University of Birmingham Medical School

Last updated

University of Birmingham Medical School
College of Medical & Dental Sciences
Birmingham Medical School Building.jpg
Birmingham Medical School Building
Type Medical School
Established1825 - Teaching by Sands Cox begins in Birmingham
1767 - Medical teaching began at the Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary [1]
Dean Kate (Cathryn) Thomas
DirectorKate (Cathryn) Thomas
Head of schoolGillian Condé
Location
Birmingham
,
United Kingdom
Affiliations University of Birmingham
Website www.mds.bham.ac.uk

The University of Birmingham Medical School is one of Britain's largest and oldest medical schools with over 400 medical, 70 pharmacy, 140 biomedical science and 130 nursing students graduating each year. [2] It is based at the University of Birmingham in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. Since 2008, the medical school is a constituent of The College of Medical and Dental Sciences.

Contents

History

The roots of the Birmingham Medical School were in the medical education seminars of Mr. John Tomlinson, first surgeon to the Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary and later to the General Hospital. These classes were the first held in the winter of 1767–68. The first clinical teaching was undertaken by medical and surgical apprentices at the General Hospital, opened in 1779. [1] Birmingham Medical School was founded in 1825 by William Sands Cox, who began by teaching medical students in his father's house in Birmingham. [3] A new building was used from 1829 (on the site of what is now Snow Hill station). Students at this time took the licentiate/membership examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries.

In 1836, Earl Howe and a number of prominent local men submitted a memorandum to King William IV, and on 22 June a reply communicated His Majesty's acquiescence to become a Patron of the School to be styled the Royal School of Medicine and Surgery in Birmingham. There was serious need for a new teaching hospital and in 1839 Sands Cox launched an appeal. Sufficient money was raised within a year and the hospital built in 1840–41 was opened in 1841 by Sands Cox.

Queen Victoria who had granted her patronage to the Clinical Hospital in Birmingham also allowed the new teaching hospital to be styled "The Queen’s Hospital." In 1843, the medical school became Queen's College, and students became eligible to be considered for medical degrees awarded by the University of London. [4]

A rival medical school, Syndenham College, opened in Birmingham in 1851. This merged with Queen's College in 1868 to form a new combined institution, and later merged with another institution, Mason Science College. In 1897, the Mason University College Act was passed which made Mason Science College (incorporating Queen's College) into a university college, and this, in turn became Birmingham University in 1900, and MB ChB degrees were able to be awarded by the new university.

In 1966, an outbreak of smallpox originated at University of Birmingham Medical School. [5] In 1978, Janet Parker contracted the disease while working as medical photographer in the anatomy department. She was the last known person to die of smallpox in the world.

Facilities

The Medical School is based at the University of Birmingham Edgbaston campus. The current main building was constructed in 1938 as a wing of the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital, built to consolidate the city's 18th century teaching hospitals. After most of the Queen Elizabeth's inpatient clinical space moved to the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital following its opening in 2010, the remainder of the old hospital building is now used to run specialist clinical services, research centres and administrative space. The main medical school building houses two 450-seat lecture theatres, four additional lecture theatres, numerous small group teaching rooms, laboratory space for research and teaching, a clinical skills suite, student relaxation and study space, a prosectorium for cadaveric anatomy, and the Barnes medical library. A large refurbishment and extension of the medical school building took place in 2010 to a design by Scott Wilson and constructed by Architects Design Partnership. The scheme cost £8 million and consisted of the new Leondard Deacon lecture theatre, canteen and common room facilities.

In April 2016, The new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry was built, opening its doors after being moved from a city centre site which was near the Children's Hospital. It houses 600 undergraduate and postgraduate dental students, trainees and academics, and is equipped to treat over 120,000 patients a year in areas including unscheduled emergency dental care, restorative dentistry, oral surgery, oral medicine, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry.

University of Birmingham students of medicine, biomedical science, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and physiotherapy have access to special clinical resources within the Barnes Library and computer cluster within the medical school building. With the restructure of the university all these schools now come under the umbrella of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences.

Courses and admission

MB ChB Medicine and Surgery is offered as five-year, four-year or three-year course. The five-year course is by far the largest and mostly consists of undergraduate students. The first two years (termed Phase I) cover basic science and are predominantly lecture based with extensive small group tutorials. Anatomy teaching is delivered by small group seminars, prosection and digital resources. The course is integrated, and Phase I students undertake fortnightly general practice days, clinical skills and communication skills training. Years three to five consist largely of clinical placements covering all major specialties in partner NHS Trusts and GP practices located in the West Midlands.

In addition to the five-year MB ChB, a four-year graduate entry course is open to those who have already achieved a first class life sciences degree. The first year of the graduate entry course is a problem based learning design, before students join those on the five-year course for clinical study. In addition there are a small number of places on a three-year MB ChB programme designed for dental graduates wishing to train in maxillofacial surgery.

The medical school remains extremely competitive with high entry standards. Requirements for 2019 entry was A*AA at A Level.

Dentistry at Birmingham often receives many applications for each place available. With few spaces on the course, it is extremely competitive and candidates are expected to perform excellently at interview.

Pharmacy admissions accepted the first intake of students in August 2013, in the first year alone 1007 applicants applied for 70 available places. Requirements for current entry remain at AAB at A Level and A's in Maths and Science GCSEs. This course was accredited by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) in June 2017.

The BNurs Nursing degree allows students to specialise in Adult, Mental Health and Child and Public Health clinical settings. A new four-year undergraduate Masters in Nursing (MNurs)starts in September 2018 which prepares students for management roles and clinical academic careers.

The School also offers a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science (BSc) leading to further study at postgraduate level. Medical students may also intercalate, usually after their third or forth year, on a range of specialist Bachelors or Masters-level programmes. [6]

The College of Medical and Dental Sciences also offers Dental Surgery (BDS), Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSc) and Biomedical Materials Science (BMedSc). These courses are based at the Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry.

The College of Health Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe was modelled after the Birmingham Medical School. The two hence share and enjoy a special relationship.

Clinical teaching partners

Clinical placements for medical students take place in a variety of secondary and tertiary referral hospitals and community general practices across the West Midlands. These include: [7]

Medical society (Birmingham MedSoc)

Students of Birmingham Medical School, are entitled to be part of Birmingham Medical Society, the largest society at the University of Birmingham.[ citation needed ] Birmingham MedSoc contains various subsidiary sports teams, societies and charities. [8]

UBMS RFC

The oldest sports club in MedSoc, and indeed the whole university, is the Medical School Rugby Club (UBMS RFC). UBMS RFC was founded in 1958. The club won the inaugural NAMS (National Association of Medical Schools) competition in 1994 and has appeared in many finals over the years. The club has also previously beaten the University of Birmingham Rugby Team (UBRFC) in the annual varsity match. [9]

Other clubs

Hockey Club (UBMSHC) won the National Medical Schools Cup in 2019 and 2022.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GKT School of Medical Education</span> Medical school of Kings College London

GKT School of Medical Education is the medical school of King's College London. The school has campuses at three institutions, Guy's Hospital (Southwark), King's College Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital (Lambeth) in London – with the initial of each hospital making up the acronymous name of the school. The school in its current guise was formed following a merger with the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals on 1 August 1998. As of 2023, the medical school is ranked 5th best in the UK for clinical medicine by U.S. News & World Report, and 10th best worldwide by Times Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry</span> Medical and dental school in London, England

Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, commonly known as Barts or BL, is a medical and dental school in London, England. The school is part of Queen Mary University of London, a constituent college of the federal University of London, and the United Hospitals. It was formed in 1995 by the merger of the London Hospital Medical College and the Medical College of St Bartholomew's Hospital.

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.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is a public academic health science center in Houston, Texas, United States. It was created in 1972 by The University of Texas System Board of Regents. It is located in the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. It is composed of six schools: McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UTHealth School of Dentistry, Cizik School of Nursing, UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics and UTHealth School of Public Health.

A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.

The University of Medical Sciences and Technology (UMST) is a co-educational mainly medical oriented college in Khartoum, Sudan. The mission of UMST is to serve the educational needs of Sudanese, African and Arab students. It is located in the Riyad district of Khartoum. It first opened its doors in 1995 with a student body of only forty students and two faculties. In 2017 it had become home to 5,000-6,000 students and costs US$15,000 for the school of medicine in 2018. The university has 14 faculties. In 2014 the University stated that 60% of its students were foreign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Glasgow Medical School</span> Medical school of the University of Glasgow, Scotland

The University of Glasgow School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing is the medical school of the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and is one of the largest in Europe, offering a 5-year MBChB degree course. It is ranked 2nd in the UK for medicine by The Times Good University Guide 2018 and joint 1st in the UK by the Complete University Guide 2021. The School of Medicine uses lecture-based learning, problem-based learning and Glasgow's case-based learning.

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.

Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD) was a medical and dental school in England, run in partnership with the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS in Devon and Cornwall. In January 2013 the school began disaggregation to form Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and the University of Exeter Medical School.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastman Dental Hospital</span> Hospital in London, England

The Eastman Dental Hospital was based on Gray's Inn Road until it co-located with the University College London ear, nose, throat, balance and hearing services on Huntley Street, London, as the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals in October 2019. The hospital continues to provide specialist dental treatment as well as ear, nose, throat, hearing, speech and balance services and is part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UAB School of Dentistry</span>

The University of Alabama School of Dentistry is the public dental school located at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The dental school was founded in 1948 and is the only dental school in Alabama.

<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.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is an NHS foundation trust based in London, United Kingdom. It comprises University College Hospital, University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street, the UCH Macmillan Cancer Centre, the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine and the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.

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.

Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) is a constituent college of Makerere University, Uganda's oldest university. The schools of the college offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the biomedical sciences, health sciences, human medicine and public health, covering a broad range of disciplines and specialties.

Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), is one of the 10 colleges that constitute Makerere University, East Africa,s oldest university. The college was established in 2007 by consolidating the training offered by the University in the disciplines of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Public Health, Optometry, Radiography and other health sciences. The college of Health Sciences consists of 5 schools: School of Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Dentistry and School og Health Sciences. The college provides training in the health sciences at the undergraduate, masters, PhD and post- doctoral levels levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Health Sciences (Cambodia)</span> Public university in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The University of Health Sciences is a public university offering degrees in health sciences in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shalamar Nursing College</span> Nursing College Located in Lahore,Pakistan

Shalamar Nursing College, established in 2006 and named after the historical Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, is a private Nursing school located on Shalimar Link Road, Lahore in Shalimar Town. The college provides undergraduate 4 years B.Sc Nursing and 2 years Post RN B.Sc Nursing degrees.

References

  1. 1 2 "History of the University of Birmingham Medical School". University of Birmingham: Medical and Dental Sciences. University of Birmingham. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "Programmes and Courses". University of Birmingham:College of Medical and Dental Sciences. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  3. ↑ "History of the University of Birmingham Medical School, 1825 - 2001". University of Birmingham . Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  4. ↑ "Student lists". Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
  5. ↑ Hugh Pennington (5 September 2002). "Smallpox Scares". London Review of Books . Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Intercalated Degree (BMedSc, BSc, MSc or MRes)". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "NHS partners". University of Birmingham.
  8. ↑ "Birmingham MedSoc Website" . Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "University of Birmingham Medical School RFC". National Association of Medical Schools Rugby Union. Retrieved 7 October 2019.

Bibliography

Further reading

52°27′7.3″N1°56′17.3″W / 52.452028°N 1.938139°W / 52.452028; -1.938139

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.