Course Summary/Structure?

[leon2112]

This is a question primarily to current students, but also anyone who might have knowledge of the subject.

This is what the King's website says about it's teaching style:

Teaching is based on a variety of techniques: small group teaching, laboratory-based practicals (including anatomical dissections and sessions in the purpose-built clinical skills centre), clinical demonstrations, ward rounds, multidisciplinary symposia, computer-aided learning and lectures. You will also be taught at hospitals away from King's and in the community with general practitioners. This will give you the opportunity to experience many of the different ways in which healthcare is delivered

I was just wondering what the majority of the course is comprised of, and an approximation of contact hours.

Would I be right in assuming the "small group teaching" takes a similar format to PBL?

In an independant review of the course in 2000 it said the course was based around 145 clinical situations, which sounds to me like PBL, but nowhere has King's mentioned PBL.

So yeah, basically I am confused as to whether the course is predominantly PBL, system-based lectures, or a 50/50 amalgum of the 2 :S

Anyone has some more detailed info, it would be evry helpful.

*Also, any details on modules would be helpful also.

[Hannes]

PBL is in fashion at King's as much as fluffy pink fake fur coats are these days so if you want pbl look somewhere else. Not to say that there aren't pbl but it is limited.

Mostly it is lectures, big lectures, 400 students in one room snoring, there is something in the air of that lecture theatre. The smaller groups they are talking about are usually about a subject where you get a few questions and you answer them at home before you go there or it is that you get a few questions that you answer in the 'workshop'.

First semester is random catch up lectures to make sure everyone knows the basics and you learn more anatomy and physiology.

second semester through second year you have lectures based on a single organ, disease or something like that. You start with a week of high blood pressure, then you get a heart attack, then go into heart failure and so on. Since you don't know enough about the subject and it isn't the point you get some general knowledge about it such as why it happens, common drugs, how they work etc. Dissections, histology (microscope thingie), patient interviews, random ladida is dotted throughout to get you away from the lecture theatre.

Check out the time table here: Course Information [Medicine] In short it is mostly lectures.

Go into MB BS1 and go onto timetable and you can see what it looks like. Whenever it says Greenwood for location it is a big lecture.

[leon2112]

Wow thanks. A lot of info there

[~Caz~]

Not really related to course structure or anything, but just a quick question to any current kings students out there; Did you get given a reading/book list before you started? I know most unis send you one before you start and I'm just curious. If yeah whats on it?
Cheers

[Hannes]

We got one along with the lecture notes and other stuff