Medicine

Medicine
Medicine involves long-term commitment and dedication. Our degree, at the fully-accredited Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS), offers you diverse career opportunities and experience to practice medicine across primary care, acute care, community and mental health settings, as well as the major medical and surgical specialities.

Our five-year medical degree, awarded jointly by Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent, leads to the qualification of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BM BS). Accredited through the General Medical Council's quality assurance programme in 2025, KMMS builds on the existing high-quality clinical teaching and research strengths of both universities.

Your future
As a newly qualified doctor, you will be equipped with the curiosity, academic, professional and clinical skills to influence and improve future healthcare in Kent and Medway, and beyond.

Once fully registered, you will have the education and experience to apply for any one of over 100 possible medical specialties. Qualified doctors also work in media, the arts, business, the voluntary sector, government, research and technology.

There are national programmes available for medical graduates to obtain specialist postgraduate training and experience in leadership, management, entrepreneurialism and research.

Location
Our city, your time.
It has never been a better time to study in Canterbury. Our high student population creates a vibrant, diverse and student-friendly atmosphere.
We are a hub of exciting new ideas emerging from a stunning historic city - join us and get involved!

Year 1

Community and Primary Care in Practice 1 (20 credits)

Aims to integrate clinical learning with theory learnt in adjacent modules in Year 1. Gives an overview of the professionals, services and care pathways that support patients and their carers within the community.

Content is primarily based around the Fundamental Tracks of Ethics, Law & Professionalism, Human Behaviour, Person & Population Health and Professional & Clinical Skills.

Professional Development and Person-Centred Practice 1 (20 credits)

Aims to enable students to appreciate the needs of their patients, themselves as practitioners and the wider healthcare professional community.

Content is primarily based around the Fundamental Tracks of Ethics, Law & Professionalism, Human Behaviour, Person & Population Health, Professional & Clinical Skills and Scholarship & Scientific Enquiry.

Foundations of Health and Disease (20 credits)

Enables understanding of the fundamental structure and function of the human body. Aims to describe the psychological development of humans from infancy to adulthood. It aims to introduce basic principles of disease and diagnostics.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Anatomy, Biomedicine, Human Behaviour, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Physiology and Pathology.

Skills for Clinical Practice 1 (20 credits)

Aims to prepare students for learning in the clinical environment through the development of clinical and professional skills.

Content is primarily based on the Fundamental Track of Professional & Clinical Skills.

Heart, Lungs and Blood (20 credits)

Aims to introduce the structure and function of the lungs and cardiovascular system, common and serious pathology and aetiology, diagnosis and principles of management of associated diseases.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Anatomy, Biomedicine, Pathology, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Physiology.

Nutrition, Metabolism and Excretion (20 credits)

Aims to introduce the structure and function of the alimentary and excretory systems at the anatomical, cellular and molecular level in health. Introduces common and serious pathology and aetiology, diagnosis and principles of management of associated diseases.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Anatomy, Biomedicine, Pathology, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Physiology.

Year 2

Community and Primary Care in Practice 2 (20 credits)

Aims to integrate clinical learning with theory learnt in vertical themes and adjacent modules in Year 2. Aims to engage students in the integrated care of patients who have long-term conditions.

Content is primarily based around the Fundamental Tracks of Ethics, Law & Professionalism, Human Behaviour, Person & Population Health and Professional & Clinical Skills.

Professional Development and Person-Centred Practice 2 (20 credits)

Aims to enable the students to build upon the knowledge and skills gained in Professional Development and Person-Centred Practice 1. Enables students to appreciate the more complex needs of their patients, themselves as practitioners and the wider healthcare community.

Content is primarily based around the Fundamental Tracks of Ethics, Law & Professionalism, Human Behaviour, Person & Population Health, Professional & Clinical Skills and Scholarship & Scientific Enquiry.

Skills for Clinical Practice 2 (20 credits)

Aims to further prepare students for learning in the clinical environment.

Content is primarily based around the Fundamental Track of Professional & Clinical Skills.

Neuroscience and Behaviour (20 credits)

Aims to introduce the structure and function of the nervous system in health and disease. Aims to develop knowledge and understanding of brain development and the changes accompanying ageing, including degeneration.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Anatomy, Biomedicine, Human Behaviour, Pathology, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Physiology.

Reproduction and Endocrinology (20 credits)

Aims to introduce students to the reproductive system, foetal development, pregnancy and birth (the life cycle) and the endocrine system. It introduces common and serious pathology and aetiology, diagnosis and principles of management of associated diseases.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Anatomy, Biomedicine, Pathology, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Physiology.

Musculoskeletal and Immune Systems (20 credits)

Aims to introduce the scientific basis of the musculoskeletal and immune systems. It introduces common and serious pathology and demonstrates how the pathobiology, diagnosis and basics of management of the indicative range of immunological and musculoskeletal diseases can be explained in terms of those principles.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Anatomy, Biomedicine, Pathology, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Physiology.

Year 3

Fundamentals of Secondary Care (80 credits)

Aims to provide students with the opportunity to build on the clinical knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviours gained in preceding modules. It introduces healthcare delivery in the secondary care clinical environment alongside the core clinical knowledge and skills required to work safely and effectively as future doctors.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Biomedicine, Ethics, Law & Professionalism, Human Behaviour, Pathology, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Physiology and Professional & Clinical Skills.

Principles of Clinical Research and Scholarship (10 credits)

Aims to develop knowledge of the process of science progressing from bench to bedside. The module builds on students’ existing scholarly and scientific foundations to deepen their understanding of how knowledge is generated, evaluated, and applied within clinical practice.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Scholarship & Scientific Enquiry, Person and Population Health, and Ethics, Law, and Professionalism.

Integrated Practice 1 (30 credits)

Brings together students’ learning and clinical skills to integrate knowledge and skills between the modules.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Pathology, Person and Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Professional & Clinical Skills.

Year 4

Specialist Rotations (80 credits)

Aims to provide opportunity to build on the basic clinical knowledge and skills gained in preceding modules. It aims to enable students to develop an awareness of the processes by which patient care is delivered in each of the specialities mainly in a hospital setting but also in some community settings.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Person and Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Professional & Clinical Skills.

General Practice and Public Health Medicine (30 credits)

The module further demonstrates the breadth and skill of general practice and how primary care interacts with specialist services across a range of disciplines. The module also promotes understanding of public health in theory and practice, through concepts such as social determinants of disease, global disease burden and healthcare service access.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Professional & Clinical Skills and Scholarship & Scientific Enquiry.

Individual Research Project (30 credits – 15 ECTS credits)

Aims to increase students’ ability to study a topic in depth and apply research methodology to novel enquiry. It provides experience of conducting healthcare-related research and presenting results in a disciplined and scholarly format. Aims to help appreciate the importance and limits of a scientific, quantitative and qualitative evidence base for medicine.

Content is based around the Fundamental Track of Scholarship & Scientific Enquiry.

Integrated Practice 2 (40 credits)

Aims to assess knowledge, skills, and attitudes obtained in the year 4 modules.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Pathology, Person and Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Professional & Clinical Skills.

Year 5

Senior Rotations (80 credits)

Aims to consolidate, extend and integrate the professional knowledge, behaviours, attitudes and skills. Aims to enhance clinical, diagnostic and management skills. Aims to lead the transition towards undertaking the role of a junior doctor.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Professional & Clinical Skills.

Finals (100 credits)

Aims to recall, integrate and extend the professional knowledge, behaviours, values, attitudes and skills students have learnt. Develops skills in self-directed study and enquiry into topics of particular professional interest. Allows the student to complete the academic and professional training required for practice as a junior doctor.

Content is based around the Fundamental Tracks of Anatomy, Biomedicine, Ethics, Law & Professionalism, Human Behaviour, Pathology, Person & Population Health, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Physiology, Professional & Clinical Skills and Scholarship & Scientific Enquiry.

https://kmms.ac.uk/study/?_gl=1*ts030k*_gcl_au*MTE5ODY3NzIzMy4xNzc1NzI2Mzk2

The Kent and Medway medical school (KMMS) uses a range of different assessment formats to assess the learning and development of our students. Our aim is to ensure that our KMMS graduates are well-rounded in their professional knowledge as well as their clinical and professional skills, fit for purpose and very well prepared for the Foundation Programme in the NHS.

Our assessment methods are either:

Formative – Assessment for learning. These are mock exams in essence. The results are only used as feedback to the student about how they are progressing in their learning in the module and to familiarise them with the assessment format and its questions.  The results are not used to make decisions about passing or failing the module.

OR

Summative – Assessment of learning. These are serious assessments which count towards making progression decisions (passing or failing) in a module.  Feedback is provided as well after they are completed, usually with marks and data (knowledge tests) or with narrative feedback (essays/reports/course work) or both (such as our main clinical exam called OSCEs – see below).  All our major summative assessments are preceded by a formative one to support students in preparing for them.

The different assessment methods used to assess the learning outcomes of our modules include:

• Applied Knowledge Tests (AKT) – for knowledge gained during modules. We use single best answer (SBA) best of 5 options and very short answer (VSA) questions in our papers. All AKTs are done online using specialised software.

• Objectively Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) – for clinical and communication skills. These are sat in our simulation suite at Christ Church, and we use clinical examiners to assess students in stations using specialised software on iPads. It works similarly to the multi-station mini-interview (MMI) format used during the admissions process.

• Essays / Reports –  for coursework assignments to assess scholarly and scientific skills.

• E-portfolio – for uploading evidence of completed coursework or workplace-based learning of knowledge and clinical skills, as well as for attendance and engagement monitoring (professionalism)

• Individual or small group oral presentations – for presenting results of projects or learning feedback.

• Case-based discussions – these are clinical presentation assessments of a case during NHS placement-based learning in the senior years.

• Prescribing safety assessment – a final year, nationally set, online examination testing safe prescribing skills.

Students must pass all modules in a year before they can progress to the following academic year or graduate.   There are in-year resits offered for the AKT assessments in years 1 and 2 in our system-based modules. Our OSCEs (at the end of every academic year) and the end of year 3 and year 4 AKTs use a process called “sequential testing” and they do not have in-year resit assessments associated with them since they already afford students who need additional assessment that opportunity.

General Medical Council (GMC) Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA)

KMMS has incorporated the nationally set MLA AKT and our locally set final clinical and professional skills assessment (MLA CPSA, which is also an OSCE) in the final year assessments.