Title: Can students with BCC rather than AAA at A level succeed at medical school The evidence from Kings C
1Can students with BCC rather than AAA at A level
succeed at medical school? The evidence from
Kings College London
- Dr Pamela Garlick EMDP Directorpamela.garlick_at_k
cl.ac.uk
2The Extended Medical Degree Programme at Kings
College London (EMDP)
- It is a six-year medical degree, integrated with
our 5-year programme - Totally equivalent to our five-year programme
same exams, same pass mark, no concessions - It started in 2001, with 10 extra HEFCE places
- Number of places increased by 10 a year until
2005 now constant at 50 per year - Currently there are 306 EMDP students studying at
Kings
3 Key questions
- How do we select the students?
- How do the EMDP students differ from conventional
medical students? - How does the Extended Programme differ from the
conventional one? - How are the students progressing?
4How do we select the EMDP students?
5Geographic eligibility
- Applicants must have attended non-selective state
schools or colleges in eligible boroughs - Originally, there were 5 eligible boroughs,
then 10, then 15 - From 2009-10, all the London boroughs, Kent and
Medway are eligible areas - There are currently about 350 eligible schools
-
6Academic eligibility
- Applicants must have GCSEs in Science, Maths and
English - They must also have 3 A2s (or equivalent)
including Chemistry and one other science subject
at A2 level - Standard offer BCC
7Schools attended by EMDP students
- The worst school is 51 below the national
average - The average school score is 15 below the
national average - (a typical independent school is 50 above the
national average)
8EMDP - Admissions Process
- UCAS form
- UKCAT
- PQA test (MAT score)
- Extended, semi-structured interview
- From 2009-10, MMI
9How do the EMDP students differ from conventional
medical students?
10Socio-economic groups of Kings medical students
2002 2008
11Socio-economic groups of EMDP vs. UK medical
students 2008
12Ethnic origin of Kings medical students 2002
2008
13Ethnic origin of EMDP vs. UK medical students
2008
14- How does the Extended Programme differ from the
conventional one?
15EMDP Structure
- Induction phase
- Pre-clinical phase
- Clinical phase exactly the same as
conventional course
16EMDP - Pre-clinical phase
- Takes three years (50, 70, 80)
- Lectures and tutorials with conventional
students - Extra EMDP-specific sessions
17Additional EMDP support during pre-clinical phase
- Academic literacy, chemistry, numeracy
- Financial bursaries, key text-books, prizes,
stethoscopes - Pastoral EMDP adviser, DT room, Celebration of
Success
18How are the EMDP students progressing?
19Social Progress
- SMEC presidency
- ACS presidency
- Standing for KCLSU positions
- Captaincy of 1st XI
20Academic Progress (i)
- 351 EMDP students to date
- Students from the first 3 cohorts have now
graduated - The overall retention rate is 86
21Academic progress (ii)
- Each year, about 10 of EMDP students come in the
top 15 of the whole year group, and receive
merit awards - 40 of EMDP students are doing intercalated BSc
degrees and 83 of them have been awarded First
Class or Upper Second degrees - The average A levels of those awarded Firsts was
CCC -
22Academic progress (iii)
-
- Two of the four clinical prizes for Year 3 in
2008-9 have been awarded to EMDP students (420
students in total) - But the EMDP results are not normally
distributed they are bi-modal -
23Evolution of the EMDP
- The first year was originally summative then
formative now summative again - Banding of A level offers in line with school
scores - Induction week content
- Writing Discourse
- Critical reading and thinking
-
24Conclusions (i)
- Students can succeed at medical school with BCC
at A level but only if these grades were
achieved at poorly performing schools - WP students, on average, require extra pastoral
support - WP students require help with deeper learning
methods -
25Conclusions (ii)
-
- Given a supportive environment WP students
can become excellent medical students and
impressive doctors