Students have put Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) in third position in the 2021 National Student Survey (NSS) for medical schools, achieving an overall satisfaction rate of 95%.
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effect on teaching over the past year, BSMS results were 13% above the medical school average and 20% above the higher education sector average for overall satisfaction.
BSMS also ranked first out of all medical schools in five of the ten categories for: ‘Learning opportunities’, ‘Assessment and feedback’, ‘Academic support’, ‘Learning resources’ and ‘Learning community’. The school ranked in the top three for the remaining five categories.
Professor Malcolm Reed, Dean of BSMS, said: “This year’s NSS results again reflect the very positive student experience of studying at BSMS, despite the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought over the past year. I am particularly pleased to see the categories in which we have received such positive feedback as these represent vitally important areas such as assessment and feedback and several aspects of support for learning. These are areas our colleagues have focussed incredibly hard on and it is very gratifying to see this recognised by our students. Of the many league tables published about university performance, the NSS is the most valuable in helping us identify the areas where we need to focus our attention, and I would like to thank every member of staff from BSMS and our NHS partners who have worked hard to ensure our students are as fully prepared as possible to enter the NHS as Foundation year doctors in these trying times. To deliver an outcome such as this while also dealing with the immense challenges of the pandemic is a fantastic achievement. Many thanks also to our students for taking the time to provide this valuable feedback, which will guide us in making further improvements to our course and to the support we give to students in the future.”