University of Cambridge - Medicine

• Duration of the degree is 6 years (Bachelor degree holders in any discipline with 2:1 or above can apply for 5 year version of this program)
• 18 years old on 1 November
• Can accept UCAT ANZ

Subjects required: Chemistry and 2 sciences. Further math is counted as a subject in addition to math; but human biology and biology can only be counted as 1 subject.

• A Levels: A*A*A* (Taking 4 A levels will not normally give you an advantage. However, strong applicants for STEM courses usually study Further Mathematics as a fourth subject.)
• International Baccalaureate (IB): 41-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level
• Bachelor degree holders: 2:1 in any major + proving manage to satisfy high school subject and academic requirements
• HKDSE: Grades of 5 in all core subjects, and grades of 5*5*5 in electives.
• USA: ACT 33 or SAT 1,500 with a Mathematics section score of at least 750 + five AP Test scores at Score 5
• Canada: 90% + five AP Test scores at Score 5

English Language Proficiency

• IELTS Academic – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element
• TOEFL Internet Based Test (IBT) – normally a minimum overall score of 110, with 25 or above in each element

a. Where is it going to take place?

• Cambridge Biomedical Campus
• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Addenbrooke’s Hospital
• The Rosie Hospitals
• Other regional hospitals and GP practices throughout the East of England
• The Lister Hospital (Stevenage)
• Bedford Hospital
• Peterborough City Hospital
• Hinchingbrooke Hospital (Huntingdon)
• Queen Elizabeth Hospital
• Kings Lynn
• Ipswich Hospital
• West Suffolk Hospital (Bury St Edmunds)

b. What is Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) like?

• CUH was one of the first NHS foundation trusts and Addenbrooke’s Hospital was one of the first provincial teaching hospitals in the country.
• CUH has the largest centre of health science and medical research in Europe and provides services as a local hospital for people in Cambridge, South and East Cambridgeshire, and as a specialist hospital for a much wider population.
• Addenbrooke's Hospital provides emergency, surgical and medical care for local people and is the Major Trauma Centre for the East of England. It is also a regional centre of excellence for specialist services such as transplantation, cancer, neurosciences, paediatrics and genetics.
• The Rosie Hospital is a women’s hospital and the regional centre of excellence for maternity care.

c. How is clinical placement going to be?

Clinical placement will take place from Year 4 to Year 6 for undergraduate students and Year 2-4 for graduate students

• core clinical practice
• specialist clinical practice
• applied clinical practice

d. What is the course structure?

The six-year curriculum comprises the following:

• Year 1-3 (Pre-Clinical):
  • focus on the core pre-clinical sciences and principles with a full-body dissection
• Year 4-6 (Clinical):
  • clinical placement in GP surgeries and hospitals and no lectures generally

e. What is the teaching style in The University of Cambridge medical school?

The students will learn in a clinical setting that is supported by:

• small group seminars
• tutorials
• discussion groups
• large group activities (including clinic-pathological demonstrations and lectures)
• work with simulated patients and actors

The students will play an active role in the clinical team and:

• follow-up a group of patients
• watch special investigations
• treat and present patients on ward rounds and in clinical and multi-disciplinary team meetings

At least two interviews will be conducted for the medical applicants and the following key issues will be evaluated:

1. Scientific and related competencies
2. Personal qualities and communications skills appropriate to a would-be doctor
3. Understanding of the professional and career requirements

1. Scientific and related competencies

• A sound basis of knowledge and skills derived from Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Physics
• The application of that knowledge to new scenarios and problems at micro level or on a larger scale
• An interest in the science behind medicine

Questions:

1. Describe this bone. What do you think its function is and where does it originate from in the human body?
2. What is the CT scan showing? How would an MRI of the same patient compare?
3. Why were we able to eradicate polio with a vaccination but not malaria?
4. What is the fight or flight response? Is it still relevant in today’s age?
5. How would you calculate how many moles of water are in this glass?
6. You’re shown a graph of enzyme activity against temperature. What conclusions can you draw, and why might the enzyme denature above a certain temperature?
7. You’re given blood test results: high ALT, normal ALP, and raised bilirubin. What are the possible causes?
8. A population of bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics after exposure. How does natural selection explain this?
9. How does the body detect and respond to falling blood glucose levels?
10. The human body maintains temperature around 37°C even in cold conditions. Describe how this is achieved.
11. A person moves suddenly from sea level to 3,000m altitude. How would their body adapt over the next few weeks?
12. A population of bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics after exposure. How does natural selection explain this?
13. How does the body detect and respond to falling blood glucose levels?
14. The human body maintains temperature around 37°C even in cold conditions. Describe how this is achieved.
15. A person moves suddenly from sea level to 3,000m altitude. How would their body adapt over the next few weeks?
16. Why are red blood cells biconcave in shape? Could another shape work better?
17. Why do we have two kidneys instead of one larger one?
18. What might be the biological advantage of fever during infection?
19. Why do small mammals, like mice, have faster heart rates than larger mammals, like elephants?
20. How could you prove that a virus is the cause of a disease without using modern molecular tools?

2. Personal Qualities

• Emotional maturity and motivation to pursue a career in medicine
• Listening and empathy skills and an ability to interact with others
• Skills in clear communication of scientific and personal matters both to peers and to lay audiences

Questions:

1. Describe a time when you were met with a challenging situation and explain how you dealt with it. In hindsight, is there anything that you would have done differently?
2. Describe a situation in which you saw a doctor react badly or in an unprofessional manner in the healthcare setting? What was done to rectify this issue?
3. What skills essential to being a doctor do you think you still need to develop and how do you think you could do this?
4. What extracurricular activities do you do outside of your academic work and what have you learnt from them?
5. Why do you want to study Medicine at Cambridge specifically?
6. What aspects of the Cambridge course structure (pre-clinical + clinical) most appeal to you?
7. What have you done to test that Medicine is right for you?
8. What book, article, or podcast has influenced your view of Medicine the most?
9. Describe a situation where you showed resilience or perseverance.
10. What do you think will be the hardest part of being a doctor, and how will you prepare for it?
11. Tell us about a time you received feedback. How did you respond?

3. Professional and Career Considerations

• A realistic understanding of what a career in medicine and studying for a medical degree entails
• An understanding of the ‘real world’ dilemmas and practical considerations
• A capacity to understand ethical issues facing practitioners
• Awareness of the major current issues facing the NHS (or equivalent national healthcare systems)

Questions:

1. Do you think that euthanasia should be legalised in the UK?
2. Should doctors ever break confidentiality?
3. A patient refuses a life-saving treatment for religious reasons. What would you do?
4. During a pandemic, you have one ventilator and two patients—one young, one elderly. How do you decide?
5. A 15-year-old wants contraception but doesn’t want her parents told. How should the doctor handle this?
6. An AI algorithm decides which patients are eligible for surgery based on predicted success. Should this be allowed?
7. You accidentally overhear a consultant making a discriminatory remark about a patient. What should you do?
8. Is it ever acceptable to breach patient confidentiality?
9. Why does the NHS promote prevention rather than cure?
10. How should the NHS balance limited resources between rare diseases and common conditions?
11. What are the main causes of health inequality in the UK?
12. How could AI improve efficiency in the NHS—and what are its limitations?
13. What lessons did the NHS learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?
14. What is the role of general practitioners in public health promotion?
15. How might an ageing population affect healthcare delivery?
16. Should NHS staff be allowed to strike? Discuss both sides.