MBChB Curriculum Transformation
The University of Glasgow's Undergraduate Medical Curriculum is transforming. Keep up-to-date and find out how to get involved.
"As medicine and bioscience progress and diversify continuously, our students bring ever more varied experience of the emerging health communities and the digital world. Our curriculum needs, therefore, to evolve in line with our changing environment. The Curriculum Transformation project aims to create a curriculum that is coherent but diverse, patient centred but globally conscious, student friendly but rigorous and capable of preparing students for the Medical Licensing Assessment and the future needs of emerging health landscapes of this century."
- Professor Malcolm Shepherd, Head of Undergraduate Medical School
Discover Our New Curriculum
Timeline:
- 2025-2026 academic year: Year 3 on new curriculum
- 2026-2027 academic year: Year 3 and Year 4 on new curriculum
- 2027-2028 academic year: Year 1, 3, 4 and 5 on new curriculum
- 2028-2029 academic year: all years on new curriculum
Aims of the new curriculum
- aligns with Outcomes for Graduates and the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA)
- continually reflects developments in clinical practice, technologies and
treatments - supports development of graduate attributes including professionalism
- incorporates Equality Diversity and Inclusivity principles and is decolonised
- delivery is sustainable for staff workload
- reflects our mission statement
- is reflected in a dynamic curriculum map
- is enhanced for student numbers
Meet the Team
Curriculum Transformation Leads
- Prof Camille Huser – Deputy Head of UMS (Biosciences)
- Dr Angela Cogan – Deputy Head of UMS (Clinical Placements)
- Dr Jason Long – Director of Clinical Education for UMS
Curriculum Transformation Coordinator
- Amy McLuckie
Curriculum Transformation Steering Committee
- Prof Malcolm Shepherd – Head of UMS
- Dr Helen Lloyd – UMS manager
- Dr Genevieve Stapleton - MBChB1 Director
- Dr Natalie Courtney - MBChB1 Deputy Director
- Dr Sharon Sneddon - MBChB2 Director
- Dr Sarah Meek - MBChB2 Deputy Director
- Prof James Boyle - MBChB3 co-Director
- Prof Nana Sartania - MBChB3 co-Director
- Dr Andrew Hill - MBChB3 co-Director
- Mr Paul Glen - MBChB4 co-Director
- Dr Craig Napier - MBChB4 co-Director, MBChB5 co-Director
- Dr Joanne Burke - Student Selected Components co-Director
- Dr Antonia Roseweir - Student Selected Components co-Director
- Prof Lindsey Pope – Lead for General Practice & Primary Care
- Dr Carol Ditchfield - MBChB Head of Assessment
Speciality Pods
Collaboration between education faculty in all phases of the new curriculum is taking place through specialty pods to determine Intended Learning Outcomes for each specialty or theme. These specialty pods will ensure that the curriculum spirals through all phases with minimal repetition, avoids gaps, and retains a local Glasgow ethos, showcasing our strengths. This work includes mapping the new curriculum ILOs to Outcomes for Graduates and the MLA.
- Acute and Emergency Medicine - Nicola Moultrie
- AI & Data Science - Hamish Runciman
- Anaesthetics & Critical Care - Mo Al-Haddad
- Anatomy - Claire Fitton
- Biochemistry - Caroline Millar
- Cardiovascular - Pardeep Jhund / Ross Campbell
- Child Health - Janet Gardner-Medwin
- Clinical Haematology - Gillian Horne / Alison Laing
- Clinical Procedural Skills - Gary Manson
- Clinical Reasoning - Jim Boyle
- Communication Skills - Haroon Ahmed
- Dermatology - Grant Wylie
- Ear Nose Throat - May Yaneza
- Elective - Craig Napier
- Endocrine and metabolic - Jim Boyle
- Frailty - Kirsty Colquhoun / Terry Quinn
- Gastrointestinal including liver - Rachael Swann
- General Practice and primary healthcare - Lindsey Pope / Gillian Hamilton
- General Surgery - Paul Glen
- Genetics and Genomics - Ed Tobias
- Global & Planetary Health - Noy Basu
- Human Factors & Quality Improvement - Dougie Marks
- Immunity/Infection/Microbiology- Malcolm Shepherd
- Medical Ethics & Law - Al Dowie
- Musculoskeletal - Nasir Hussain
- Neurosciences - Amy Davidson / Claire Gall
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Claire Higgins
- Oncology - Yun Yi Tan / Cicely Cunningham
- Ophthalmology - TBC
- Paediatric surgery - Mairi Steven
- Palliative Care – Fiona Finlay
- Pathology - Karin Oien/Paul French
- Physical Activity - Craig Napier
- Physiology – Sharon Sneddon/Genevieve Stapleton
- Preparation for Practice - Andrew Brunton
- Prescribing & Therapeutics - Mark Findlay
- Professionalism - Scott Oliver
- Psychiatry - Angela Cogan
- Public Health - Claire Hastie
- Radiology - Cindy Chew
- Renal and urology - Mark Findlay / Rajan Patel
- Respiratory - Anne McKay
- Rheumatology - TBC
- Science in Medicine - Sarah Meek
- Sexual & Reproductive Health - Janine Simpson
- Simulation - Tash Kunanandam
- SSC - Antonia Roseweir
- Urology - Jane Hendry
- Vascular surgery - Alan Meldrum
- Vocational Studies - Lynsay Crawford
Curriculum Design Process
We are using a pedagogically evidence-based framework created by the University of Glasgow to guide us through the process of Curriculum Transformation. This includes the following steps:
- Define Aims
- Determine Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
- Determine Assessments
- Determine Teaching methods
Phase 1: Introduction to Biomedical Principles
Semester 1 of year 1
Ensuring all students confident in the foundations of biomedical science
Phase 2: Clinically-Orientated Biomedical Science
Semester 2 of year 1 and all of year 2
A clinically-orientated in-depth exploration of biomedical science
Phase 3: Foundations of Clinical Medicine
Semester 1 of year 3
Spiralling back through biomedical content with a pathological lens and building foundations of clinical medicine
Phase 4: Junior Clinical Practice
Semester 2 of year 3
Junior medicine, junior surgery, student selected component and a systems block
Optional intercalated degree year
Phase 5: Clinical Specialties
All of year 4
Specialty blocks and a second student selected component. This phase also includes a junior elective in the summer between year 4 and 5. Specialties: Cardiology & Neurology; Emergency Medicine; Frailty & Oncology; General Practice; Musculoskeletal; Obstetrics & Gynaecology; Paediatrics; Psychiatry.
Junior flexible summer elective
Phase 6: Senior Clinical Practice
Year 5 until MLA exam
Senior surgery, senior medicine
Phase 7: Preparation for Practice
Year 5 after MLA exam
Preparation for Practice and a senior elective
FAQs
When will the students sit the Medical Licensing Assessment?
Both parts of the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) (AKT and CPSA) will be take place February. This gives time for a first sitting a resit, and for rescheduling and examination if an unavoidable event such as a red weather warning necessitates the cancellation of the original exam, without jeopardising timeous graduation for students.
Will there be 2 electives?
Yes, responding to strong student consultation feedback for keeping 2 electives, we have found a creative way to do so, while also giving the opportunity for students who have caring responsibilities or need to work over the summer the ability to do so. A flexible junior elective will take place in the Summer following year 4, and a senior elective in year 5, following Preparation for Practice.
Will the curriculum still spiral?
Yes, the new curriculum is designed to be spiral, and topics will be covered a number of times at greater depth during the 7 phases.
Will the teaching methods change?
The teaching methods have not been finalised, as they will be discussed after the ILOs are agreed, aligning to the framework we are following. Small group teaching is a strength of the curriculum at Glasgow, therefore we aim to maintain small group teaching as far as possible.
Will you keep cadaveric dissection?
There are currently no plans to move away from cadaveric dissection for our anatomy teaching.
Will 4-week blocks be enough time in clinical placements?
Yes – we are streamlining the ILOs for each specialty to ensure teaching can be targeted and efficient. In addition, we are putting together a programme of academic days which will ensure that all content is covered during the shorter specialty blocks. Note that although each block is shorter than in the previous curriculum, the total time of teaching remains the same, and some content will be taught in the new specialty blocks.