Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations
(Please see General Regulations)

STUDY REGULATIONS 1. The pass mark for the professional examinations in Medicine shall be 50% (Regulation 1.4.24). The medical degree is not classified. The programme is therefore exempt from all regulations relating to classification. Programme-specific rules govern the award of Honours and Distinctions (See 17 below.) 2. Regulations for award of an Aegrotat Degree do not normally apply (Regulation 1.4.52). 3. For Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and practical examinations, students will not normally be permitted to enter after the appointed time (Regulations 1.4.16-1.4.23). 4. Requirement to complete and pass all modules before progressing to the next stage (Regulation 1.3.7).

Programme Specific Regulations

Programme Specific Regulations
Awards, Credits and Progression of Learning Objectives
The following regulations should be read in conjunction with the University's general regulations. Examinations

1. The degrees of MB BCh BAO are the primary degrees in medicine, surgery and obstetrics and shall be conferred at the same time and after the same programme of study. No student shall be admitted to the Final Part II examination for these degrees until they have shown (1) that they are a matriculated student of the University and (2) that they have satisfactorily completed the first four years of the medical curriculum.

2. The primary degrees of MB BCh and BAO shall not be conferred upon any person who has not attended in the University during three academic years the programme of study prescribed for such degrees. The University may accept not more than two academic years of the required total, approved courses of study pursued in any other University or School of Medicine or School of Dentistry.

3. Every candidate for the primary degrees in Medicine shall be required to show that they attained the age of 21 years on or before the day of graduation.

4. The Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA): The General Medical Council plans to introduce a Medical Licensing Assessment which students will be required to pass. This MLA Acquired Knowledge Test (MLA-AKT) will be accepted by the medical school as the final synoptic written examination of the undergraduate medical programme. The GMC will accept the Year 5 OSCE as the clinical element of the MLA Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (MLA-CPSA).

5. Progress Tests: Students must pass Progress Tests within the core modules of Years 2, 3 and 4. Full details of the operation of Progress Tests will be found in the study guide.


6. Normally only two attempts are permitted to pass modules in years 1-4. However, for one of these years only, students who fail without mitigation will be permitted one additional attempt to achieve the pass standard including a repeat year of study for academic reasons if necessary. In Year 5 a further repeat year of study will be permitted for academic reasons.


7. Students who fail to achieve a satisfactory standard after the permitted number of attempts will normally be required to withdraw from the programme.

8. Standard setting: Standard setting is undertaken for all core assessments in the undergraduate medical programme. The overall result of the module is adjusted, if required, to a 50% pass mark.

9. The Standard Error of Measurement is applied to all OSCEs. Students must achieve the cut score determined by standard setting. In Years 2-5 students must also pass a minimum number of stations as defined in the module descriptor.


10. The written examination in Year 5 will be the MLA, which will be managed by the General Medical Council (including blueprinting and standard setting).


11. In all cases of failure or incompletion, the Board of Examiners will be responsible for deciding whether the whole module or only specified components should be repeated. The Board of Examiners will be responsible for making all decisions regarding progress.

12. Students will not be permitted to proceed from one year of the programme to the next unless a pass result has been achieved in all elements of the preceding academic year.

13. To comply with the Bologna process and regulatory requirements, it should be noted that modules referred to in the medical programme are clinical modules and not standard University modules.

14. The degree of BMedSc Honours is available to medical students who are leaving the programme and have successfully completed a minimum of 360 credits but have not completed the full programme.

15. For formal written examinations students shall not be permitted to enter the hall later than 30 minutes after the start of the examination. For OSCE and practical examinations students will not normally be permitted to enter after the appointed time.

16. Serious Concern Reporting: During OSCE based assessments in the clinical years of the programme examiners may use a Serious Concern Reporting card to record instances of unprofessional behaviour or clinical practice that may compromise patient safety. These cards will be reviewed by a sub-group of the Board of Examiners. Where a student has achieved an overall pass in the examination but there remains serious cause for concern, the sub-group may recommend that the Board of Examiners refers a candidate's result pending feedback and remediation. Where a student has failed the examination there will be separate feedback and remediation relating to the specific concern, over and above that required for repeat of the examination. In exceptional circumstances at Final MB Clinical Examination the Board of Examiners may decide to fail a candidate if the concern regarding patient safety is such that the student should not be permitted to progress to graduation.

17. Attendance: Students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions and other forms of instruction as defined by the programme of study. This is a University regulation for students. The pathway of medicine includes practical as well as theoretical elements. Practical courses may include clinical procedures for which a student must be present to enable the School to discharge its statutory duty regarding satisfactory standards of training for the care and safety of patients. Students are thus expected to record a satisfactory level of attendance at all classes, whether or not this is stated in the individual course study guides. As a general guide, all absences must normally be accounted for. For students whose exceptional circumstances have been accepted, a minimum attendance of 75% will be expected. For all other students, attendance at 100% is normally required in keeping with the professional nature of the programme. In cases of occasional absence, students must adhere to the guidance in the Absence Policy. Where a student's attendance is unsatisfactory, Advisers of Studies (or equivalent) will normally interview the student and advise on the best course of action. They may also be referred to the Professionalism Committee and/or for advice on remedial action. Where attendance at a clinical module is unsatisfactory without mitigation the Exam Board may record the result of the module as a fail and require the student to attend additional sessions as necessary.

18. Student Selected Components: SSCs will not be included in the award of distinctions or Educational Performance Measure (EPM) calculation for Foundation year one (F1) applications. In order to be eligible for an award of Merit, students must have passed all Student Selected Components at the first attempt in keeping with the professional nature of the programme. The award of Merit will be given to the top 10% of students based on an aggregate of all the marks achieved in the Student Selected Components offered during Years 1 to 3.

Students who are required to repeat the year and have to repeat the Student Selected Component may choose a different Student Selected Component for their repeat year. Students will normally be allowed only one attempt at the assessment of this module, whichever they choose.

Those who fail to satisfy the attendance requirements will normally be required to undertake additional learning/assessment activities.

19. Distinctions will normally be awarded to the top 10% of students (approximately) achieving an average of 70% and above, based on the results in the core module each year: One for Years 1 & 2 combined; One for Year 3; One for Year 4; and One for Year 5.

For Distinction, students must have passed all modules at the first attempt in keeping with the professional nature of the programme.

20. Honours will be awarded to students who are both in the top 10% of the year in accordance with the decile calculations used as part of the Educational Performance Measure in applications for Foundation Year 1; and who have achieved a Distinction at Year 5. Students must pass all final year modules at first attempt in keeping with the professional nature of the programme. The decile rank is calculated on the basis of performance in the first four years of the degree. Full details of decile calculations and EPM are published on https://www.med.qub.ac.uk/portal/phpBB/.

21. Sponsio Academica

All graduands in medicine are normally required to make the following declaration:
"I do solemnly declare that as a graduate in Medicine of Queen's University Belfast, I will:
Make the care of my patients my first concern, keep my professional knowledge up to date, and recognise the limits of my professional competences;
Treat each patient with respect and dignity;
Treat each patient considerately, respect their views, provide them with information and involve them in decisions about their care;
Work collaboratively with colleagues in other healthcare professions in ways that best serve my patients' interests;
Treat with respect and willingly assist all students and trainees in their learning so that they may acquire skills and competences necessary for good clinical care;
Be honest and trustworthy, protect confidentiality, ensure that my personal beliefs do not compromise my patients' care, act quickly to protect my patients from risk, and never abuse my position as a doctor. In all these matters I will never discriminate unfairly against my patients or colleagues.
I will hold in due regard the honourable obligations of the medical profession doing nothing which would bring it into disrepute.
Above all, I dedicate my professional life to the service of those entrusted to my care.”

22. By the provisions of the Medical Act 1983 a graduate must obtain certificates of satisfactory service over twelve months as a Foundation doctor. Details of the requirements may be obtained from the UK Foundation School.
 
First Year

1. The core module will be summatively assessed by Single Best Answer Paper and OSCE.

All students must take and pass:
MED1021 – Student Selected Component 1 (10 CATS)
MED1028 – Foundations for Practice 1 (110 CATS)

2. Students who fail the end of year examinations will be allowed to proceed to supplementary examinations in August.
Students who are required to repeat the year and have to repeat the Student Selected Component may choose a different Student Selected Component for their repeat year.

Years 2, 3 and 4

1. The core modules will be summatively assessed by Progress Test and OSCE.

All students must take and pass
MED2016 – Student Selected Component 2 (10 CATS)
MED2022 – Foundations for Practice 2 (110 CATS)
MED3012 – Student Selected Component 3 (10 CATS)
MED3017 – Immersion in Practice 1 (130 CATS)
MED4023 – Student Selected Component 4: Quality Improvement (15 CATS)
MED4024 – Immersion in Practice 2 (135 CATS)

2. The knowledge examinations based in the modules for Years 2, 3 and 4 are the Progress Tests. Details of the assessment will be given in the study guides.

3. The Progress Test component result of the core module in each year is derived from the cumulative results of the Progress Tests taken in-year (3 in each of Years 2 and 3 and 2 in Year 4).

4. Supplementary examinations will be available in August.
Students who are absent with mitigation from more than one of the Progress Tests will be unable to complete the module and will be required to repeat the year.

5. Students who are required to repeat the year and have to repeat the Student Selected Component may choose a different Student Selected Component for their repeat year.

6. 100% attendance at clinical sessions is normally required in keeping with the professional nature of the programme. Where attendance is not satisfactory the Exam Board will require students to attend additional clinical sessions. If it is not possible to redeem the attendance candidates may be required to repeat the relevant year in order to retake all the classes and examinations of this module. (See Regulation 17 above.)




Final Year

1. The core module will be summatively assessed by the MLA-AKT (paper) and the MLA-CPSA (OSCE).

All students must take and pass
MED5020 – Preparation for Practice (125 CATS)
MED5026 - Preparation for Practice: Clinical Elective (25 CATS)

2. Entry to the Medical Licensing Assessment will be open to students who have passed fourth year. Students will have the opportunity to take the exam in June on successfully completing fourth year. Those students who have to take the supplementary fourth year exams in August will be permitted to take the MLA in the first semester of Year 5.


3. Students will have two opportunities to take the assessments within the core module during the year.


4. Students will be permitted to repeat Final Year on one occasion, even if they have repeated a previous year of the programme for academic reasons. Students repeating the year will be permitted two attempts to pass the MLA and OSCE within the module.

5. Students who have failed to achieve a satisfactory result in the module after a repeat year of study will be required to withdraw from the programme.

Students with protected characteristics

The programme includes practical and clinical elements where patient safety must be the primary consideration. Applications will be considered on an individual basis and in conjunction with professional guidelines, Occupational Health and Disability Services.

Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations

(Please see General Regulations)

No
Fitness to Practise programmes are those which permit students to enter a profession which is itself subject to Fitness to Practise rules.

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & Understanding

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes: Subject Specific

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to:

Learning Outcomes: Transferable Skills

On the completion of this course successful students will be able to: