Staff view
"At BSMS, students adopt an integrated approach to their learning. An emphasis on the scientific basis of medical practice at the earliest stages of study ensures our students start to develop the skills necessary to attain future clinical excellence."
The BSMS medical degree programme has been designed to help you become a highly competent; strongly motivated doctor, committed to the highest standards of clinical practice, professionalism and patient care. By the time you graduate, you will have developed the knowledge and key personal skills and attitudes necessary to pursue a successful professional career.
It is structured into three phases:
Phase 1 covers years 1 and 2, and is based primarily at both the Brighton and Sussex university campuses at Falmer, one of the benefits of being members of two universities in the same city. The academic term is organised into 10 weeks each year, with 25% of your learning being clinically-based, gaining experience in primary care and community settings. You will carry out family studies as well as studying the normal and abnormal functioning of the human body using a systems-based approach. There is an emphasis on small group teaching with most phase 1 classes in groups of eight or 16 students.
Phase 2 covers years 3 and 4, and is based at the Audrey Emerton Building, the Education Centre at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. During these years, a balance between clinical and academic studies is maintained. You will consolidate your increasing clinical experience with your understanding of the underlying clinical, social science and public health issues. You will undertake a variety of clinical placements mainly at the Royal Sussex County, but extending into other trust and primary care settings. The teaching year is now extended to about 45 weeks, with short breaks at Christmas and Easter and a longer break in the summer.
Phase 3 covers year 5 and provides intense clinical and professional preparation for your first year in practice after qualification. You will spend 24 weeks undertaking clinical attachments in two different regional locations which include Chichester, Eastbourne, Hastings, Haywards Heath, Redhill, Worthing, and Brighton. Central to your study will be the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting to different areas of practice. You will be assessed in your finals in January and June.