Overview
Leicester GEP is a four year course. It is structured in two phases. Phase 1 is 18 months (compared to 2 ? years on the 5 year course) and covers the pre-clinical sciences with some clinical exposure. Phase 2 is a 2 ? year clinical course and is identical to the clinical course followed on the 5 year course. Leicester GEP is now in it's third year and therefore this overview only relates to my experiences of Years 1-3 on this course. I have avoided repeating information that can be found in the medical school prospectus, such as module names etc. How the course is taught (Phase 1)
Leicester follow a systems-based approach to teaching in Phase 1. There are distinct modules of learning, which are taught using a combination of lectures and group work.
Typically a module is run over a half day for 12 weeks (a semester). You will have 1 or 2 lectures and a group work session in that half-day.
Group work varies but can include case studies, problem solving, anatomical dissection of cadavers, student presentations, histology lab etc. Each module is supported with a workbook that contains the timetable, assessment outline, patient cases, key info etc. Most of the lectures are uploaded onto the "learning environment" on the university intranet which can then be accessed over the web. In your first year you will cover modules with Years 1 and 2 and in Year 2, modules with Years 2 and 3 from the 5 year course.
You will study 6-7 modules a semester, more than the students on the 5 year course, so the workload can be very intense. Phase 1 runs over 3 semesters and becomes increasingly work intensive as it progresses. Leicester Medical School make good use of anatomical dissection on the course and cadaver dissection is a compulsory component of many modules. During Phase 1 you also undertake a dissertation on a patient problem (eg. chest pain) based on two patients you meet over the course. Each student is assigned to a group of 8 students for the duration of Phase 1. You will do all the group work with this group (they will all be GEP students). Patient contact and clinical skills (Phase 1)
In Semesters 2&3 you will follow the Introductory Clinical Course which is half a day a week. It involves attending one of the Leicester hospitals where you will be taught basic clinical skills by a consultant or GP. This is a great part of Phase 1 and a welcome escape from the lecture theatres. The module lasts 1 year. In addition you will meet 2-3 patients who are the basis for your dissertation. You are expected to meet them in their own homes and will see them several times over the first year. Course intensity (years 1&2)
The Phase 1 course is very intense as you are essentially doing 2 ? years study in 1 ? years. However, you do not have to do SSM modules like the 5 year students and the Head and Neck Module is very condensed, but otherwise the lectures and group work sessions are unchanged from the 5 year students. You will do all your lectures with them. You should be prepared to be in university 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Evening study and weekend study is essential to keep up. Many holidays are spent revising for exams. You need to be prepared to do this BUT with good organisation and planning there is still time for a social life, holidays and for some even paid employment should you wish! Assessment (Phase 1)
Leicester Medical School love exams! Every semester there are exams for every module you have taken. There is a mid-point formative assessment (a mock exam) and an end-of-module summative exam. That's about 7/8 exams a semester. In addition there is an overarching exam called the Integrated Medical Summative Assessment (IMSA) which aims to integrate all the modules in its questions. Also at the end of Year 1 is an OSCE (Observed Structured Clinical Exam) in basic clinical skills. There are no re-sits as such. If you fail more than one module exam/ IMSA/ OSCE in a year you then have to sit the Qualifying Exam in the summer, covering all the years modules in a 3 hour paper. You are therefore examined in topics you passed and those you failed. Pass this exam and you can continue the course, fail and you have to sit a viva. Pass the viva and you can continue the course. Fail and you are asked to leave unless there are special circumstances, in which case they may allow you to re-sit the year. Most exams are short answer questions (SAQ) and 1 hour papers. Some are MCQ. At the end of Phase 1 there is the Phase 1 Exam (the BIG one). It is a 3 hour SAQ paper covering the whole Phase 1 syllabus AND a clinical exam on a real hospital patient (history taking and physical examination) that is assessed by a Consultant/ GP. You must pass both the Phase 1 Exam and the Clinical Exam to continue on to Phase 2. Failure of either results in you having to resit both exams. Failure at resit means leaving the course or resiting the year again (you get a 6 month break before hand). Phase 2 (The Clinical Course)
This part of the course is divided into thirteen 8 week "blocks". Students are attached to one other student (their clinical partner) for the duration of the course. Together the two students are attached to sometimes one, but usually two, clinical teams in each block. This gives a student to consultant ratio of 1:1 or 2:1, which is superb. The first 6 blocks comprise the junior rotation where you will do 3 general medicine and surgery blocks, psychiatry, Clinical Methods (based in a GP surgery) and orthopaedics. The final 7 blocks are your senior rotation which includes paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, a student selected module, three general medicine and surgery blocks and your elective. Finals are at the end of the senior rotation which is then followed by a period of "extended clinical practice", where you shadow the Houseofficer who you will be taking over from in August (should you pass finals!!). There are exams during Phase 2 before finals, including the Intermediate Clinical Exam at the end of the junior rotation, which must be passed in order to proceed to the senior rotations. One re-sit is allowed should a student fail first time. The area and the university
Some people love Leicester, many are indifferent to it and some hate it. In my opinion it is a good student city, there is plenty to do and it has good access to all parts of the country with its excellent transport links. It can not however, compare to the big cities of London, Manchester or Newcastle. Accommodation is cheap here and there is ample student accommodation of varying kinds. The surrounding countryside is worth getting out to as Leicestershire is a very rural part of the country. Leicester is about as far from the coast as it is possible to get in the UK, but nearby Rutland Water is a good place for those into water sports. However, it is centrally located and London is only an hour away by train and there are good road connections via the M1 and M69. The university is lively, has a good mix of departments and students and is very friendly. It is mostly located on one campus next to a large park. The library facilities are good. If you are thinking of studying here though, I recommend a visit to see Leicester for yourself. | 
