Imperial College School of Medicine
Encyclopedia
The Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) is the medical school of Imperial College London
in England
, and one of the United Hospitals
.
Founded as a result of merging several notable hospitals in London, it now comprises core campuses at South Kensington, St Mary's Hospital, London, Charing Cross Hospital
, Hammersmith Hospital
and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
.
Ranked 3rd in the UK and 5th in the world among medical schools on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2011 rankings, the school is especially known for its heart and lung transplant surgery skills led by Sir Magdi Yacoub
, rheumatology treatments by Sir Marc Feldmann
, and recent robot-assisted surgery techniques by world leading surgeon Lord Darzi
.
first gained a medical school by merger with St Mary's Medical School
in 1988. The current School of Medicine was formed in 1997 by the merger of St Mary's Medical School
with Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
(formerly Charing Cross Hospital Medical School
and Westminster Hospital Medical School
), the Royal Postgraduate Medical School
and the National Heart and Lung Institute.
Imperial College School of Medicine is organised into 6 sections: Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Public Health, Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery & Cancer, National Heart and Lung Institute, and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.
Unlike several other medical schools in the UK which are part of a Life Sciences Department or similar, ICSM belongs to its own Faculty of Medicine. Furthermore, the School runs a number of courses besides the standard MBBS
degree programme. These include the Imperial College MPH Programme. Teaching hospitals of the School are part of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
, which was formed in 2007 and is the UK's first academic health science centre
. All undergraduate students within the Faculty of Medicine (including Biomedical Science and Pharmacology BScs) are supported by the Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
. The Faculty of Medicine also offers postgraduate MSc
, MRes and PhD
programmes, but these fall under the Graduate School of Life Sciences and Medicine, not the School of Medicine. Imperial College Faculty of Medicine academics each have their own webpages on the college website. These include an Imperial College London Publications page that allows viewing of an academic's publication record.
Students in the 1st and 2nd years as well as those on the BSc courses attend lectures and labs mainly at these four campuses. Parts of the 4th year, as well as other selected modules are also held at the postgraduate hospitals, where much of the School's research is based:
Clinical attachments and teaching in years 2 (three weeks), 3 (thirty weeks), 5 and 6 (all year) are held at these hospitals. These hospitals also have small research divisions which are part of the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine
.
and BSc
. Fifty graduates (including ten from outside the EU) are accepted for the four-year course that leads to the MBBS
.
Entry is highly competitive with applicants requiring AAAb at A-level, with chemistry and/or biology required at A-level and mathematics preferred (required to at least AS level). A 2:1 degree and/or PhD
in a biological subject is required for graduate entry. Furthermore, the BMAT is required for entry to the six-year course and the UKCAT
for the four-year course, as well as an interview
. For 2008 entry, there were approximately 3000 applicants for the six-year and 500 for the four-year course, an average acceptance rate of 1 in 10. However, medical students from other institutions may also join various portions of the course.
Clinical experience in first year is provided by a patient contact course and in the second year with a three-week attachment in general medicine
or surgery
at one of the attached teaching hospitals.
Third year consists of three ten-week attachments in general medicine and surgery. Teaching consists of in-hospital clinical teaching, problem based learning within firms and a lecture programme delivered at one of the central teaching sites and via the faculty intranet. This year also consists of a 3 week background to clinical specialties course.
Fourth year involves study for the BSc, comprising 3 5-week modules then a 10-week supervised research project or specialist course, leading to a BSc (Hons) in Medical Sciences with one of the following: Cardiovascular sciences; Endocrinology; Gastroenterology and hepatology; Haematology; Immunity and infection; Management; Neuroscience and mental health; Reproductive and developmental sciences; Respiratory science; Surgery and anaesthesia.
The following specialist courses are available instead of undertaking a research project: Medical humanities, History of medicine, Epidemiology and international health. BSc courses that have available places after the allocation of Imperial students are open to medical students from other universities who wish to intercalate.
Fifth year covers the specialties of obstetrics and gynaecology, radiology, paediatrics, psychiatry, oncology, general practice, critical care, infectious diseases, dermatology, rheumatology and orthopaedics through clinical attachments. It includes a 4 week course in clinical pathology at the start of the year and a 1 week teaching skills course.
Final year consists of seven three-week clinical attachments in accident and emergency medicine; general practice; cardiology and radiology; ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology and renal medicine; two professional work experience attachments (one in medicine and one in surgery); one specialty choice module; an eight week elective period which may be spent in the UK or overseas, and a practical medicine course, which provides specific preparation for the foundation year after graduation.
students completed their clinical training at one of the London medical schools. Although those universities now have their own clinical schools, Imperial accepts students who have completed the first three pre-clinical years at the University of Oxford
or the University of Cambridge
. Oxbridge students join the third year of the undergraduate course. This begins with a 10-week attachment to bring their clinical experience into line with that of other Imperial students, then joining the rest of the undergraduate year for two further 10 week attachment. After this, they progress to the fifth and sixth years of the standard course.
.
The entry requirements are identical to those required for the MBBS course: AAAb at [A-level] and the [BMAT] test.
In the first year, students follow the Biological Chemistry and Cell Biology modules from the Biology degree, and newly developed modules on human anatomy and systems physiology drawn from years 1, 2 and 4 of the medical course. Short courses on bacteriology and animal behaviour are also given from the Biology degree.
In the second year, students again follow the 2nd year of the Biology degree completing the Applied Molecular Biology, Immunology, Genetics or Parasitology, Tutored Dissertation and compulsory humanities modules. However, instead of the animal, plant and microbiological modules of the biology degree, students attend the newly developed Human Pathophysiology and Disease course which comprises basic pharmacology (from medicine year 2), ethics, epidemiology, radiology, cancer and other human diseases.
In the third year, students take one of the BSc modules from Year 4 of the medical course, followed by a research project. These modules (including Management) may be combined with or replaced by modules from Biology and Biochemistry degrees.
", the School of Medicine has its own complete union. Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
is a subsidiary part of Imperial College Union
, and medical and BSc students are members of both. As such, they may join any of the 300 ICU clubs and societies and take up positions of responsibility in them. However, over 40 of these clubs and societies are under the direct jurisdiction of ICSMSU. Further, the medical students' union also owns the Reynolds building at the Charing Cross Hospital
campus, as medical students live or spend more time around that area than the South Kensington campus. The Reynolds Bar represents the heart and soul of ICSM, and regularly plays host to themed parties or "Bops". It also fulfils the role of a normal student bar, where medical students can congregate and socialise whilst enjoying the occasional pint at a lower price than the average London pub.
Two other alumni associations also exist for graduates of the original medical schools - the St Mary's Association and the Charing Cross and Westminster Alumni.
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and one of the United Hospitals
United Hospitals
United Hospitals is the historical collective name of the medical schools of London. They are all part of the University of London with the exception of Imperial College School of Medicine which left in 2007. The original United Hospitals referred to Guy's Hospital and St Thomas's Hospital and...
.
Founded as a result of merging several notable hospitals in London, it now comprises core campuses at South Kensington, St Mary's Hospital, London, Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
, Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital is a public hospital located on Fulham Road, in the Chelsea area of London, England. It is managed by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and opened in May 1993.-History:...
.
Ranked 3rd in the UK and 5th in the world among medical schools on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an international ranking of universities published by the British magazine Times Higher Education in partnership with Thomson Reuters, which provided citation database information...
2011 rankings, the school is especially known for its heart and lung transplant surgery skills led by Sir Magdi Yacoub
Magdi Yacoub
Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub, FRS , is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London.Yacoub's major achievements may be summarised:1. Established Heart Transplantation in UK and became leading transplant surgeon in the world....
, rheumatology treatments by Sir Marc Feldmann
Marc Feldmann
Sir Marc Feldmann is an Australian immunologist, and a professor at the Imperial College School of Medicine where he is a head of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.-Biography:...
, and recent robot-assisted surgery techniques by world leading surgeon Lord Darzi
Ara Darzi
Ara Warkes Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham, KBE, PC MD FMedSci, HonFREng, FRCS, FRCSI, FRCSEd, FRCPSG, FACS, FCGI, FRCPE FRCP HonFRCPI , is one of the world's leading surgeons at Imperial College London where he holds Hamlyn Chair of Surgery, specialising in the field of minimally invasive and...
.
Overview
Imperial College LondonImperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
first gained a medical school by merger with St Mary's Medical School
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
St Mary's is the youngest of the constituent schools of Imperial College, London, founded in 1854 as part of the new hospital in Paddington. During its existence in the 1980s and 90s, it was the most popular medical school in the country, with an application to place ratio of 27:1 in 1996.St Mary's...
in 1988. The current School of Medicine was formed in 1997 by the merger of St Mary's Medical School
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
St Mary's is the youngest of the constituent schools of Imperial College, London, founded in 1854 as part of the new hospital in Paddington. During its existence in the 1980s and 90s, it was the most popular medical school in the country, with an application to place ratio of 27:1 in 1996.St Mary's...
with Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School existed as a legal entity for 13 years, as the midpoint of a series of mergers which strategically consolidated the many small medical schools in west London into one large institution under the aegis of Imperial College LondonIn 1984, Charing Cross...
(formerly Charing Cross Hospital Medical School
Charing Cross Hospital Medical School
Charing Cross Hospital Medical School is the oldest of the constituent medical schools of Imperial College School of Medicine.-History:...
and Westminster Hospital Medical School
Westminster Hospital Medical School
The Westminster Hospital Medical School was formally founded in 1834 by George Guthrie, an ex-military surgeon - although students had been taken on at Westminster Hospital almost from the hospital's foundation in 1719 .The hospital and medical school moved to larger buildings several times in the...
), the Royal Postgraduate Medical School
Royal Postgraduate Medical School
The Royal Postgraduate Medical School was an independent medical school, based primarily at Hammersmith Hospital in west London. In 1988, the school merged with the Institute of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and in 1997 became part of the Imperial College School of Medicine.-History:The medical school...
and the National Heart and Lung Institute.
Imperial College School of Medicine is organised into 6 sections: Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Public Health, Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery & Cancer, National Heart and Lung Institute, and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.
Unlike several other medical schools in the UK which are part of a Life Sciences Department or similar, ICSM belongs to its own Faculty of Medicine. Furthermore, the School runs a number of courses besides the standard MBBS
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
degree programme. These include the Imperial College MPH Programme. Teaching hospitals of the School are part of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust is an NHS trust based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest NHS trust in England and together with Imperial College London forms an academic health science centre....
, which was formed in 2007 and is the UK's first academic health science centre
Academic health science centre
An academic health science centre is a partnership between one or more universities and healthcare providers focusing on research, clinical services, education and training...
. All undergraduate students within the Faculty of Medicine (including Biomedical Science and Pharmacology BScs) are supported by the Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union is the students' union of Imperial College School of Medicine. It is charged with caring for the educational, pastoral, social and extracurricular needs of the students of the Faculty of Medicine of Imperial College London, and is a faculty union...
. The Faculty of Medicine also offers postgraduate MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...
, MRes and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
programmes, but these fall under the Graduate School of Life Sciences and Medicine, not the School of Medicine. Imperial College Faculty of Medicine academics each have their own webpages on the college website. These include an Imperial College London Publications page that allows viewing of an academic's publication record.
Campuses and associated hospitals
The School's teaching campuses include:- Undergraduate campus
- South KensingtonSouth KensingtonSouth Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
campus - Sir Alexander Fleming Building - Charing Cross HospitalCharing Cross HospitalCharing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
campus - The Reynolds Building
- South Kensington
- Main Teaching Hospitals
- Charing Cross HospitalCharing Cross HospitalCharing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
- St Mary's Hospital
- Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
- Charing Cross Hospital
Students in the 1st and 2nd years as well as those on the BSc courses attend lectures and labs mainly at these four campuses. Parts of the 4th year, as well as other selected modules are also held at the postgraduate hospitals, where much of the School's research is based:
- Postgraduate Hospitals
- Hammersmith HospitalHammersmith HospitalHammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
- Royal Brompton HospitalRoyal Brompton HospitalRoyal Brompton Hospital is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the United Kingdom .The hospital is part of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust is a national and international specialist heart and lung centre based in Chelsea, London and Harefield, Middlesex...
- Harefield HospitalHarefield HospitalHarefield Hospital is located in Harefield, Middlesex. It is part of the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, which describes itself as "the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and among the largest in Europe". Harefield's sister hospital is the Royal Brompton Hospital in...
- Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea HospitalQueen Charlotte's HospitalQueen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital is one of the oldest maternity hospitals in Europe, and until recently occupied a site on Goldhawk Road, Hammersmith, West London. Originally called Queen Charlotte's Hospital, it merged with the Chelsea Hospital for Women and is now based at the Hammersmith...
- Western Eye HospitalWestern Eye HospitalWestern Eye Hospital includes the only 24-hour emergency ophthalmology department in west London and treats a wide range of eye conditions from glaucoma to wet age-related macular degeneration , a major cause of blindness....
- Hammersmith Hospital
- District General Hospitals
- Ashford Hospital
- St.Charles' Hospital
- Central Middlesex HospitalCentral Middlesex HospitalCentral Middlesex hospital is in the centre of the Park Royal business estate, on the border of two London boroughs, Brent and Ealing.-Hospital role:CMH is a teaching hospital of Imperial College School of Medicine and part of the...
- Ealing HospitalEaling HospitalEaling Hospital, officially called Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, is a general NHS hospital in the Southall district of the London Borough of Ealing, Greater London, England....
- Hillingdon HospitalHillingdon HospitalHillingdon Hospital is an NHS hospital, located in Pield Heath Road, Hillingdon, Greater London. It is a general hospital serving the local area, providing a wide variety of services including Accident and Emergency , In-patients, Day Surgery and Outpatient Clinics...
- Mount Vernon HospitalMount Vernon HospitalMount Vernon Hospital is one of two hospitals run by The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, located in Northwood.-History:The hospital was founded in 1860 as The North London Hospital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest in Fitzroy Square and moved in 1864 to Mount Vernon in Hampstead...
- Northwick Park HospitalNorthwick Park HospitalNorthwick Park Hospital is a large hospital in the northwest corner of the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England.-Hospital role:...
- St. Mark's HospitalSt. Mark's HospitalSt. Mark's Hospital is a hospital in the Harrow and Wembley border as well as the London Borough of Harrow and London Borough of Brent border in northwest London, UK. It is the only hospital in the world to specialise entirely in intestinal and colorectal medicine and is a national and...
- West Middlesex HospitalWest Middlesex HospitalThe West Middlesex University Hospital is an acute NHS hospital in Isleworth, west London. It serves the London Boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames...
- St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey
Clinical attachments and teaching in years 2 (three weeks), 3 (thirty weeks), 5 and 6 (all year) are held at these hospitals. These hospitals also have small research divisions which are part of the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine
Imperial College Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine is one of the three main Faculties of Imperial College London. It is now what it used to be before several hospitals in London...
.
Medicine
For 2011 entry, the School accepts approximately 286 school leavers as medical undergraduates each year (including 21 from outside the EU) for a six-year course leading to the award of an MBBSMBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
and BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
. Fifty graduates (including ten from outside the EU) are accepted for the four-year course that leads to the MBBS
MBBS
MBBS was a popular BBS system in the Nordic countries during the mid-1990s. It was created by a team of Oslo-based enthusiasts, led by Mike Robertson. As many BBS systems of that era, it was only available for the DOS platform. Since one process could only handle one node, multitaskers such as...
.
Entry is highly competitive with applicants requiring AAAb at A-level, with chemistry and/or biology required at A-level and mathematics preferred (required to at least AS level). A 2:1 degree and/or PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in a biological subject is required for graduate entry. Furthermore, the BMAT is required for entry to the six-year course and the UKCAT
UKCAT
The UK Clinical Aptitude Test is a test that is beginning to be used in the selection process by a consortium of UK university Medical and Dental Schools. It is run by the UKCAT Consortium in partnership with Pearson VUE...
for the four-year course, as well as an interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
. For 2008 entry, there were approximately 3000 applicants for the six-year and 500 for the four-year course, an average acceptance rate of 1 in 10. However, medical students from other institutions may also join various portions of the course.
Six-year MBBS/BSc
Teaching in the first two years is focused on the scientific basis of medicine with study focussing on a systems-based format, moving towards integrated disease and including clinical aspects later on. It also includes communication skills, medical ethics and law. Teaching comprises lectures, clinical demonstrations, tutorials, dissection, computer workshops, laboratory practical and clinical skills classes, independent study, and some problem-based learning.Clinical experience in first year is provided by a patient contact course and in the second year with a three-week attachment in general medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
or surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
at one of the attached teaching hospitals.
Third year consists of three ten-week attachments in general medicine and surgery. Teaching consists of in-hospital clinical teaching, problem based learning within firms and a lecture programme delivered at one of the central teaching sites and via the faculty intranet. This year also consists of a 3 week background to clinical specialties course.
Fourth year involves study for the BSc, comprising 3 5-week modules then a 10-week supervised research project or specialist course, leading to a BSc (Hons) in Medical Sciences with one of the following: Cardiovascular sciences; Endocrinology; Gastroenterology and hepatology; Haematology; Immunity and infection; Management; Neuroscience and mental health; Reproductive and developmental sciences; Respiratory science; Surgery and anaesthesia.
The following specialist courses are available instead of undertaking a research project: Medical humanities, History of medicine, Epidemiology and international health. BSc courses that have available places after the allocation of Imperial students are open to medical students from other universities who wish to intercalate.
Fifth year covers the specialties of obstetrics and gynaecology, radiology, paediatrics, psychiatry, oncology, general practice, critical care, infectious diseases, dermatology, rheumatology and orthopaedics through clinical attachments. It includes a 4 week course in clinical pathology at the start of the year and a 1 week teaching skills course.
Final year consists of seven three-week clinical attachments in accident and emergency medicine; general practice; cardiology and radiology; ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology and renal medicine; two professional work experience attachments (one in medicine and one in surgery); one specialty choice module; an eight week elective period which may be spent in the UK or overseas, and a practical medicine course, which provides specific preparation for the foundation year after graduation.
Oxbridge entry
Historically, all OxbridgeOxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
students completed their clinical training at one of the London medical schools. Although those universities now have their own clinical schools, Imperial accepts students who have completed the first three pre-clinical years at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
or the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. Oxbridge students join the third year of the undergraduate course. This begins with a 10-week attachment to bring their clinical experience into line with that of other Imperial students, then joining the rest of the undergraduate year for two further 10 week attachment. After this, they progress to the fifth and sixth years of the standard course.
Four-year graduate-entry MBBS
Despite only accepting graduates, this is still considered an undergraduate course. The first year is an accelerated programme, which is designed to bring students to the same level as someone who has completed Years 1 and 2 of the 6-year course. The second, third and fourth years of the graduate-entry course correspond to the third, fifth and final years of the six-year course respectively.Biomedical Science
The School offers a BSc in conjunction with the Department of Life Sciences. This three-year degree commenced in 2006 and accepts 50 students per year. Although a four-year undergraduate Master's (MSci) was initially offered, students would not have been awarded the BSc. In 2008, the MSci was withdrawn and instead, students who achieve a 2:1 average by their second year will be guaranteed a place on one of the School's MSc taught courses, thus obtaining a BSc and an MSc in four years to comply with the Bologna processBologna process
The purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
.
The entry requirements are identical to those required for the MBBS course: AAAb at [A-level] and the [BMAT] test.
In the first year, students follow the Biological Chemistry and Cell Biology modules from the Biology degree, and newly developed modules on human anatomy and systems physiology drawn from years 1, 2 and 4 of the medical course. Short courses on bacteriology and animal behaviour are also given from the Biology degree.
In the second year, students again follow the 2nd year of the Biology degree completing the Applied Molecular Biology, Immunology, Genetics or Parasitology, Tutored Dissertation and compulsory humanities modules. However, instead of the animal, plant and microbiological modules of the biology degree, students attend the newly developed Human Pathophysiology and Disease course which comprises basic pharmacology (from medicine year 2), ethics, epidemiology, radiology, cancer and other human diseases.
In the third year, students take one of the BSc modules from Year 4 of the medical course, followed by a research project. These modules (including Management) may be combined with or replaced by modules from Biology and Biochemistry degrees.
ICSM Students' Union
In contrast to other British universities where medical students may merely be part of a "MedsocMedsoc
MedSocs are the students' unions for the 32 medical schools in the UK. It is their remit to look after the educational, pastoral, social and representational needs of the 7,000 medical students in the UK.- History :...
", the School of Medicine has its own complete union. Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union
Imperial College School of Medicine Students' Union is the students' union of Imperial College School of Medicine. It is charged with caring for the educational, pastoral, social and extracurricular needs of the students of the Faculty of Medicine of Imperial College London, and is a faculty union...
is a subsidiary part of Imperial College Union
Imperial College Union
Imperial College Union is the Students' Union of Imperial College London. It is host to many and varied societies, and has student bars situated around Albertopolis...
, and medical and BSc students are members of both. As such, they may join any of the 300 ICU clubs and societies and take up positions of responsibility in them. However, over 40 of these clubs and societies are under the direct jurisdiction of ICSMSU. Further, the medical students' union also owns the Reynolds building at the Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
campus, as medical students live or spend more time around that area than the South Kensington campus. The Reynolds Bar represents the heart and soul of ICSM, and regularly plays host to themed parties or "Bops". It also fulfils the role of a normal student bar, where medical students can congregate and socialise whilst enjoying the occasional pint at a lower price than the average London pub.
Alumni
The ICSM Alumni Association was founded in 2004 with the graduation of the first cohort of ICSM doctors. Still in its infancy, it is jointly run with help from ICSMSU and members of the alumni. The association aims to provide funding for the clubs and societies of the medical school, as well as offer support to students.Two other alumni associations also exist for graduates of the original medical schools - the St Mary's Association and the Charing Cross and Westminster Alumni.
Notable alumni
The list below, including five Nobel Laureates in Physiology and Medicine, shows the notable past or current staffs and alumni from Imperial College School of Medicine or from the various institutions which are now part of it.- Lord Ara DarziAra DarziAra Warkes Darzi, Baron Darzi of Denham, KBE, PC MD FMedSci, HonFREng, FRCS, FRCSI, FRCSEd, FRCPSG, FACS, FCGI, FRCPE FRCP HonFRCPI , is one of the world's leading surgeons at Imperial College London where he holds Hamlyn Chair of Surgery, specialising in the field of minimally invasive and...
(Baron Darzi of Denham, Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Leading Surgeon) - Sir Frederick HopkinsFrederick HopkinsSir Frederick Gowland Hopkins OM FRS was an English biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1929, with Christiaan Eijkman, for the discovery of vitamins. He also discovered the amino acid tryptophan, in 1901...
(Nobel Laureate, Physiology and Medicine) - Sir Ernst Chain (Nobel Laureate, Physiology and Medicine)
- Sir Andrew HuxleyAndrew HuxleySir Andrew Fielding Huxley, OM, FRS is an English physiologist and biophysicist, who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his experimental and mathematical work with Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin on the basis of nerve action potentials, the electrical impulses that enable the activity...
(Nobel Laureate, Physiology and Medicine) - Sir Rodney Robert PorterRodney Robert PorterRodney Robert Porter, FRS was an English biochemist and Nobel laureate.Born in Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, Lancashire, England, Rodney Robert Porter received his Bachelors of Sciences degree from the University of Liverpool in 1939 for Biochemistry. He moved to the University of Cambridge where...
(Nobel Laureate, Physiology and Medicine) - Sir Alexander FlemingAlexander FlemingSir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. He wrote many articles on bacteriology, immunology, and chemotherapy...
(Nobel Laureate, Physiology and Medicine) - Sir Malcolm GreenMalcolm Green (chemist)Malcolm Green also known as M. L. H. Green is a British Emeritus Professor of Inorganic Chemistry.Born in Eastleigh, Hampshire, he received his BSc degree from Acton Technical College in 1956 and his PhD from Imperial College of Science and Technology in 1959 under the supervision of Professor...
(inorganic chemist) - Sir Joseph FayrerJoseph FayrerSir Joseph Fayrer, 1st Baronet was an English physician noted for his writings on medicine in India.The son of a Commander in the Royal Navy, he was born at Plymouth, Devon. After studying medicine at Charing Cross Hospital, London, he was in 1847 appointed medical officer of HMS Victory...
(physician noted for his writings on medicine in India) - Sir Bruce KeoghBruce KeoghProfessor Sir Bruce E. Keogh, KBE, FRCS is Medical Director of the National Health Service in England.-Biography:He was born in Zimbabwe where he attended school at St George's College, Harare.- Medical career :...
(medical director of the National Health ServiceNational Health ServiceThe National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
) - Sir Magdi YacoubMagdi YacoubSir Magdi Habib Yacoub, FRS , is Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Imperial College London.Yacoub's major achievements may be summarised:1. Established Heart Transplantation in UK and became leading transplant surgeon in the world....
(expert on live lobe lung transplant) - Sir Bernard SpilsburyBernard SpilsburySir Bernard Henry Spilsbury was an English pathologist. His cases include Hawley Harvey Crippen, the Seddon case and Major Armstrong poisonings, the "brides in the bath" murders by George Joseph Smith, Louis Voisin, Jean-Pierre Vaquier, the Crumbles murders, Norman Thorne, Donald Merrett, the...
(pathologist and one of the pioneers of modern forensic medicine) - Sir Almroth WrightAlmroth WrightSir Almroth Edward Wright, KBE, CB was a British bacteriologist and immunologist.He is notable for developing a system of anti-typhoid fever inoculation, recognizing early on that antibiotics would create resistant bacteria and being a strong advocate for preventive medicine.-Biography:Wright was...
(advanced vaccination through the use of autogenous vaccines) - Sir William Stanley PeartWilliam Stanley PeartSir William Stanley Peart FRS is a British doctor. He was educated at Bradford Grammar School and St Mary's Hospital Medical School...
(Buchanan Medalist) - Dame Julia PolakJulia PolakDame Professor Julia Margaret Polak, DBE, FMedSci is a current head of the Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at Imperial College London, a centre for medical research she set up with Professor Larry Hench, also from Imperial College, to develop cells and tissues for...
(tissue engineer) - Dame Rosalind HurleyRosalind HurleyDame Rosalinde Hurley, Mrs. Gortvai, DBE, FRC, FRCPath, FRCOG was knighted by the British government for her services to medicine, science and law.She was:...
(medical microbiologist, researcher, and ethicist) - Thomas HuxleyThomas HuxleyThomas Henry Huxley PC FRS was an English biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution....
(notable biologist) - Carl DjerassiCarl DjerassiCarl Djerassi is an Austrian-American chemist, novelist, and playwright best known for his contribution to the development of the first oral contraceptive pill . Djerassi is emeritus professor of chemistry at Stanford University.He participated in the invention in 1951, together with Mexican Luis E...
(chemist; first oral contraceptive pill progestin norethindrone) - David LivingstoneDavid LivingstoneDavid Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
(congregationalist pioneer medical missionary in South Africa-Charing Cross Hospital) - Marc FeldmannMarc FeldmannSir Marc Feldmann is an Australian immunologist, and a professor at the Imperial College School of Medicine where he is a head of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.-Biography:...
(expert on rheumatology) - John HenryJohn HenryThe most notable use of the name John Henry is in a ballad, "John Henry", describing the folk figure John Henry as a "steel-driving man".John Henry may also refer to:-People:* John Flournoy Henry , U.S...
(clinical toxicologist who did crucial work on poisoning and drug overdose) - Albert NeubergerAlbert NeubergerAlbert Neuberger CBE FRS FRCP was Professor of Chemical Pathology, St Mary's Hospital, University of London, 1955–1973, and later Emeritus Professor.-Education in Germany:...
(chemical pathologist) - Joseph ToynbeeJoseph ToynbeeJoseph Toynbee was an English otologist, whose career was dedicated to pathological and anatomical studies of the ear.He was born in Heckington, Lincolnshire in 1815....
(otologist) - Augustus WallerAugustus Desiré WallerAugustus Desiré Waller FRS was a British physiologist and the son of Augustus Volney Waller. He was born in Paris, France.He created the first practical ECG machine with surface electrodes.He died in London.-Further reading:...
(the invention of the electrocardiogramElectrocardiogramElectrocardiography is a transthoracic interpretation of the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time, as detected by electrodes attached to the outer surface of the skin and recorded by a device external to the body...
(ECG)) - Christine MoffattChristine MoffattChristine Joy Moffatt, CBE, FRCN is a British nurse and educator.Following training at Charing Cross Hospital, Moffatt trained as a district nurse. Following a diploma in leg ulcer care she became involved in research, became a lecturer at Imperial College London...
(nurse in leg ulcer care) - William Kitchen Parker (physician and zoologist)
- Ann RedgraveAnn RedgraveDr Ann Redgrave, Lady Redgrave MB BS DO , is the wife of British rower Sir Steve Redgrave CBE and is a qualified British doctor and osteopath....
(orthopaedic surgery) - N.H. AshtonN.H. AshtonNorman Henry Ashton CBE FRCP FRCPATH FRS was a British ophthalmologist and pathologist.He studied medicine at King's College London, doing his practical work at Westminster Hospital Medical School , and qualified in 1939 with a specialisation in pathology...
(ophthalmologist)