MBBS Medicine with a Gateway Year
Course options
Key Details
- Attendance
- Full Time
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
- UCAS Course Code
- A104
- Entry Requirements
- BBB or ABC
- Course Length
- 6 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2024
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Course Overview
By studying medicine at UEA you will graduate as a highly competent, empathic and confident doctor. This course gives you hands-on experience and rigorous training in modern practices from the very start.
The Medicine programme at UEA is exciting and challenging. We want students with a passion to make a difference and the potential to succeed. Our MB BS Medicine with a Gateway Year is a widening access to medicine route and may be the perfect start to a successful career in medicine for you. We look at your results in the context of the school you studied at, your family income and your area of residence.
The Gateway Year will equip you with the academic skills and knowledge you will need to progress onto our five-year MB BS Medicine course and to succeed. For the vast majority of our students, it is their foundational gateway to becoming a qualified doctor.
At Norwich Medical School, we put patients at the heart of everything we do. With a curriculum approved by the General Medical Council (GMC) and developed in accordance with their standards, the course focuses on the complex needs of 21st century patients. You will graduate as a professional ready to use your skills and knowledge in your chosen field to improve the health of patients in your care.
Our rigorous training ensures we develop doctors who are knowledgeable scholars and scientists. We pride ourselves on providing the highest possible quality of learning, in a supportive, nurturing and student-centred environment where you can reach your potential.
On progressing to the MBBS programme at UEA you will;
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Learn with and from real patients, from the first month of your course;
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Explore anatomy linked to clinical practice in our anatomy facility, including dissection;
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Have access to a varied range of clinical placements on acute hospital wards, specialist units and in general practice;
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Link theory with practice across the course, including during small-group teaching sessions and within primary care placements;
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Develop your clinical skills with access to the world-class and architecture-award winning Bob Champion Research and Education Building, with its state-of-the-art facilities and purpose-built clinical resource centre;
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Develop the art of communication through our excellent consultation skills programme, supported by dedicated tutors and role-players;
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Experience a team of respected, highly experienced teaching and research academics, who will support your learning in our friendly, student-centred School;
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Benefit from student support network, including a dedicated and experienced team of senior advisers.
Study and Modules
Structure
You will join a small cohort of enthusiastic and motivated students who will work together to gain the academic knowledge and skills you need to progress smoothly onto our five-year medical degree. We work hard to support you and to ensure that you feel like a medical student from day one, as you start developing your professional identity through dedicated modules delivered by Norwich Medical School. The medicine foundation year offers opportunities for clinical shadowing and clinical experiences with local health care providers including the NHS.
The Medicine with a Gateway Year programme maps to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We encourage students to be curious and invest in the world around them and to be agents for positive change.
What to expect after the Gateway Year
Upon successful completion of the Gateway Year, you will continue your medical studies on the five-year MB BS Medicine degree programme, which is organised into modules based on body systems. We aim to produce fully rounded medical graduates; therefore, you will study the underpinning biological, social and clinical sciences of medicine. You will then put theory into practice while on placements in hospitals and general practices.
You will continue to work in small groups, using problem-based learning (PBL) techniques to apply your learning to virtual scenarios. In parallel you will receive teaching in primary care; meeting the patients that can bring these scenarios to life. You will have opportunities for practical, hands-on opportunities, to hone your knowledge and practical skills through dissections and communication skills in both simulated and real healthcare environments.
Your learning will be supported by a weekly programme of lectures and seminars, and complemented by attachments in secondary care hospitals, some of which may be residential.
For information on subsequent years of study, please see the full MB BS Medicine course profile.
Compulsory Modules
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
We will assess your progress on a regular basis throughout the course, to support your learning and development, and to keep you on track to become a qualified medical practitioner.
In your Gateway Year, you will encounter practical write-ups of laboratory experiments, as well as presentations to your fellow students. In your introduction to Clinical Medicine module, you will be assessed through reflective writing (portfolio). End of module examinations will also be used in both ‘short answer’ and ‘single best answer’ and ‘script concordance’ formats.
In order to progress on to the MB BS programme, students need to achieve an average mark of 70% for all modules within the Gateway Year programme.
From your first year, the MB BS is a pass all components course. This means that in order to progress into the next year of study, you must pass all summative assessments in your current year of study.
Assessment
While studying on the Medicine with a Gateway Year programme, you will encounter a wide range of teaching methods to support your learning throughout the six years and to ensure you graduate with the essential skills required to become a competent doctor. These include:
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Keynote lectures, and seminars delivered by expert academics and clinical educators
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Laboratory classes, delivered by expert academics and associate tutors
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Small group working - using PBL techniques and extending into general practice-based teaching
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Consultation skills tutorials - with tutors and actors to cultivate excellent communication skills
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Clinical skills training - including practical skills and simulated scenarios to ensure you are well prepared for practice when you graduate
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Clinical placement opportunities - allowing you to integrate theory with practice
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Developing professionalism - you will be given guidance throughout your primary and secondary care placements, to help you develop the values and behaviors' that will enable you to become a safe, respected and trustworthy doctor
Entry Requirements
- A Levels
- BBB or ABC. General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted. Where applicable Science A Levels awarded by an English Exam board require a pass in the practical element.
- T Levels
- Obtain an overall Pass including a B in the core of the T Level and a Merit in the Occupational Specialism. Acceptable subjects are: Healthcare Science, Health and Science.
- BTEC
- Extended Diploma DDM. Excludes BTEC Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration. See below for accepted combinations.
- Access to HE Diploma
- Not accepted
- International Baccalaureate
- 32 overall including 3 subjects at Higher level 5 in any subject
- GCSE
Six GCSEs at grade B/6 or above, including English Language, Mathematics and either a single science subject (Biology, Chemistry or Physics) or double science. Applicants who do not meet the GCSE requirement MUST be resitting GCSE’s and predicted to achieve the required grade. This should be evident from their UCAS application.
International Baccalaureate (UK based only): IB Middle Years (in lieu of GCSEs) with 6 passes at 6 including English Language, Mathematics and two science subjects.
GCSE short courses, BTEC Level 2, OCR Level 2, AQA Level 2 and Functional Skills not accepted.
GCSE resits are considered. Applicants who do not meet the GCSE requirement MUST be resitting GCSE’s and predicted to achieve the required grade. This should be evident from their UCAS application.
- Interviews
Interviews will be held on campus and will be in the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format.
Please note that we do not disclose interview questions. We look for applicants to demonstrate at interview;
- An acceptable approach to decision making when given incomplete or conflicting information
- The ability to learn and work effectively in partnership
- A caring and supportive attitude
- An empathetic and caring approach
- Insight into Medicine as a career and personal suitability for the profession
- Honesty, integrity, and personal effectiveness
We will individually email invitations to applicants who are selected for interview. Interviews will take place between November and February.
Work Experience
If you are invited to interview you are required to provide two examples of relevant work experience which have informed your decision to study Medicine.
- Deferred Entry
We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.
- Intakes
This course is open to UK applicants. The annual intake is in September each year. We have 40 places for 2024 entry.
Additional Information or Requirements
Extended Diploma: DDM
Diploma: DD plus B at A-level
Extended Certificate: D plus BB at A-level
This course is a ‘Widening Access’ programme for students who are in the 13th year of education or left school no more than three years prior to the course start date. Applicants must have completed their GCSE and Level 3 qualifications in the UK. It is designed for students whose circumstances or educational opportunities have prevented them from realising their academic potential.
Contextual Criteria
All applicants must meet the academic criteria and the following contextual criteria:
Your secondary school (GCSE education) achieved an Attainment 8 score of 50 or less, in the year you sat your GCSEs according to the Department for Education data (www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/) NOTE: The Government will not be publishing performance data for 2020 due to the pandemic therefore, we will use the Attainment 8 score in 2019 for students who achieved GCSE’s in 2021 AND one of the following:
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You live in an area with low progression to higher education as measured by the Office for Students TUNDRA MSOA Quintile 1 or 2.
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You are in receipt of the UCAT Bursary.
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You are in receipt of Free School Meals. Evidence taken from your UCAS application.
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Your combined household income is under £35,000 per year, excluding Government benefits. We use the same criteria as the UCAT Bursary eligibility. We are unable to accept payslips or P60’s.
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You currently live locally to UEA (Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex or Lincolnshire). Evidence taken from UCAS application.
OR meet the academic criteria and ONE of the following contextual criteria:
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You successfully complete the UEA Preparing for Medicine Programme
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You have been in Local Authority care.
Further information
Applicants must be aged 18 by December 31st 2024.
Applicants must meet both GCSE and A Level requirement.
GCSE resits are considered.
A Level Resits are not considered.
Not accepted: General Studies, Critical Thinking, Citizenship Studies, GCSE short courses, BTEC Level 2, AQA Level 2, OCR Level 2, Functional Skills.
Applicants who have started or completed study post A level (degree study or equivalent) will not be considered.
Applicants predicted to meet the MB BS Medicine (A100) academic requirements are unlikely to benefit from this course and should apply directly to A100.
Applicants who meet the minimum academic requirements and are attending the UEA Preparing for Medicine Programme will be guaranteed an interview.
Preparing For Medicine
Applying to study medicine can be daunting, especially without any experience of university or medicine in the family to draw upon. Preparing for Medicine supports Year 12 /Level 3 Year 1 students on their path to studying medicine through participation in a range of free activities.
University Clinical Aptitude Test
How do you use the UCAT?
ALL applicants are required to take the UCAT in the year of application, prior to applying. UEA does not have a cut off score. A high score is advantageous; a low score does not disqualify an applicant from consideration. The UCAT website has further information.
The overall score is used to rank the applicants for selection for interview.
The overall score is used alongside the interview score to rank and select applicants to whom an offer is made.
The SJT component score is included within the interview score.
Programme Conditions
Offers to successful applicants will be subject to a successful interview, a satisfactory occupational health check, including evidence of appropriate immunisations. As this course includes patient facing placements in a health or social care settings and these are a mandatory component of the course, you will need to comply with the placement vaccination policy. Failure to meet the placement vaccination policy may prevent you from joining the course or may lead to your withdrawal from the course in the future. Future employment may also be subject to this condition.
Applicants will also be required to have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. In the interests of patient and public safety, we may share some of the information provided in your application form with the Medical Schools Council in order to verify your fitness to practise. If a fitness to practise finding is made against you in the future, this information and a copy of the decision against you will also be stored on the Excluded Student Database maintained by the Medical Schools Council. The database is accessible only to other medical schools in the UK and the General Medical Council. It is used only for proper fitness to practise purposes to protect patients and the public.
Essential Information for All Applicants
Further information regarding requirements for medical students in relation to blood born infectious diseases and information on Medical Students Fitness Standards is available. Any offer holder with a current or past history of health conditions (physical or mental health) should inform occupational health about any health conditions they have and may be subject to an early occupational health check for the following reasons:
Medical schools have a duty to support their students, but students must help the school to do this by being open and honest about their health.
Being open and trustworthy is an important part of being a doctor – patients and the GMC expect this of practising doctors. Failure by a doctor on the medical register to disclose a health matter that could potentially impact on patient safety is a breach of this duty.
A student should understand that their ill health could put their ability to study at risk. Where a student has this understanding – and shows this by getting help and support – their health condition rarely prevents them from completing the course. One way to demonstrate understanding from the start is for a student to declare whether they will need additional support when they begin their course.
Norwich Medical School will consider all requests for adjustments in line with the UK Equality Act 2010. Any student can graduate providing they are well enough to complete the course; they have no student fitness to practice concerns (having a health condition or disability alone is not a fitness to practice concern); they have met all the Outcomes for graduates, with adjustments to the mode of assessment as needed.
Further guidance and advice specific to undergraduate medicine courses, including clinical exams, can be obtained via med.senioradviser@uea.ac.uk . Student support and information regarding accessibility, written exam concessions and confidential advice and guidance on health and disability is also available.
After the Course
Postgraduate Foundation training and beyond
Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
You can find information regarding additional costs associated with the course on our Additional Course Fees pages.
How to Apply
Apply for this course through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), using UCAS Hub.
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information:
Employability
After the Course
Once you have successfully completed your MB BS, if there are no concerns regarding your fitness to practice, you’ll be entitled to provisional registration with the General Medical Council. You will then be able to practise in approved Foundation Year One posts.
If you would like our support during this year, you can apply to work in our local medicine Foundation year Programme. Once you have completed a satisfactory year as a Foundation Programme doctor, you will gain full registration with the GMC.
Careers
Examples of careers that you could enter include:
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Hospital-based specialities including medicine, surgery, anaesthetics, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, emergency medicine, radiology and pathology
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General Practice
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Psychiatry
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Public Health
Discover more on our Careers webpages.