MEDICAL SCHOOL INTERVIEW GUIDE — MEDICAL SCHOOLS — INDIVIDUAL MEDICAL SCHOOLS

University of Dundee School of Medicine Interview

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WRITTEN BY
MEDISTUDENTS TEAM
December 15, 2022

Teaching Overview

The University of Dundee School of Medicine offers a spiral curriculum, using a range of teaching methods to support learning, including:

  • Lectures – a combination of traditional, problem-based, case-based and team-based lectures.
  • Dissection – “hands-on full-body dissection using Thiel-embalmed cadavers”.
  • Simulation-based learning – the Clinical Skills Centre (CSC) has fully-equipped replica wards to support the development of your clinical skills
  • Ward-based placements
  • Clinical placements

Years 1–3 focus on ‘pre-clinical teaching’, developing your clinical skills within the CSC environment. During Year 4 and 5, you will undertake a variety of clinical attachments within hospital and primary care settings, exploring a range of specialities. These include:

  • General medicine and medical specialities (neurology, oncology, and infectious diseases)
  • General surgery and surgical specialities (ENT, ophthalmology, and urology)
  • Integrated specialities - old-age medicine, dermatology, orthopaedics, rheumatology, emergency medicine, and anaesthetics
  • Obstetrics, gynaecology, and child health
  • General practice and psychiatry

More information about the teaching and assessment at Dundee School of Medicine can be found here.

Teaching Hospitals / Clinical Partnerships

Dundee School of Medicine is integrated with Ninewells Hospital, where you’ll be based throughout your course. Ninewells Hospital is “one of Europe’s largest teaching hospitals and boasts internationally renowned research facilities”. There will also be opportunities for placements in hospitals and general practice in other areas of Scotland.

Extracurricular / Additional Opportunities

Dundee Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (DLIC) offers you the optional opportunity to take a year out from the curriculum to work within an NHS medical practice in one of the university’s partner healthboards and allow you to learn from real-life experiences and follow entire patient journeys.

You'll undertake at least one student selected components (SSCs) during each year of your course. These provide you with the opportunity to explore areas of interest in more depth and develop your 'wider skillset'.

During Level 5, you will undertake an eight-week elective, focusing on an area of interest to you, which can be carried out overseas.

The University of Dundee also gives you the choice of completing an intercalated degree; this allows you one year out of your regular medical course to complete an intercalated BMSc in a topic of your choice. More information about this can be found here.

Selling Points

As well the standard entry medicine degree (Medicine MBChB), the University of Dundee also offers the following medical programmes:

  • Gateway to Medicine – a 'pre-medical year' designed to support you to progress onto the five-year standard entry course at Dundee.
  • ScotGEM – Scottish Graduate Entry Medicine (See the ‘University of St Andrews and University of Dundee’ section for more information).

Interview Information

Dundee School of Medicine uses the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format for its interview. Within this you will be asked to discuss 5 scenarios, each lasting 6 minutes, with 1 minute preparation time between each.

For 2023 entry, interviews will be in person and follow the MMI structure, with the exception of overseas applicants, who will be given the option of a remote, panel interview. Whether you’re attending an in person or online interview, you will be given 5 scenarios, each with a short break in between.

These aim to assess the following:

  • Your ability to think critically and flexibly
  • Your communication skills
  • Your ability to work in a team
  • Your personal values

You can find more information on Dundee's website here.

Admissions Exam

Most medical schools require you to pass an admissions exam before you’ll be invited for interview.

Admissions exam for Dundee: University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)

The UCAT aims to assess your characteristics, attitudes and professional behaviours against those required for medical school. The exam includes 5 subtests: Abstract Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Situational Judgement (SJT) and Verbal Reasoning.

Dundee’s entry requirements specify that you need to complete the UCAT in the same year in which you apply. Therefore, you won’t have an opportunity to resit the exam if you don’t pass or achieve the score you’d like, as the UCAT can only be taken once per year. This means it’s essential that you prepare well for the exam to ensure that you do well first time!

Our adaptive UCAT question bank can help you to prepare effectively. Using artificial intelligence, our algorithm carefully selects questions based on your individual strengths and weaknesses with the syllabus, to ensure that you’re focusing on the areas which will make the biggest difference to your UCAT score.

The question bank dashboard (below) also clearly shows you how you’re performing within each of the subtests, with your calculated skill level, response time and the number of questions you’ve answered correctly, so you can tailor your preparation to your learning needs.

By focusing on the areas that you need to improve, rather than aimlessly answering a random mix of questions, you can have a bigger impact on your UCAT score.

You can find preparation tips and more information about the UCAT exam on our website.

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