview.

In response to the Covid-19 outbreak and in the interest of keeping applicants, interviewers and staff safe, we will be completing all interviews in the 2021 admissions cycle online.

The interview attempts to identify whether a candidate has the personal attributes required to become a doctor, dentist, dental care professional, physician associate or radiographer of tomorrow. We place great value on the following qualities, which are aligned with the NHS core values, and we are looking for you to demonstrate these at your interview:

• integrity
• veracity and honesty
• flexibility
• motivation and commitment
• empathy and being non-judgmental
• communication skills
• potential for leadership
• insight into the roles and responsibilities of a doctor, dentist, dental care professional or healthcare scientist
• ability to be a team player
• 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 Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) structure. You will be assessed across four single assessor stations, which takes approximately 50 minutes. It is not a test of medical or scientific knowledge, but aims to explore your attitudes, outlook and way of thinking.

Our interview assessors are from different backgrounds, and we aim to include a range of clinicians, academics, medical school students, healthcare professions and members of the public.

Interviews are scored using both a numerical and a ‘global judgement’ scale. The numerical score is based on how well attributes are demonstrated through a candidates response to each question. Global judgement scores are provided through a yes, no or maybe response, and reflects whether the interviewer would be happy for each candidate to be their healthcare professional in the future. Both scores are referred to when interview outcomes are decided.

Feedback

We are only able to provide the overall score achieved at interview. Feedback is only given directly to unsuccessful applicants who request it in writing by email or letter. Please contact the schools’ Admissions Team should you wish to receive feedback on your application at meddent-admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

3. Offer

Following interviews, successful applicants are given an offer to study with us. As well as outstanding academic requirements, all applicants must fulfil a series of non-academic conditions within a set deadline. Full instructions are provided to any candidate who chooses the University of Plymouth as their firm choice.

Additional considerations

Deferred entry

We welcome students who wish to defer their entry. However, you must indicate this when you apply.

Age

We are unable to consider any applicant who will be under the age of 18 on the first day of the first academic year of the course. Applicants who will be 17 on commencement of the course will be considered for deferred entry.

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 our courses because we have a special responsibility to ensure that all students admitted to our programmes 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 Student Services via studentservices@plymouth.ac.uk.

For further information about support available through Student Services please visit Disability Services.