The medicine MBChB course is designed to ensure you meet the necessary standards in terms of professional behaviours, skills and knowledge that new doctors need, as identified by the General Medical Council in ‘Outcomes for Graduates’.

At Keele, we put an emphasis on feedback to help you improve your knowledge, understanding and performance of medical practice. The modern, spiral, highly integrated medical curriculum combines a range of learning strategies, including early clinical experience, integrated communication and clinical skills teaching, practical activities (including dissection), problem-based-learning (PBL), lectures and seminars. You will have extensive experience of clinical placements in both primary and secondary care settings and in the community sector. Inter-professional learning and student interests are fostered throughout the programme.

Further opportunities for diversity are encouraged through intercalation. Opportunities for intercalation to pursue an additional qualification in a medicine-related subject are available and include studying at bachelor’s level after the second year or master’s level after the fourth year. Intercalation is a year out of your undergraduate medical studies in order to study a subject area in greater depth before returning to complete the medical course. An intercalated degree provides you with an opportunity to pursue an additional qualification in a medicine-related subject that interests you, acquire a better understanding of basic biomedical sciences, medical humanities or research methodologies, publish scientific papers and present at conferences.

The General Medical Council (GMC) approves your university’s degree as a primary medical qualification (PMQ). This is important because, provided there are no concerns about your fitness to practise, a PMQ entitles you to provisional registration with the GMC for a licence to practise medicine in the UK.

Provisionally registered doctors can only practise in approved Foundation Year 1 posts, obtained through the national application process during the final year of the course. Normally, all suitably qualified UK graduates secure a place but this cannot be guaranteed.

Successful completion of the programme is normally achieved within 12 months and awards a Certificate of Experience. You can then apply for full registration with the General Medical Council. You need this and a licence to practise unsupervised medical practice in the UK for both NHS and private practice. Overseas Medical students studying in the UK who do not have right of residence must check how the latest visa requirements affects their postgraduate training period.