Course overview

Our MBChB Medicine programme is designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience needed for a successful medical career, with a strong emphasis on working compassionately with patients and multi-disciplinary medical teams.

You’ll gain experience in real clinical settings through a series of clinical placements each year and develop a wide range of skills and a broad knowledge base.

Our patient-focused curriculum is taught over five years in two phases. It starts by expanding and deepening your existing science education, covering topics such as the fundamentals of body structure, infection and pathological processes. As you move into the second phase, a large proportion of your learning will take place in clinical environments where you will work with practising doctors and healthcare professionals in clinical placements ranging from cancer care to integrated medicine.

Beyond medical knowledge, we’ll help you grow into a confident, independent thinker with the critical thinking skills and empathy needed to thrive as a future doctor. After graduation, you'll be fully prepared to take on your first role as a Foundation Doctor.

"Medicine at Aston is patient-focused from the start with an introduction to clinical placement in the very first term. This early contact with patients allowed us to apply the theory we were learning in lectures in a practical setting. The clinical skills rooms at Aston allowed us from early years to simulate real-life medical scenarios.

By the time we had reached clinical years, the vast experience gained by having this safe space to role-play meant we had refined our history-taking and examination skill."

Sadia Nawaz

Medicine MBChB

Why Medicine at Aston?

Triple Gold TEF rating

Aston University received the highest rating for teaching quality (TEF 2023)

GMC approval

Aston's Medicine programme is approved by the General Medical Council (GMC)

Excellent student experience

91% of students felt the course is intellectually stimulating (NSS, 2024)

High level of investment in cutting-edge facilities

Train in our state-of-the-art clinical skills centre, complete with hospital simulation suites and the latest medical equipment

Earn more

Our graduates are among the highest paid in the country, earning on average £36,100 five years after graduating (Longitudinal Education Outcomes, 2023)

Excellent prospects

Aston University was named runner-up in the University of the Year for Graduate Employment Award (Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2024)

Studying Medicine MBChB at Aston University

Final year Medicine student, Sadia Bibi, takes us through some of her highlights, and why she chose Aston University for her Medicine MBChB course.

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Course description

Medicine MBChB

Our patient-focussed and student-centred Medicine MBChB programme at Aston Medical School is designed to prepare you for the demands of a medical career, with a strong emphasis on working compassionately with patients as partners within a multi-disciplinary team. You’ll experience working in clinical settings through a series of clinical placements each year and develop a wide range of skills and a broad knowledge base.

Once you have successfully completed your five-year MBChB degree with us, you will have a variety of further education and training options available to you depending on what you want to achieve from your career.

What we will provide
First-class teaching in the UK's second-largest city, delivered by a diverse array of staff who will inspire and excite you, fantastic facilities that will bring your course to life through hands-on, practical experience; years of close health service collaboration that is harnessed to provide you with learning based on real-world needs.

What you will provide
It is important you learn how to adapt a growth mindset to your studies - understand that intelligence and success come from applying yourself, you must be able to demonstrate critical thinking, an empathetic attitude, and have ambition and drive to excel. We expect students to rapidly develop skills in independent, self-directed learning.

What skills we teach
As a medical student on our Medicine MBChB programme, you will learn the skills, competencies and insights to work as a competent health professional in various healthcare settings. Throughout your time with us, you will develop into an independent life-long learner, with critical thinking skills and the caring and empathetic attitude needed to embark on your first post after graduation as a Foundation Doctor.

Integrated placements
You will benefit from extensive patient contact throughout your time on the Medicine MBChB course. You’ll gain exposure to real clinical and community settings through a series of integrated placements each year and develop a wide range of skills and a broad knowledge base.

Career prospects
Once you have successfully completed your five-year MBChB degree with us, you will have a variety of education and training options available to you depending on what you want to achieve from your career.

How you will learn

At Aston Medical School you will be taught by medical professionals from a wide range of practice, industry and research backgrounds. During your time on campus, you will encounter a variety of learning and teaching methods, including:

Face-to-face and online lectures
Group work and team-based learning
Seminars
Clinical skills training in our dedicated simulation suites
Independent study
Practical sessions
Interactive workshops and tutorials
Online resources

In addition to these learning methods, you will also spend time each year on a series of placements. You’ll work under the supervision of a range of medical and healthcare professionals from our network of carefully selected NHS trusts and primary care providers. Serving an exceptionally diverse range of communities and settings, such as inner-city areas, towns and rural locations, each placement will allow you to encounter a wide range of patients and experiences, giving you an excellent foundation for your future medical career.

Medical student support at Aston

Medicine is a demanding subject so it is important to look after yourself and have a good support network around you. We support you every step of the way, through your learning experiences as well as how to balance the course with the rest of university life:

Personal Tutor - will offer advice on study-related and personal issues
Student Support Lead - to help you cope with the unique requirements of a medical student
University Support Services - a breadth of additional support services are available, for example, the Student Solutions Centre, Learning Development Centre and library services.
Extracurricular activities, clubs, sports and hobbies: These form an important part of university life and provide a balance to your work and opportunities to make new friends.

Rosalind Franklin Medical School Essay Prize

In 2020, Aston Medical School launched the Rosalind Franklin Medical School Essay Prize and is still running. The prize was conceived and funded by Dr Daniel Franklin, nephew of the renowned chemist, Rosalind Franklin, whose work on X-ray diffraction was fundamental to the discovery of the structure of DNA.

The essay competition entitled ‘Covid, Learning, Medicine and Me’, encouraged students to use the time away from campus to reflect, think about their future career as doctors and how this profession will have an impact on the world.

Dr Daniel Franklin, who is the executive director of The Economist and also an alumnus of Aston University said: "The Rosalind Franklin Essay Competition inspired students to produce thoughtful submissions of very high calibre, reflecting on the challenges for medicine and their own studies in a time of COVID-19. All credit to them, and to Aston Medical School, for making the most of this opportunity. For all the difficulties of the pandemic, this bodes well for the future."

Quality assurance

In April 2023, the General Medical Council (GMC) agreed to add Aston Medical School to the list of bodies able to award UK primary medical qualifications. This means that going forward, all our graduating students, will receive an Aston University degree and can be placed on the Provisional Register of the GMC. We were extremely proud to see our very first cohort graduate in July 2023. Approval by the GMC is a momentous milestone in our history and indicates the vision, commitment and teamwork of all our staff, and that of our clinical education providers in Trusts and General Practice, who work so hard in partnership with our students to achieve the GMC’s stringent standards. Read more here. We will continue to work closely with the GMC to ensure we continue to deliver high-quality teaching to our medical students.

What you will learn

Our patient-centred curriculum is taught over five years in two phases. It starts by expanding and deepening your existing science education, covering topics such as the fundamentals of body structure, infection, and pathological processes with the clinical relevance at every step. You will meet patients from the start of the course. As you move into the second phase, a large proportion of your learning will take place in clinical environments, working with practising doctors and healthcare professionals in placements ranging from primary care to cancer care to integrated medicine.

It is our aim to prepare you for the demands of a medical career, with an emphasis on working compassionately with patients as partners, within a multi-disciplinary team.

Phase 1: Years 1 and 2

Throughout Phase 1 you will develop your clinical skills and knowledge in blocks covering topics such as physiology, pharmacology, public and global health, and the musculoskeletal system. You’ll be introduced to clinical practice, learn how to interact effectively with patients, carers, colleagues and other healthcare professionals, develop consultation skills as well as an introduction to diagnostic reasoning. The very early clinical experience placement gives you an opportunity to develop an understanding of what it’s like to be a patient and to gain real-world experience of the work carried out by doctors and other members of the general practice (primary care) team.

Phase 2: Years 3, 4 and 5

Much of your learning in Phase 2 will take place in clinical environments, working with practising doctors and healthcare professionals. Your progress will be supplemented and supported with lectures, group work, workshops, independent study and other learning opportunities. The Student Selected Components delivered in this phase, offer you the chance to study an area of particular interest. You will also have the opportunity, as an option within the Student Selected Component (SSC), to complete a research-based project with the Aston Medical Research Institute whose four themes of research include: maternal health, mental health, cardiovascular medicine and regenerative medicine. In Year 5 students will have an opportunity to complete a 6 week elective either abroad or in the UK.

"Being at Aston Medical School opened a plethora of opportunities and possibilities for me. Aston’s MBChB degree gave me the knowledge needed to help me treat patients holistically. Working collaboratively with empathy, dedication, passion, and effective communication and management are core parts of the training I received.

Beyond medical knowledge and technical skills, Aston places a strong emphasis on professional development. Whether through communication skills training, ethics seminars, or leadership modules, they have cultivated the interpersonal skills, empathy, and ethical values essential for effective patient care and professional collaboration. These skills have allowed me to prosper professionally as well as managing patients in my posting."

Akshara Sharma

Medicine MBChB Graduate

Facilities

Our modern and friendly campus is equipped with dedicated facilities for Aston Medical School students. We have invested heavily to ensure that our facilities and equipment provide you with the ideal learning environment. This includes:

A high-tech clinical skills centre with a range of equipment including Sonosite ultrasound machines and life size anatomical models.
Dedicated simulated hospital ward with mid-fidelity manikins including an acute care simulation room.
SMOTS camera technology that allow discreet recording during medical simulations to provide instant feedback.
Powerlab for physiological testing including blood pressure, lung capacity, ECG readings, EMG and pulse oximetry.
State-of-the-art group work rooms, which include C-touch screens.
Private study spaces available to students 24/7.
State-of-the-art critical care simulation unit.

Aston Medical School Facilities

An interactive look at some of the brand-new facilities available to Medical students at Aston University, don't forget to click and drag for an immersive view of the facilities!

Discover more with our campus virtual tour

A brief look at Aston Medical School's Simulation Suite

Aston Medical School has recently opened a state-of-the-art medical simulation suite, with high fidelity manikins allowing students to practise real life scenarios and much more.

Course objectives

Educates you in a learning environment and culture that puts the safety of patients first throughout your teaching and assessment, to ensure you adopt patient safety as a central tenet of your clinical practice and demonstrate understanding of the expectations of Good Medical Practice.
Promotes equality, diversity and opportunity by training and requiring all students and staff to treat others with respect and empathy and to apply the principles of equality and diversity to the safe care of all patients.
Ensures you graduate as caring, competent, effective and safe future doctor by providing a challenging and engaging curriculum within a supportive environment, and with an emphasis on clinical apprenticeships and general practice.
Helps you enhance your resilience and ensure that all students feel supported and learn to take responsibility for their own welfare and personal and professional development by graduation, so you can progress to look after the welfare of others.
Provides an up-to-date and professionally focused curriculum satisfying the accreditation requirements of the General Medical Council (GMC).
Offers you the opportunity to obtain relevant industrial experience by providing integrated placements throughout your Medicine MBChB programme.

Modules

Modules and learning outcomes

Year 1 modules

Module Title	Credits
Fundamentals of Medicine 1	120
Comprising:
Cell Biology and Genetics
Sociological and Psychological Aspects of Health
Fundamentals of Body Structure
Public and Global Health
Physiology and Pharmacology
Cardiovascular System
Musculoskeletal
Infection
Metabolism, Endocrinology and Haematology
Pathological Processes
Introduction to Clinical Practice 1a
Introduction to Clinical Practice 1b
Total	120

Clinical placements

There are two one-week placements in a primary care setting, the first of which takes place early in term one to give you an insight into UK clinical practice, and the experience of patients. The second placement, at the end of the summer term, allows you to practise some of your early clinical skills.

Year 1 outcomes

On successful completion of the first year, you will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of ethical frameworks, legal requirements and professional expectations of medical practice in the UK and apply these to simulated clinical scenarios.
Demonstrate skills for a reflective and self-regulated approach to the study of medicine, including self-care and appraisal and seeking support when necessary.
Demonstrate understanding of how to communicate clearly, sensitively and effectively with patients and their relatives, and communicate effectively with peers and tutors.
Describe the modes of presentation of exemplar diseases, apply scientific understanding to interpret and explain the clinical signs and symptoms, and the possible investigations, and treatments for patients.
Describe and explain how selected drugs act, including how the body deals with the drugs, and the monitoring required.
Perform the defined list of clinical skills and procedures safely and effectively in a simulated clinical setting.
Describe the scope and defining features of these disciplines (Social sciences and population health), and explain the settings, frameworks, integrated systems and culture in which medicine is practised and patient care is delivered across the UK.
Demonstrate understanding of the scope and defining features of the relevant disciplines and important psychological and behavioural aspects of health, illness and disease.
Demonstrate understanding of the scope and defining features of the relevant disciplines including anatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, nutrition, pathology and physiology and apply biomedical scientific principles, method and knowledge of these disciplines to describe, analyse and explain normal and abnormal human structure and function.
Develop basic library research methods and skills to select the best available medical evidence to address questions, through appropriate database searching and appraisal of the relevant source and information.

Year 2 modules

Module Title	Credits
Fundamentals of Medicine 2	120
Comprising:
Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Gastrointestinal System
Head and Neck
Immune System
Introduction to Clinical Practice 2a
Introduction to Clinical Practice 2b
Respiratory System
Renal and Urinary Systems
Social and Psychological Aspects of Health 2
Integration Clinical Application
Total	120

Clinical placements

A total of nine days are spent in primary care throughout year two. This experience focuses on developing your consultation skills to carefully explore medical problems while taking into consideration the needs and wishes of the patient.

Year 2 outcomes

On successful completion of the second year, you will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of how to apply an ethical framework, with insight and compassion, according to the legal requirements and professional expectations of medical practice in the UK in a simulated setting.
Demonstrate reflective and self-regulated approaches to the study and simulated practice of clinical medicine.
Communicate effectively with peers and tutors, communicate clearly and sensitively with patients and undertake a consultation that is sensitive to the needs of patients.
Describe and explain how selected drugs act, including how the body deals with the drugs, the monitoring required, and apply this knowledge to clinical scenarios.
Perform the accruing defined lists of clinical skills and procedures safely and effectively in simulated and highly supervised clinical settings.
Demonstrate understanding of the settings, frameworks, integrated systems and culture in which medicine is practised and patient care is delivered across the UK.
Recognise and ask patients about important psychological and behavioural aspects of health, illness and disease; respond appropriately with empathy, explanation and advice.
Design relevant questions, select the best available evidence through appropriate database searching and appraisal of the relevant information.

Year 3 modules

Module Title	Credits
Clinical Apprenticeships 1	120
Comprising:
Integrated Medicine and Surgery 1
Integrated Medicine and Surgery 2
Primary Care
Student Selected Component (SSC)
Total	120

Clinical placements

Three 12-week blocks are undertaken, with one in primary care, and two across a range of medical and surgical specialties in hospitals, giving you an excellent experience of the general principles of clinical practice, and building on your theoretical learning in phase 1.

Year 3 outcomes

On successful completion of the third year, you will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of how to practise medicine, in a defined list of specialties and contexts, within the legal, ethical and professional frameworks for medical practice in the UK.
Identify and use personal motivators and learning approaches to develop a reflective and self-regulated approach to the ongoing study of medicine in a defined list of specialties and contexts.
Communicate clearly and sensitively with patients and their relatives, and with colleagues.
Describe, recognise, interpret and manage the presentations, and natural history of diseases; recognise and interpret the related signs and symptoms with which people present to doctors.
Describe how the listed drugs for this module act and apply this knowledge to simulated clinical practice to select appropriate drugs for a given clinical context.
Perform the accruing defined lists of clinical skills and procedures, safely and effectively, in simulated and highly supervised clinical settings.
Explore patients’ important psychological and behavioural aspects of health, illness and disease.
Apply biomedical scientific principles and knowledge of the relevant academic disciplines to the clinical specialties experienced to date.
Use the best available medical evidence, found through a systematic search and appraisal of the relevant information, to inform clinical judgement.

Year 4 modules

Module Title	Credits
Clinical Apprenticeships 2	120
Comprising:
Cancer Care
Child Health
Integrated Care
Psychiatry
Reproductive Health
Neurology/ Senses: Dermatology, ENT, Ophthalmology
Student selected component (SSC)
Total	120

Clinical placements

Spend six weeks in six speciality placements such as obstetrics and gynaecology, childcare and psychiatry to gain comprehensive experience in these specialist areas.

Year 4 outcomes

On successful completion of the fourth year, you will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of how to practise medicine, in a defined list of specialties and contexts, within the legal, ethical and professional frameworks for medical practice in the UK.
Take a reflective and self-regulated approach to the ongoing study of medicine in specialties and contexts experienced to date.
Communicate clearly, sensitively and effectively with patients, their relatives, carers and advocates, and with colleagues from the medical and other professions.
Describe, recognise, interpret and manage the presentations, and natural history of diseases, listed to date; recognise and interpret the related signs and symptoms, construct a differential diagnosis, and propose initial management, review and ongoing care for patients, in a multi-professional setting.
Describe the pharmacology, therapeutics and required monitoring for the accruing list of drugs for the programme.
Perform the accruing defined lists of diagnostic and therapeutic procedural skills, safely and effectively, in simulated and supervised clinical contexts.
Demonstrate understanding of the settings, frameworks, integrated systems and culture in which medicine is practised and patient care is delivered across the UK, particularly with respect to the clinical specialties experienced to date.
Apply biomedical scientific principles and knowledge of the relevant academic disciplines to the clinical specialties experienced to date.
Develop new knowledge or personal understanding through the application of basic research methods and skills.

Year 5 modules

Module Title	Credits
Foundation Apprenticeships 3	120
Acute Integrated Medicine and Surgery 1
Acute Integrated Medicine and Surgery 2
Primary Care
Foundation Assistantship
Student-selected component (SSC) / Electives
Total	120

Clinical placements

Before your finals, you will complete three blocks of six weeks: one in primary care, and two in hospital settings. After your finals, you will complete a six-week foundation assistantship where you will undertake foundation-level work under very careful supervision, and a six-week elective which may be undertaken anywhere suitable worldwide. The focus in year five is on developing your diagnostic and management skills in preparation for your foundation training posts.

Year 5 outcomes

On successful completion of the fifth year, you will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of how to practise medicine within the legal, ethical and professional frameworks for medical practice in the UK, including taking action to safeguard vulnerable groups, and adhering to GMC regulation.
Take a reflective and self-regulated approach to the ongoing study of medicine and career management, undertaking regular appraisal.
Communicate effectively with patients, their relatives, carers and advocates, and with colleagues.
Diagnose and manage clinical presentations involving the patient, carers and advocates in management decisions appropriately.
Prescribe medicines safely, appropriately, effectively and economically and describe the related pharmacology, therapeutics and required monitoring.
Perform the programme’s list of diagnostic and therapeutic procedural skills safely and effectively in simulated and clinical contexts.
Integrate psychological principles, method and knowledge into medical practice; explore the important psychological aspects of a patient’s health, illness, disease, and management
Apply biomedical scientific principles and knowledge to medical practice and integrate these into patient care.
Apply scientific method and basic research methodologies and skills to develop new knowledge and personal understanding and integrate these with a range of sources of information found through systematic searching and critical appraisal to make evidence based decisions about clinical care.

We regularly review our modules to provide the best possible teaching and learning experience, incorporating academic developments, student feedback and employer feedback.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any changes to modules at the earliest opportunity by updating our course webpages.

We’ll do our best to provide as much optional choice as we can, but timetabling constraints may mean it isn’t possible to take some module combinations. The structure of some courses means that the order of modules or the streams you choose may determine whether modules are core or optional. This means that your core modules or options may differ from what’s shown here.

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