The World Health Organisation estimates a projected shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the vital need for practice-ready medical professionals across the globe. If breaking news has inspired you to do something about it, the first item to check off your list should be a medical education of the highest standards.
Look no further than the UK –– a popular study abroad destination with state-of-the-art resources, groundbreaking research, and educators with extensive experience. It is also home to some of the most advanced and prestigious medical institutions globally, with a wealth of offerings and opportunities at their feet. Here, you’ll be studying in research-rich environments at the cutting edge of your field or fields of interest.
Upon completion, expect to become highly employable –– not just in the UK but globally. Yes, with high demand comes an attractive salary; however, careers in medicine, health, or healthcare are also known to be incredibly rewarding. After all, few professions strictly revolve around saving and bettering lives for current generations and the ones to come.
If you are vying for a career that entails alleviating and possibly putting an end to physical pain and suffering –– these are the universities that will help you get there:
Newcastle University
Newcastle University’s Faculty of Medical Sciences has been producing health and healthcare changemakers since 1834. In 2021, it is as innovative as it is historic. The proof is in its research, education, impact, and global reach excellence. Apart from being vouched for by the General Medical Council (GMC), the faculty ranks among the UK’s top 10; the world’s top 150 for clinical, pre-clinical, and health studies; as well as the world’s top 100 for medicine.
Little wonder why 91% of its students leave satisfied with their experience. Witnessing world-changing discoveries first-hand, it’s hard not to feel fulfilled. Within laboratories, researchers are bettering populations by reversing the processes of type two diabetes and tackling non-alcoholic liver disease. Anyone is welcome to join them at the forefront of translational medicine revolutions by choosing from an expansive lineup of undergraduate degrees.
With an MB BS in Medicine and Surgery, students prepare to become compassionate and skilled practitioners with advanced knowledge of health, disease, and society. Meanwhile, the BSc in Biomedical Sciences teaches them to explore the human body’s function in health and disease. Other programmes cover dentistry, psychology, pharmacy, and biomolecular sciences –– leaving enough room within each for interdisciplinary collaboration.
To apply knowledge, there’s never a need to look or travel too far. Newcastle University shares a site with the Royal Victoria Infirmary –– one of the UK’s largest hospitals and teaching complexes. Students also benefit from its strong partnership with local NHS trusts. Those keen on global perspectives could opt to spend a second year semester at the university’s branch campus in Malaysia, but that’s not all. Eight-week placements await in their fourth year –– domestically or internationally. To customise a journey of your own, click here.
University of Exeter
Looking to gain early exposure to serving patients and the public as a practitioner? Choose the University of Exeter’s College of Medicine and Health. For example, with its Medical Sciences programme, students train alongside experts with a year-long placement. As part of the BMBS programme, placements begin as early as their first week. The college also offers experiential opportunities within its programmes of medicine, neuroscience, nursing, medical imaging, as well as sport and exercise medical sciences.
Students from over 20 countries enjoy these offerings, delivered by an academic staff representing 25 countries –– most of whom double as researchers, producing findings deemed to be of international quality. From dementia, diabetes, genomics, antimicrobial resistance, medical mycology to COVID-19 –– studies aim to deliver accessible treatments and care for those who need it.
Outside the classroom, students are collaborating or advancing their knowledge in a range of societies. The College of Medicine and Health is home to MedSoc, which conducts socials, sports teams, and even balls. The Medical Sciences Society provides a social environment for course members. Medical Imaging students do the same in the Radiography Society.
Those looking to use life outside the classroom as a means to unwind could opt to spend their free time longboarding, baking, acting, or exploring new cultures through one of the university’s over 300 societies and groups.
University of St. Andrews
The University of St. Andrews’s School of Medicine might be new, but that has and will never stop it from redesigning its curricula and advancing its spaces to meet global needs when required. Its most recent revamp aims to cater to the GMC’s aspirations for future undergraduate teaching.
Students here are given a unique opportunity to graduate with a BSc Honours degree in Medicine –– an integrated curriculum within a robust clinical context –– in just three years. The programme explores the foundations of medical science while encouraging professional attitudes, ethical understanding, and decision-making skills that are up to GMC standards.
These students are based in the heart of the university’s North Haugh science campus at the Medical and Biological Sciences Building, which is well-resourced for teaching, research, and conferences. Lessons are highly experiential in the dissecting room, clinical skills suite, medical resource centre, anatomy resource centre, and multi-purpose lab. Teaching and learning rooms consist of a 300-seat lecture theatre, two 50-seat seminar rooms, 13 12-seat tutorial rooms and several areas for self-study.
Upon completion, students can move on to one of the university’s partner medical schools to complete another three years of medical training to graduate with a Bachelor of Medicine or Bachelor of Surgery.
Cardiff University
Activities at this centre of excellence encompass a broad range of healthcare sciences such as clinical photography, midwifery, nursing (including adult, child and mental health), occupational therapy, physiotherapy, perioperative practice and radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic).
The School of Healthcare Sciences at Cardiff University conducts internationally distinguished research and scholarship of the highest quality. In fact, it is one of the leading healthcare research departments in the UK.
Students study cutting-edge technology and techniques, with the school placing fourth in the UK for research assessed by REF, as well as receiving first place for research environment. Aspiring undergraduates can choose from a wide range of courses that lead to BMid, BN, and BSc qualifications –– each designed to provide learners with the knowledge and experience they will need to embark on a career in healthcare.
Those looking to broaden their horizons will be glad to know that the school boasts a multidisciplinary outlook, granting a well-rounded academic experience complemented by the opportunities offered in the vibrant capital of Wales. Upon completion of their programme, students can expect to enter workplaces as skilled, compassionate professionals, committed to an ethos of evidence-based care.
*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International