Swansea University Medical School

Last updated

Swansea University Medical School
Singleton Abey.jpg
Motto"Gweddw crefft heb ei dawn" – Technical skill is bereft without culture
Type Medical school
Established2004
Dean Professor Catherine Thornton
Academic staff
130
Undergraduates 690
Postgraduates 200
Location
Swansea
,
United Kingdom
Website http://www.swansea.ac.uk/medicine/

Swansea University Medical School is a medical school on Swansea University's Singleton campus. It is linked to additional teaching centres located throughout South and West Wales, including Cefn Coed Hospital, Singleton Hospital and Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli, Withybush General Hospital in Haverfordwest and Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth. The Medical School also has a network of primary care (General Practice) teaching centers.

Contents

Swansea University Medical School is ranked as the 3rd best medical school in the UK by the Complete University Guide. Swansea University is the top university in Wales in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017 league table – and has also won the inaugural Welsh University of the Year title.

The Medical School leads a four-year graduate entry medicine degree (MB BCh) alongside BSc degrees in Applied Medical Sciences, Genetics, and Biochemistry. The school also teaches higher degree programmes, including PhD, MD, MCh and master's degrees. In 2017, the Graduate Entry Medicine degree was featured in the QS World University Rankings for the first time. [1]

Swansea University Medical School employs four core activities; Learning and Teaching, Research, Enterprise and Innovation and collaboration with the NHS. [2]

In January 2017, the British Heart Foundation relocated to Swansea University Medical School and housed itself in the Institute of Life Science. [3] In March, the Medical School announced a new partnership with Pfizer which involves the pharmaceutical company locating itself at the university's Bay Campus. [4]

History

Swansea University first attempted to establish a medical school in the 1960s but initially missed out on other schools. The university did succeed in introducing Genetics and Biochemistry departments, laying the foundations for future expansion into medicine.

Following Welsh political devolution in the 1990s, fresh calls were made to establish a medical school to serve the people of southwest Wales. In 2001, the Welsh Government established a medical school at the university's Singleton Park campus. By 2004, the clinical school had developed into the School of Medicine, welcoming its first students onto the Graduate Entry Medicine course – a 4-year fast-track graduate entry programme in 2004 in collaboration with Cardiff University. [5]

Swansea University Medical School - Data Science building Swansea University Medical School - Data Science building.jpg
Swansea University Medical School – Data Science building

The Medical School has undergone considerable expansion, with the opening of the Institute of Life Science 1 (ILS1) in 2007, and the Institute of Life Science 2 in 2012. [6]

A Centre for NanoHealth, the first of its kind in Europe opened in 2011 for research into NanoHealth technologies. [7]

In 2012 ILS2 became home to one of 4 UK centres for eHealth Research (HeRCs) funded by a Medical Research Council-led consortium of funders. [8] The college also hosts the EPSRC National Mass Spectrometry Service. [9]

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework gave the Medical School a glowing report, ranking it joint 1st as the best research environment in the UK and 2nd in the UK for overall research quality. [10]

The new Data Science building was opened in 2015.[ citation needed ]

In 2016, Swansea University Medical School was awarded the Athena SWAN Silver award, making it the first department in the university to achieve the prize, dedicated to promoting equality in the workforce. [11]

In March 2017, a number of new developments were announced as part of the ARCH project, including two new Institutes of Life Science, and the Llanelli Wellness & Life Science Village [12]

Research

The Institute of Life Science (ILS) is the research and innovation arm of the Medical School. It comprises two purpose built research facilities (ILS1 and ILS2) which represent an £80 million investment at Swansea University's Singleton Park campus in Swansea, equipped with an IBM Blue-C supercomputer.[ citation needed ]

Swansea University Medical School - Institute of Life Science 2 ILS2.jpg
Swansea University Medical School – Institute of Life Science 2

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 87% of staff in the school were assessed as producing research of international quality or above. [13]

The school currently employs 4 main research themes Biomarkers & Genes, Devices, Microbes & Immunity Patient & Population Healthy. These themes are centred around the main research facilities, including Biomedical Laboratories, Informatics, the Institute of Mass Spectrometry, the Centre for NanoHealth, Commercial Incubators and the Joint Clinical Research Facility.[ citation needed ]

Graduate Entry Medicine

Swansea University Medical School provides one of a small number of Graduate Entry Medicine programmes currently available in the UK. The course is also unique for being open to graduates of any discipline who meet the entry requirements of the school, which includes the GAMSAT exam (UK/EU and international students) or the MCAT exam (international students only [14] ). Traditionally restricted to UK and EU applicants, the course is now open to candidates from around the world.[ citation needed ]

Institute of life sciences Institute of Life Science 2.jpg
Institute of life sciences

The 4-year programme, which combines learning weeks and clinical placements, doesn't adhere to the traditional 'body systems' approach but attempts to imitate clinical practice methods regarding how clinicians approach patients and vice versa. To allow students to hone their skills, it provides early and continued exposure clinical practice through learning opportunities in the clinical setting (LOCS), community-based learning, clinical apprenticeships and speciality attachments. [15]

In March 2017, the MBBCh Graduate Entry Medicine degree was announced as featuring in the QS World University Rankings. [1]

In June 2021, Swansea University Medical School was ranked 1st in the UK by the Complete University Guide. [16]

In August 2022, it was announced that the course would expand by 25 places to 142. This followed a previous increase of 25 places in 2021. [17]

Undergraduate Courses

Swansea University Medical School currently offers 6 Undergraduate courses [18]

As part of a commitment to widening access, many of these courses include a Pathway to Medicine, feeder modules for access to {MBBCh]] Graduate Entry Medicine as well as Foundation Year programmes. [19]

Postgraduate Courses

View of Mumbles from ILS2, Swansea University Medical School ILS2 Hub.jpg
View of Mumbles from ILS2, Swansea University Medical School

Swansea University Medical School has a range of Postgraduate taught programmes, [20] including:

The medical school also offers research degrees including D.Prof, MRes, Masters by Research, MPhil, MD and PhD. [20]

Societies

Swansea University Medical School has a number of student-led societies, including the Medical Society (the society for the Graduate Entry Medicine programme [21] ), the Medical Life Science Society (aimed at all undergraduate and postgraduate degrees) and others including GP Society, Surgical Society, and the Swansea Gambia Link. [22]

ARCH

Swansea University Medical School is a central part of ARCH, A Regional Collaboration for Health. The medical school has ambitious plans to work closely with Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and Hywel Dda to transform home and hospital care across the region, including the continued investment in Singleton and Morriston Hospitals, and the development of a multi-million pound Medi-Park [23]

Notable academics

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swansea University</span> Public university in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom

Swansea University is a public research university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom.

A Doctor of Pharmacy is a professional doctorate in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a doctoral degree to practice the profession of pharmacy or to become a clinical pharmacist. In many countries, people with their Doctor of Pharmacy are allowed to practice independently and can prescribe drugs directly to patients. A PharmD program has significant experiential and/or clinical education components in introductory and advanced levels for the safe and effective use of drugs. Experiential education prepares graduates to be practice-ready, as they already have spent a significant amount of time training in areas of direct patient care and research.

A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradition. Despite the historical distinction in nomenclature, these degrees are typically combined and conferred together. This degree is usually awarded as an undergraduate degree, but it can also be awarded at graduate-level medical institutions. The typical duration for completion is five to six years.

A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical school. Obtaining a degree in medicine allows for the recipient to continue on into specialty training with the end goal of securing a license to practice within their respective jurisdiction. Medical graduates may also pursue non-clinical careers including those in basic research and positions within the healthcare industry. A worldwide study conducted in 2011 indicated on average: 64 university exams, 130 series exams, and 174 assignments are completed over the course of 5.5 years. As a baseline, students need greater than an 85% in prerequisite courses to enrol for the aptitude test in these degree programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff University School of Medicine</span> Medical school in Cardiff, Wales

The Cardiff University School of Medicine is the medical school of Cardiff University and is located in Cardiff, Wales, UK. Founded in 1893 as part of the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire, it is the oldest of the three medical schools in Wales.

Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) is the undergraduate medical school of Imperial College London in England and one of the United Hospitals. It is part of the college's Faculty of Medicine and was formed by the merger of several historic medical schools. It's core campuses are located at South Kensington, St Mary's, Charing Cross, Hammersmith and Chelsea and Westminster. The school ranked 3rd in the world for medicine in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

A biomedical scientist is a scientist trained in biology, particularly in the context of medical laboratory sciences or laboratory medicine. These scientists work to gain knowledge on the main principles of how the human body works and to find new ways to cure or treat disease by developing advanced diagnostic tools or new therapeutic strategies. The research of biomedical scientists is referred to as biomedical research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keele University School of Medicine</span> Medical school in England

Keele University School of Medicine is a medical school located in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Shrewsbury. The first two years of the school's MBChB degree are mostly taught on the Keele University campus, while early contact with patients is critical, and there is significant interaction in a clinical environment from the second year onwards.

The University of St Andrews School of Medicine is the school of medicine at the University of St Andrews in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and the oldest medical school in Scotland.

Warwick Medical School is the medical school of the University of Warwick and is located in Coventry, United Kingdom. It was opened in 2000 in partnership with Leicester Medical School, and was granted independent degree-awarding status in 2007.

Aberdeen University School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition contains the Medical School and Dental School at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. It also provides training and carries out research in medical sciences, nutrition, public health, dentistry, health sciences, physician associate studies at BSc, MSc, and PhD levels. The current school was formed from the merger of the former School of Medicine & Dentistry, School of Medical Sciences, and the Rowett Institute of Nutrition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge</span> Medical school of the University of Cambridge

The School of Clinical Medicine is the medical school of the University of Cambridge in England. The medical school is considered as being one of the most prestigious in the world, ranking as 1st in The Complete University Guide, followed by Oxford University Medical School, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford School of Medicine and 2nd in the world in the 2023 Times Higher Education Ranking. The Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine (A101) is the most competitive course offered by the University and in the UK, and is among the most competitive medical programs for entry in the world. The school is located alongside Addenbrooke's Hospital and other institutions in multiple buildings across the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Nottingham Medical School</span>

The University of Nottingham Medical School is the medical school of the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. Its first intake of 48 students graduated in 1975. Student intake has steadily increased to a current level of 330 students per year, including 90 from the satellite graduate-entry school at Derby, which opened in 2003.

The University of Edinburgh Medical School is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. It was established in 1726, during the Scottish Enlightenment, making it the oldest medical school in the United Kingdom and the oldest medical school in the English-speaking world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheffield Medical School</span> Medical school in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

The University of Sheffield Medical School is a medical school based at the University of Sheffield in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The school traces its history back to at least 1828. It operated independently until its merger with Firth College and Sheffield Technical School in 1897, and is now an integral part of Sheffield's Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health.

Keele University School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP) is a teaching department of Keele University, Staffordshire, England. All programmes offered by the school are taught in the MacKay Building on the Keele University campus near Newcastle-under-Lyme. The school also uses facilities at the Keele University Medical School and from the wider university. The school offers educational programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. There is an active research focus within the school with many of the teaching staff being members of Research Institutes at the university. The school is a regional hub of the National Physiotherapy Research Network.

A Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMedSci, BMedSc, BSc(Med), BMSc) is an undergraduate academic degree involving study of a variety of disciplines related to human health leading to an in depth understanding of human biology and associated research skills such as study design, statistics and laboratory techniques. Such disciplines include biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, pharmacology or psychosocial aspects of health. It is an equivalent level qualification to the more commonly awarded Bachelor of Science (BSc). Graduates may enter a diverse range of roles including post-graduate study, higher education, the biotechnology industry, the pharmaceutical industry, consultancy roles, scientific communication, education or unrelated disciplines which make use of the broad range of transferable skills gained through this degree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CUHK Faculty of Medicine</span>

Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) (Chinese: 香港中文大學醫學院) was established in 1981 and consists of five schools which offer an array of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the field of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health. The Hong Kong's Prince of Wales Hospital is the faculty's teaching facility and base of research. The medium of instruction of all programs is English while Chinese is also retained for the teaching of Chinese Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical education in Wales</span> Education of medical students

Medical education in Wales is the education of medical students and qualified medical doctors in Wales.

The North Wales Medical School is a new medical school at Bangor University in North Wales. It currently teaches Biomedical Science, Medical Sciences and Pharmacology, with student intake for Medicine to commence in September 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 "Seven subjects at Swansea feature in QS World University Rankings 2017". Archived from the original on 15 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Swansea University Medical School". swansea.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "£2.3 Million BHF Cymru research programme hosted by Swansea University Medical School from this month". swansea.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Youle, Richard (14 March 2017). "Pharma giant Pfizer to set up new hub at Swansea University". walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  5. ↑ BMA Health Policy and Economic Research Unit – School of Medicine – University of Swansea
  6. ↑ "History in the Making. College of Medicine, Swansea University 10th Anniversary: 2004–2014. – Postgraduate Education – Medical School" . Retrieved 8 September 2017– via Scribd.
  7. ↑ "nanotechwire.com – Wales to host Europe's first Centre for NanoHealth". nanotechwire.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "- New Centres put health records at the heart of UK medical research". mrc.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Archived 19 April 2013 at archive.today
  10. ↑ "College of Medicine results in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 – Health Informatics – Emergency Department" . Retrieved 8 September 2017– via Scribd.
  11. ↑ "Medical School's gender equality improvement recognised with Athena SWAN Silver Award". swansea.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  12. ↑ (www.waters-creative.co.uk), Waters Creative Ltd. "What would a City Deal mean for ARCH projects?". arch.wales. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑ "International Medicine Applicants - Swansea University".
  15. ↑ "MBBCh Graduate Entry Medicine". swansea.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  16. ↑ "Medicine Subject League Table 2022".
  17. ↑ "Swansea University to train even more medical students". Swansea University. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Undergraduate". swansea.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  19. ↑ "Pathways to Medicine at Swansea University Medical School".
  20. 1 2 "Postgraduate Taught". swansea.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Welcome – Croeso". Swansea Medsoc. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  22. ↑ "Societies". swansea.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  23. ↑ "Regional Partners". swansea.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

51°36′36″N3°58′48″W / 51.610°N 3.980°W / 51.610; -3.980

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.