University of Birmingham Medical School
Encyclopedia
The University of Birmingham Medical School is one of Britain's largest and oldest medical school
s with over 400 Medics graduating each year. It is based at the University of Birmingham
in Edgbaston
, Birmingham
, England
. Since 2008, and following a departmental restructure, the school became an entity within The College of Medical and Dental Sciences.
the first surgeon to the Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary and later to the General Hospital. These classes were the first held in the winter of 1767-68. The first clinical teaching was undertaken by medical and surgical apprentices at the General Hospital, opened in 1779.
Birmingham Medical School was formally founded in 1825 by William Sands Cox
, who began by teaching medical students in his father's house in Birmingham. A new building was used from 1829 (on the site of what is now Snow Hill Station
). Students at this time took the licentiate/membership examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
and the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
.
In 1836, Earl Howe
and a number of prominent local men submitted a memorandum to King William IV and on June 22nd, a reply communicated His Majesty’s acquiescence to become a Patron of the School to be styled the Royal School of Medicine and Surgery in Birmingham. There was serious need for a new teaching hospital and in 1839 Sands Cox launched an appeal. Sufficient money was raised within a year and the hospital built in 1840-41 was opened in 1841 by Sands Cox.
Queen Victoria who had granted her patronage to the Clinical Hospital in Birmingham also allowed the new teaching hospital to be styled "The Queen’s Hospital." In 1843, the medical school became Queen's College
, and students became eligible to be considered for medical degrees awarded by the University of London
.
A rival medical school, Syndenham College opened in Birmingham in 1851. This merged with Queen's College in 1868 to form a new combined institution, and later merged with another institution, Mason Science College
. In 1897, the Mason University College Act was passed which made Mason Science College (incorporating Queen's College) into a university college
, and this, in turn, became Birmingham University
in 1900, and MB ChB degrees were able to be awarded by the new university.
Janet Parker
, the last person to die of smallpox in the world in 1978, contracted the disease while working as medical photographer in the anatomy department.
campus in a building constructed in 1938. The Medical School was extended to a design by Scott Wilson
and constructed by Architects Design Partnership. The scheme cost £8 million and consisted of a 450 seat lecture theatre and student catering facilities. In October 2008, the medical school opened a new prosectorium to its students which cost in the region of £500,000 to build. The medical school remains extremely competitive with entry requirements set very high. For the 5 year medicine course potential students are expected to have a minimum of 7 A* grades at GCSE as well as straight A predictions for A level examinations. Although these are minimum requirements, the medical school often increases its GCSE expectations. The typical offer was also increased to AAA for 2010 entry. Candidates are also expected to perform well at interview. Dentistry at Birmingham often receives many applications for each place available. With few spaces on the course, it is extremely competitive and candidates are expected to perform excellently at interview.
The Medical School runs a variety of undergraduate medical degree (MBChB) courses. There is both the five year programme along with a four year graduate entry course (GEC). In addition there are a small number of places on a 3 year programme allocated to dental graduates aiming for careers in Oral Medicine or Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The School also offers bachelor degrees in medical sciences (BMedSc) leading to further study at postgraduate level. Medical students may also intercalate to the final year of the BMedSc course to attain an additional degree. The College of Health Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe
was modeled after the Birmingham Medical School. The two hence share and enjoy a special relationship.
University of Birmingham students of dentistry
, nursing
and physiotherapy have access to the Barnes Library and computer cluster within the medical school building. With the restructure of the university all these schools now come under the umbrella of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences. The school does not use the UK Clinical Apptitude Test (UKCAT) like many other UK medical and dental schools.
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
s with over 400 Medics graduating each year. It is based at the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in Edgbaston
Edgbaston
Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
. Since 2008, and following a departmental restructure, the school became an entity within The College of Medical and Dental Sciences.
History
The roots of the Birmingham Medical School were in the medical education seminars of Mr John TomlinsonJohn Tomlinson
John Tomlinson may refer to:*John Tomlinson , British educationalist*John Tomlinson , English opera singer*John Tomlinson, Baron Tomlinson , Lord Tomlinson of Walsall, former MP and MEP...
the first surgeon to the Birmingham Workhouse Infirmary and later to the General Hospital. These classes were the first held in the winter of 1767-68. The first clinical teaching was undertaken by medical and surgical apprentices at the General Hospital, opened in 1779.
Birmingham Medical School was formally founded in 1825 by William Sands Cox
William Sands Cox
William Sands Cox was a surgeon in Birmingham, England. He founded Birmingham's first medical school in 1828 as a residential Anglican-based college in Temple Row, where a blue plaque commemorates him on the House of Fraser department store, and in Brittle Street...
, who began by teaching medical students in his father's house in Birmingham. A new building was used from 1829 (on the site of what is now Snow Hill Station
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...
). Students at this time took the licentiate/membership examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
and the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. Originally, apothecaries were members of the Grocers' Company and before this members of the Guild of Pepperers formed in London in 1180...
.
In 1836, Earl Howe
Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe
Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, GCH, PC was a British peer and courtier.Curzon was the third son of Hon...
and a number of prominent local men submitted a memorandum to King William IV and on June 22nd, a reply communicated His Majesty’s acquiescence to become a Patron of the School to be styled the Royal School of Medicine and Surgery in Birmingham. There was serious need for a new teaching hospital and in 1839 Sands Cox launched an appeal. Sufficient money was raised within a year and the hospital built in 1840-41 was opened in 1841 by Sands Cox.
Queen Victoria who had granted her patronage to the Clinical Hospital in Birmingham also allowed the new teaching hospital to be styled "The Queen’s Hospital." In 1843, the medical school became Queen's College
Queen's College, Birmingham
The Birmingham Medical School was founded by surgeon William Sands Cox in 1828 as a residential college for medical students in central Birmingham, England. It was the first Birmingham institution to award degrees, through the University of London. Cox went on to found the Queen's Hospital in Bath...
, and students became eligible to be considered for medical degrees awarded by the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
A rival medical school, Syndenham College opened in Birmingham in 1851. This merged with Queen's College in 1868 to form a new combined institution, and later merged with another institution, Mason Science College
Mason Science College
Mason Science College was founded by Josiah Mason in 1875, the buildings of which were opened in Edmund Street, Birmingham, England on 1 October 1880 by Thomas Henry Huxley...
. In 1897, the Mason University College Act was passed which made Mason Science College (incorporating Queen's College) into a university college
University college
The term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote college institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
, and this, in turn, became Birmingham University
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
in 1900, and MB ChB degrees were able to be awarded by the new university.
Janet Parker
Janet Parker
Janet Parker was the last known person to die from smallpox. She was a medical photographer and worked in the Anatomy Department of the University of Birmingham Medical School. Parker died after being accidentally exposed to a strain of smallpox virus that was grown in a research laboratory, on...
, the last person to die of smallpox in the world in 1978, contracted the disease while working as medical photographer in the anatomy department.
About the Medical School today
The Medical School is now housed within a building on the University of BirminghamUniversity of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
campus in a building constructed in 1938. The Medical School was extended to a design by Scott Wilson
Scott Wilson Group
Scott Wilson Group plc, with over 5,500 members of staff, is a global integrated design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments...
and constructed by Architects Design Partnership. The scheme cost £8 million and consisted of a 450 seat lecture theatre and student catering facilities. In October 2008, the medical school opened a new prosectorium to its students which cost in the region of £500,000 to build. The medical school remains extremely competitive with entry requirements set very high. For the 5 year medicine course potential students are expected to have a minimum of 7 A* grades at GCSE as well as straight A predictions for A level examinations. Although these are minimum requirements, the medical school often increases its GCSE expectations. The typical offer was also increased to AAA for 2010 entry. Candidates are also expected to perform well at interview. Dentistry at Birmingham often receives many applications for each place available. With few spaces on the course, it is extremely competitive and candidates are expected to perform excellently at interview.
The Medical School runs a variety of undergraduate medical degree (MBChB) courses. There is both the five year programme along with a four year graduate entry course (GEC). In addition there are a small number of places on a 3 year programme allocated to dental graduates aiming for careers in Oral Medicine or Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The School also offers bachelor degrees in medical sciences (BMedSc) leading to further study at postgraduate level. Medical students may also intercalate to the final year of the BMedSc course to attain an additional degree. The College of Health Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe
University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe in Harare, is the oldest and largest university in Zimbabwe. It was founded through a special relationship with the University of London and it opened its doors to its first students in 1952. The university has ten faculties offering a wide variety of degree programmes...
was modeled after the Birmingham Medical School. The two hence share and enjoy a special relationship.
University of Birmingham students of dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
, nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
and physiotherapy have access to the Barnes Library and computer cluster within the medical school building. With the restructure of the university all these schools now come under the umbrella of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences. The school does not use the UK Clinical Apptitude Test (UKCAT) like many other UK medical and dental schools.