Higher Medical Education in Great Britain

British students generally begin their medical studies without any preliminary higher education, typically at the age of eighteen or nineteen. This contrasts with the U.S. system, where a four-year preliminary bachelor's degree is required for entry to medical school. Entry to British medical schools is very competitive. In Britain the course lasts five years, including 2 years of preclinical training, followed by clinical experience at a teaching hospital for additional 3 years. After successful completion of clinical training they graduate as Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery.

In Great Britain the delivery of medical education is traditionally divided into two distinct styles. Problem Based Learning aims to develop a mature and self-sufficient style of learning by encouraging students to work on solving clinical scenarios with little input from tutors in the form of lectures. Traditional Courses are classically lecture-intensive with much more time devoted to didactic teaching.

In the final year of medical school medical students become Pre-registration house officers. Before obtaining full registration with the General Medical Council (which occurs one year after graduation), trainees are legally only able to work in certain highly supervised jobs and cannot legally practice independently.

After completion of medical school, junior doctors go through a vocational training phase, during which they practice in a variety of different specialities. These must include training in General Medicine and General Surgery but can also include other fields such as Paediatrics or General Practice. After that a doctor can choose to specialize in one field. The majority of doctors the UK work in the community as General practitioners (GPs). To train as a GP, one completes two years of posts as a Senior House Officer (SHO) in a variety of hospital specialties - often including paediatrics, psychiatry, care of the elderly and obstetrics & gynaecology. After completing this training and the relevant exams, the doctor can work independently as a GP.

POST-TEXT ASSIGNMENTS:

Exercise 6. Answer the questions:

1. Do British students have to get any preliminary higher education before entering a medical school?

2. How long does a course of studies at a British Medical School last?

3. What parts does the course of studies at a British Medical school consist of?

4. What degree do British medical students get after successful completion of clinical training?

5. What are the two main styles of delivery of medical education in Britain?

6. What do British medical students become in the final year of medical school?

7. In which jobs are trainees legally able to work before obtaining full registration with the General Medical Council?

8. What do junior doctors do after completion of medical school?

9. What does the vocational training phase include?

10. When can a doctor work independently as a GP?

Exercise 7. Match the words and word combinations with their definitions:

trainee		a) a member of staff responsible for the teaching and supervision of a certain number of students
tutor		b) A junior doctor who has just passed final examinations at medical school and has received a medical degree, but has no full registration with the General Medical Council
pre-registration house officer		c) a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education to patients
General practitioner (GP)		d) a person undergoing training
Senior House Officer		e) a junior doctor undergoing training within a certain speciality under the supervision of consultants

Exercise 8. Find the equivalents of the following word combinations in the text:

Відповідні іспити, більшість лікарів, працювати лікарями широкого профілю, без попередньої вищої освіти, ступінь бакалавра, доклінічне навчання, базова лікарня (медичного навчального закладу), здобути повну реєстрацію, клінічні сценарії, курс триває п’ять років, вступ до медичного ВУЗу, додаткові три роки, заохочувати студентів до роботи, надання інформації викладачами, присвячений дидактичному викладанню, на останньому році медичного ВУЗу, проходити через професійну підготовку.

Exercise 9. Fill in the gaps with the active vocabulary:

1. In the final year of medical school medical students become …

2. In the USA a four year … bachelor’s degree is required for entry to medical school.

3. The majority of doctors in the UK work in the community as …

4. … are legally only able to work in certain … and cannot legally practice …

5. After completing this training and the … exams, the doctor can work … as a …

6. After completion of medical school, junior doctors go through a … phase.

7. British students generally … their medical studies without any … higher education.

8. Problem Based Learning aims to develop a … and … style of learning.

Exercise 10. Catherine and Alice are both medical students. Catherine studies in Great Britain but Alice studies in the USA.

Put Catherine’s and Alice’s lines in the correct order to make a conversation about the girls’ studies.

Catherine

Alice

__ Here it lasts longer: 2 years of preclinical training, two years of clinical practice and one year of training as pre-registration house officers. It is the end of studies at medical school but after that we have a vocational training phase, which is two years long and during this phase we practice in different fields of medicine, and … it is not all yet! Then we have to choose a field and specialize in it for two or even more years depending on the field we specialize in. So, for example, to become a GP it takes about 9 years! __Exactly! __Look, Alice, you are 22, aren’t you? How come you are a freshman at medical school? __Oh, I see now. American medical studies seem to be even longer than our British ones! __Hm… it’s quite different from the entry to medical school here in Britain. We can enter medical school after high school. How long does the course of studies at American medical school last?

__It usually takes medical students four years to complete a Doctor of Medicine degree program. __Right, right! The way to become a doctor is a long and hard one, still we don’t have to complain, because it is our choice and we are studying what we are really interested in. __Yes, Cathy, I am 22, but here in America a four-year preliminary bachelor's degree is required for entry to medical school. So, first I studied at university to obtain my bachelor's degree in biology and only after that I could enter medical school. __Well, in America, medical students gain the title of doctor upon completion of medical school, still, we cannot practice independently until completing an internship, which is postgraduate residencies in the chosen field of specialization. Residency is a stage of graduate medical training, something like British vocational training phase. A resident physician in the US is just another word for a house officer in Great Britain. Duration of most residencies can range from three years to ten years for a specialized field such as neurosurgery.