Education update by Dr Chris Stephens
As many of you know the plans for the new BM curricula are moving ahead. Louise Dubras is leading the team working on changes to the three existing programmes: BM4, BM5 and BM6. In parallel, Clare Polack is developing a new European BM programme – the BM(EU) – which will be based on the new BM5 curriculum.
The plans for the new programmes are well underway and they will be validated by the University ready to start for students in Year 1 of the BM5 and BM (EU) programmes in October 2013. BM4 students will start their new programme a year later and join their peers in BM5 for the first new Year 4 in 2016/17.
One major change to the BM5 programme will be moving the study in depth to Year 3 making the final two years more clinically focused. The feedback from teachers and students has been very positive. There have been events and workshops to explore some of the issues and I am grateful to all of you who have contributed.
The end point is good but the work required to get there, while maintaining an excellent quality of student experience for those on the existing programmes, will have challenges which I am sure we will overcome.
One focus of the new programmes is about supporting students in transition: from school to university, from the early phase to the more clinical phase, from the Final Year to Foundation years.
There are two very valued members of staff from the Medical Education Development Unit who are also transitioning to the next stage of their lives.
Nick Dunn who has contributed in variety of ways to the Faculty but particularly has led the GP teaching is retiring in June. Thank you Nick for all you have done. Deborah Rose, an experienced GP teacher, is taking over as Director of PMC teaching.
Carolyn Blundell, who developed and ran the BM6 Widening Access programme since 2002, is also retiring. She has made a major contribution to changing the lives of many young people who initially perhaps would not have even considered medicine as a career. Carolyn has been a pillar of strength for the educational team and we will all miss her. Sally Curtis will be taking over as BM6 Director.
I would like to thank Carolyn and Nick for all they have done and wish them a long and happy retirement.