HOW TO BECOME A DOCTOR: Anglia Ruskin University’s School of Medicine
Contact details
Chelmsford Campus, Bishop Hall Lane, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1SQ
medicine@anglia.ac.uk
01245 687096
Courses offered:
A100
Disclaimer: This is Medic Mentor’s Review of Anglia Ruskin University’s School of Medicine. The information below has been fact-checked via our medical student scholars, the university’s prospectus, website and speaking to the team on the phone. This has been updated to the best of our knowledge in April 2020. We always recommend that you double-check with the university too before applying because course structure and requirements are subject to change.
Background
Medicine is a new course taught in Chelmsford; the first cohort started in 2018. It is Essex’s first school of medicine. A new £20million faculty built specifically for medicine contains specialist simulation rooms including a hospital ward and a state-of-the-art anatomy suite. Anglia Ruskin already has an impressive 25-year history as the largest provider of nursing, midwifery and allied health trusts, helping the university form an impressive placements network prior to the medical school opening. The university works with 5 NHS trust hospitals, a large mental health trust and over 60 GP surgeries extending over both rural and urban areas, student placements can be at St Andrews Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, and Essex Cardiothoracic Centre. After opening in 2018, Professor Tony Young – Consultant Urologist and the universities Director of Medical Innovation was awarded an OBE in January 2019 for services to clinical leadership.
Course Information
Systems in Practice is taught from years 1-3, where the body systems are taught looking at normal and abnormal, structure, function and behaviour. There are lectures, labs, problem based learning and small group work. Preparation in Practice is taught in year 4 and 5 where there is a focus on task-based learning and a series of approximately 100 ‘core clinical problems’ are used alongside clinical placements to cement learning. Students will be exposed to placements in hospital from year one of study, in the first years, students can expect to be on placement in small groups of 5, spending 1 afternoon a week for 5 weeks on respiratory block, cardiovascular block and gastrointestinal block. In addition towards the end of year 1, students will spend a full 5 days in GP surgery located in the Essex area, interacting and communicating with patients and shadowing GP’s before moving onto integration block in one of the 5 hospitals, completing general surgery and general medicine shadowing.
Anatomy
Intercalation
offered after 3rd year but only internally
Elective
In year 5
Entry requirements
A levels: AAA to include Biology or Chemistry and another subject from Biology, Chemistry, Maths or Physics. Must have been completed no longer than 2 years prior to entry year.
International Baccalaureate: 36 points total. Grades at Higher Level of at least 6, 6, 6 in Biology and/or Chemistry, another science, and Maths or English.
Scottish Highers: AAB in Advanced Highers with A’s in Biology and/or Chemistry and another science. AAAAA in Highers to include Biology and/or Chemistry and another science.
Welsh Baccalaureate: please ring up admission’s department to check
GCSEs: 5 at grade (9-4) to include English Language, Maths and two science subjects.
BTEC qualifications are not considered currently.
UCAT
UCAT. There is no minimum cut-off score, but scores are ranked of applicants. If you obtain Band 4 in SJT you will not be invited to interview.
Graduate Entry
minimum 2:1 in biological, biomedical, chemistry or health science subject (awarded in last 5 years). Must meet GCSE requirements.
Access courses
- Access to Higher Education Diploma (Medicine) from
- City and Islington College (Medicine and Medical Bio Sciences
- College of West Anglia (Medicine and Dentistry)
- Harlow College (Medicine)
- Havering College (Medicine and Medical Sciences)
- Lambeth College (Medicine and Medical Biosciences)
- Manchester College (Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Medical Science)
- Sussex Downs College (Medicine)
- Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (Medicine and Healthcare Professionals)
Widening Access
This may be offered a lower offer of ABB if meet the eligibility criteria. Need to submit a WAMS ‘Eligibility Questionnaire’ after submitting UCAS application. This questionnaire will be automatically sent to all applicants after UCAS deadline. Students will be provided with a completion and return deadline, if this is not submitted, the university will assume the criteria does not apply.
Alternative Routes
Anglia Ruskin University are able to consider and accept Internal ARU Transfer Scheme from the following existing courses at the institution;
- BSc (Hons) Medical Science – at Chelmsford Campus
- BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science – at Cambridge Campus
- BOptom (Hons) Optometry – at Cambridge Campus
Transfer requests are very popular, and this can be a competitive application process. To be considered for transfer to year one of MBChB degree, applicants must still continue to have the minimum entrance criteria as outlined above.
Extra Information
The new Medical school aspire to recruit promising academics from the local region. For students applying from East of England region, points are allocated based on your address within 1 academic year of applying. Students residing in East of England region (Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and North East London Boroughs) will have shortlisting points allocated. For students residing in Essex postcodes, again within 1 academic year of application – further shortlisting points will be allocated. These applicants will still have to fulfill minimum entrance requirements set out above.
A levels Resits
Anglia Ruskin will accept resits taken within two academic years prior to applying.
Re-application
Please contact the institution’s admissions department, as it is a new course.
Deferred Entry
Admissions Data for 2019
Number of applications: 1,100
Number of interview places: 600
Total number on course: 100
Non-academic requirements
Work experience requirements
Recommended to have undertaken some work experience in the healthcare environment, for example, shadowing, volunteering, paid work or observing. It can include both clinical and non-clinical work experience. Bear in mind the work experience/placement/volunteer work students complete is to demonstrate a comprehensive insight into the working life of a healthcare professiona. The admissions team will look favorably on reflections being able to demonstrate development and understanding of the following transferable skills; problem solving, communication, care, empathy and a development of professional behaviour.
Interviews
Interview selection
Students are ranked on their UCAT score and those with the highest score as well as meeting the academic entry requirements are invited to interview. If you scored Band 4 in the SJT you will not be invited to interview. UCAS Personal Statements are not part of the selection process but will form part of deciding whether to extend offers to study.
Interview information
MMIs consisting of eight stations each lasting seven minutes. There may be some role-play stations. The stations will be assessed by university staff, healthcare professionals, junior doctors and service users. Although personal statements are not part of the interview selection process, ensure prior to interview, this is reviewed and be prepared to answer questions based on this during the MMI. The stations have been designed to allow applicants to demonstrate cognitive skills, stations will include scenarios and tasks to show interpersonal communication skills with an emphasis on empathy, teamwork and leadership, preparation and motivation to study medicine, critical thinking and problem solving, ethical and moral reasoning and integrity.
Interview season
Interview outcome
Accommodation
Guarantee of halls: halls guaranteed for first year students.
Student Perspective
Unique selling points:
- Commutable distance to London
- Placements in centers of excellence: St Andrew’s Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, and Essex Cardiothoracic Centre.
- Brand new anatomy suite offering dissection, with modern technology to support learning
Things to consider:
- Brand new medical school and brand-new curriculum, which is subject to successful progression of GMC’s rigorous quality assurance programme
- Currently no option to intercalate externally
- Deferred entry is not accepted