BSMS and Answer to your questions

[randdom]

Hopefully this will answer the major questions that you may have to save you posting a new thread.

Background

Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) took in its first intake of students in 2003. The course is five years long with the option for some students to take an intercalculated BSc between the third and fourth years, at the end of the course students graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS).

Admissions information from www.bsms.ac.uk

GCSE grades
" We expect grades B in GCSE Maths & English. Re-taken grades or equivalent qualifications are acceptable as evidence of adequate literacy and numeracy.

Otherwise while high GCSE grades are obviously encouraging, we shall primarily be considering applicants' most recent qualifications, so modest GCSE grades would be over-ridden by high AS level achievement or high actual or predicted A level grades."

A-level requirements
Chemistry and Biology should both be offered at AS with atleast one of them being offered at A2. There is no set requirement for which subject the third A2 should be in. Students are expected to achieve 340 ucas points or AAB with either Biology of Chemistry being an A.

Resiting A-levels
"BSMS policy is to accept re-taken grades or modules without penalty. BSMS decisions on individual applications will of course be guided by the academic referee's predictions about the grades likely to be achieved after re-taking. Candidates re-taking qualifications who wish to be considered for BSMS entry must declare in their UCAS application the A level grades for which they qualified at their first attempt."

Graduates
"Most graduate entrants offer Bioscience, Health Professional or Psychology degrees, but in principle a class 2(i) honours degree in any subject is acceptable as evidence of academic ability.
However, all entrants, including graduate entrants, must have the required level of knowledge of Biology and Chemistry. This may be achieved through the degree itself; through having studied these subjects to A or AS level; or through an Access to Medicine course. If your degree includes good (class 2i-level) passes in modules such as Biochemistry, Pharmacology or Molecular Biology the requirement for a formal qualification in Chemistry will be waived."

Access to Medicine Course
"In 2003-2005 BSMS received successful applications from Access to Medicine candidates studying at Sussex Downs College, West Anglia College, City College Norwich, Lambeth College and City & Islington College."

UKCAT
BSMS require applicants to have sat the UKCAT prior to application

All the information that I have quoted here along with much more can be found at http://www.bsms.ac.uk/studyingmedicine/faq1.htm


Course and assessment

The course at BSMS is an integrated systems course. Over the first two years students will study the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, Alimentary system, Neurology, Reproductive and locomotive systems and Immunology endocrinology each of these modules will last 10 weeks and are assessed through an essay and/or presentation on your Student Selected Component (SSC), an assessment based on topics covered in module tutorial groups and a 2 hours knowledge test. Each term you will also be assessed on anatomy in the form of a viva. Anatomy is taught at BSMS through a combination of lectures, dissection and imaging practical sessions. Throughout the first two years of the BSMS course there is a emphasis on relating what is being learnt to its clinical relevance. There is also a year long clinical module which runs in the first and second years and covers basic clinical skills linked to the modules studied this year as well as communication skills. During this module students will visit a GP practice in pairs once every 3 weeks, they will also go to a department in secondary care once every 3 weeks. In the first year GP partners are assigned a family with a new baby who they visit and observe how the baby develops and how the new baby impacts on the family. In the second year GP partners visit a patient with a chronic illness. The clinical module is assessed through a Portfolio where students have written up every visit they have had over the year, a patient report which is based on the visit to the baby or the chronic patient and OSCE examinations which assess the clinical skills learnt that year.

The third fourth and Fifth years are the clincal years at BSMS. The third year starts with a five week long ACE course which teaches the clinical skill needed on the wards in further detail for example canulation. There is a focus on Anaethesia, Critical care and Emergency Medicine (ACE) and areas of these speciaties are covered through lectures and practical teaching sessions. After this 5 week training course students undertake a four eight week rotations through Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics and Mental health and Elderly care. During these rotations more is learnt about the examination and specific clinical skills associated with the specialty. Throughout the third year there is also a year long course "The Scientific Basis of Medicine" which covers many areas of the underlying science in more detail than in the first and second years. There are also Student Selected components which are undertaken throughout the year. There is an option for some students to take an intercalated degree between the third and fouth years.

The Fourth year starts with an eight week long elective where students go to experiance medicine is a different setting. This can be anywhere in the UK aswell as most places in the world. On the return the students go through specialist rotation in Musculoskeletal Medicine and Surgery, Oncology, Haematology & Palliative Care, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Dermatology, Ophthalmology/ENT and Infectious Diseases & HIV/GUM. There is also the opportunity to engage in research through a year long research project.

In the fifth year there are two regional attachments as well as a module on the emergency patient. There is also a longer module on Professional and clinical studies.

BSMS and Brighton

BSMS is part of the Universities of Brighton and of Sussex, students are members of the unions of both universities. In the first two years students are taught on the Brighton Falmer campus and on the Sussex Campus. BSMS is a small medical school with a friendly atmosphere, although the first intake have just started their fourth year there is already a thriving medical society with sports teams, a history of medicine society, wilderness medicine society and many others.

Hope that people find this helpful, I am going to try and make it a sticky. If anyone notices any mistakes please let me know. I have tried to make everything as accurate as possible.

Further Information

More information about Brighton University, Sussex university and BSMS can be found here and here

Rachel (3rd year)

[Lauren Jeffries]

Hi

I'n the prospectus it also states that they will also offer at ABB - how likely is this?

Thanks

[rozzy]

I think if you have a really good interview and they liked you very much, then in some cases they will give you a lower offer.

[randdom]

Hi

I'n the prospectus it also states that they will also offer at ABB - how likely is this?

Thanks

While it isn't impossible I have only met one person so far who recieved and offer of ABB after that grade change (that isn't saying that there aren't more out there I don't know everyone in the year bellow an unfortunately have had little contact with the freshers so far) If you do very well in an interview it is always a possibility but it isn't something to rely on.

[Amz]

Hey, I have an interview there in 2 weeks and am quite nervous now. Any advice would be much appreciated! Is the interview very formal or is it more laid back ?

[randdom]

Congratulations! The interview is pretty relaxed the way that you should look at it is that they want to see if you are right for the medical school and during the interview day they want you to see if the medical school is right for you. As long as you stay relaxed and what ever you do don't lie then the interview shouldn't be too hard. The experiance at the interview varies so wildly from person to person that I can't really give you more information than that. But just try to stay calm and maybe do a bit of reading about current medical issues and the course at BSMS. I wouldn't advice too much preparation though!

[Gizmo says -]

wat are the alls like at BSMS, macca?
and the bar and restaurants on campus?

cheers Randumz.

[Fonzie]

To the person who got an interview (Amz i think) :

Well done, when is it exactly? Are you an A2 student/resit.post-results or graduate?

when did you submit your ucas form?

[Amz]

hey, thanks. I am a reapplicant but got AAAa so i'm kinda taking a year out before going to uni. I sent my application on 1st October so not toooo early and not toooo late either.
Will the interview be heavily based on your personal statement or issues regarding the nhs and how you think it will be like in the future etc? I assume both anyway. One problem I am finding is about how long each answer should be to each of the questions asked, I don't want to give too little if i can help it but also don't want to waffle.
Any advice?

[randdom]

Try not to worry about exactly what you will be asked in your interview because it does vary from person to person. From my experiance it was very lead by what I said so if you commented on something that you learnt in your work experiance they may pick up on that and ask you about that topic more broadly.