University of Leeds - What to expect in your first year as a direct entrant to third year

Congratulations! You have been accepted into the University of Leeds to study medicine as a direct entrant to third year. Direct entrants have a ‘catch up’ lecture series with the head of third year a week before university is due to start. It will involve teaching sessions with various doctors on common medical topics – ECGs, physical examinations, chest x-ray interpretation etc. You can also practice some of these skills on suitable patients if time allows. It’s a really useful few days so I would advise you to plan ahead and make the most of it by brining any questions you may have.

Introductory lectures are in the first / second week of September. Third year is broadly categorised into the following clinical placements:

• Primary care

• Surgery

• Medicine

• Special Senses (ENT, Ophthalmology, Dermatology)

• Elderly medicine

Each rotation lasts around 6 weeks with the first week usually being lectures, giving you a broad overview of the module. Each rotation is different and presents many learning opportunities. For example, during my surgery rotation I was placed in the breast and endocrine unit. As a result, I was able to practice thyroid and breast examinations fairly frequently which gave me a lot of confidence going into the OSCEs. I was also allowed to suture during some of the surgeries. Other students were on cardiothoracic, upper GI etc for their surgery placements which presented them with other learning opportunities. It is also important to consider what you have not covered in each rotation so that you may practice it elsewhere.

Third year also comprises various essays, group work and practical skills. There are ethics workshops which are run over a series of days resulting in three essays. Group work includes RESS (Research, Evaluation and Special Studies) which focuses on developing medical students' research skills and providing them with opportunities to engage in research projects. As an OMFs trainee, you will have significantly more experience in research / evaluation than your average medical student. Use this to your advantage and help others within the group. As is the nature of group work, if a group member is struggling someone else will have to pick up the slack so it is important to set a high standard early.

Each module is concluded with a presentation of an interesting case you encountered during the module through the SAFER MEDIC (safety, awareness, first principles, ethics or research – meeting, examination, diagnosis, investigations, conclusions) framework. Each group will focus on one part of the SAFER mnemonic and explore it in detail as well as discussing the case overall. This is to ensure a good understanding of your patient and how it relates to the wider world of medicine. Try to find a suitable patient early in the module as it allows for a better presentation.

There is a BLS assessment within the first few months of the year. This can be used as proof of BLS competence if you decide to pick up OMFS locum work at any of the surrounding hospitals and is valid for 12 months. You will have to ask for a certificate as they are not given out routinely.

You will have various practical assessments throughout the year which will be signed off to ensure competence – cannula insertion, venepuncture, various physical exams etc. Try to get these signed off early in the year as they can quickly pile up as the year progresses. The university provides a clinical ebook on which physicals exams and skills you will have to learn and examples of how to perform them. Alternative sources include Geeky Medics but the university states the marking scheme is based on the ebook rather than external sources.

Mock OSCES are in December and are a good test of knowledge to date; try not to get disparaged if they do not go well. End of year exams are in May and are comprised of a multiple choice written paper and two OSCE days. Assuming no resits, you get a very long summer and plenty of time to pick up additional shifts or just relax.

Overall, third year goes very quickly and it’s amazing how much you learn. Make the most of it and more importantly, enjoy it!

If you have any questions about the University of Leeds, please get in touch - Dary.jones@nhs.net