UCL Medical School
Established	1746 (Middlesex Hospital Medical School) 1834 (University College Hospital Medical School) 1874 (London School of Medicine for Women, later The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine) 1987 (University College and Middlesex School of Medicine) 1998 (Royal Free and University College Medical School)
Type	Medical school
Dean	Professor Sir John Tooke
Location	London, United Kingdom
Website	UCL Medical School

UCL Medical School (formerly Royal Free & University College Medical School)^[1] is the medical school of University College London (UCL) and is located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the United Hospitals.

UCL has offered education in medicine since 1834 but the current school developed from mergers between UCL and the medical schools of the Middlesex Hospital (founded in 1746) and The Royal Free Hospital (founded as the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874).^[2]

Clinical medicine is primarily taught at University College Hospital, The Royal Free Hospital and the Whittington Hospital, with other associated teaching hospitals including the Eastman Dental Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, The Heart Hospital, Moorfields Eye Hospital, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.

History [edit]

The main portico of University College London

UCL Medical School formed over a number of years from the merger of a number of institutions:^[3]

• The Middlesex Hospital opened in Fitzrovia in 1745 and was training doctors since 1746.
• University College Hospital opened in 1834 as the North London Hospital, with the purpose of providing the then newly opened University College London with a hospital to train medical students after refusal by the governors of the Middlesex Hospital to share its facilities with UCL.

Middlesex Hospital and University College Hospital merged their medical schools in 1987 to form University College & Middlesex School of Medicine (UCMSM).

• The London School of Medicine for Women was established in 1874, as the first medical school in Britain to train women. In 1877 The Royal Free Hospital agreed to allow students from LSMW to complete their clinical studies there and by 1896 was renamed The London Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine for Women and became part of the University of London.

In 1998 The Royal Free & University College Medical School (RFUCMS) was formed from the merger of the two medical schools. On 1 October 2008, it was officially renamed UCL Medical School.

In appreciation of the historic beginnings of UCL Medical School, its student society has retained the name "RUMS" (Royal Free, University College and Middlesex Medical Students Society) which runs clubs and societies within UCLU.

Teaching [edit]

The Cruciform Building on Gower Street houses the preclinical facilities of the UCL Medical School; it was previously the main building of University College Hospital.

The medical school is one of the largest in the country with a yearly intake of 330 students.^[4] Undergraduate teaching is spread across three campuses based in Bloomsbury (the Cruciform, University College Hospital, the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Obstetric Hospital), at Archway (the Whittington Hospital and the former Royal Holborn Infirmary) and in Hampstead (the Royal Free Hospital).

It has arguably some of the best clinical sites in the country including: Great Ormond Street Hospital, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (Queen's Square), Moorfields Eye Hospital, The Heart Hospital, The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.

The school is widely regarded as one of the best medical schools in the country (frequently ranked between number 1–5 in the country), it has a very distinguished faculty which includes 78 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences amongst its staff.^[5]

A report published in November 2005, by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) found that RFUCMS had the highest expenditure per student, an average spend of £50,103 per student, of any medical school in the country, followed by Oxford University Medical School (£42,348) and Imperial College School of Medicine (£38,223).

Course [edit]

The course in medicine at UCL leads to the award of the MB BS and BSc (Hons) degrees and takes six years to complete: 2 years of preclinical medicine, 3 years of clinical medicine, and 1 year studying for the intercalated BSc degree, which at UCL is compulsory for all students except postgraduates. UCL offers a wide variety of intercalation degrees ranging from the traditional subjects like anatomy, physiology and biochemistry, to more clinical courses such as Primary Health. Students select their BSc subject by applying through an internal process during the second year of the programme.

There is also the opportunity to intercalate a PhD, either by taking an 'interruption of study' directly after the intercalated BSc, or as part of the integrated MB PhD programme. The latter has been offered by UCL medical school since 1994 and allows students to be offered the MB BS, BSc and PhD degrees in eight years rather than nine if the PhD is undertaken separately.

Admission [edit]

Admission to the medical school, in common with all 32 medical schools in the UK, is extremely competitive. Prospective students must apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Acceptable qualifications for entry include grades AAA at A-level, to include at least Chemistry and Biology, and a pass at AS-level. The International Baccalaureate (Full Diploma), although less common, is also an acceptable entry qualification. Additionally, applicants must sit an entrance exam, the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT).

Associated hospitals and institutes [edit]

University College Hospital on Euston Road, which opened in 2005.

Hospitals [edit]

• University College Hospital
• The Royal Free Hospital
• Whittington Hospital
• Eastman Dental Hospital
• Great Ormond Street Hospital
• The Heart Hospital
• Moorfields Eye Hospital
• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital

Research institutes [edit]

The UCL Institute of Child Health on Guilford Street in Bloomsbury.

• UCL Ear Institute
• UCL Eastman Dental Institute
• UCL Institute of Child Health
• UCL Institute of Neurology
• UCL Institute of Nuclear Medicine
• UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
• UCL Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science
• Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at UCL
• National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)

Clubs and societies [edit]

As well as being able to join all the UCL clubs and societies, medical students can also join those specifically for them. These clubs and societies are run by the Royal Free, University College and Middlesex Medical Students Society (RUMS) which is the Medsoc within UCL Union and as such is independent of the medical school. In 2011, UCLU Medical Society was established providing careers advice and peer teaching for medical students, as well as special interest events. It is the largest medical student society at UCL Union, with 500 members.

Notable alumni [edit]

Notable alumni include Donald Jeffries.,^[6] Ben Goldacre, Christian Jessen, Michael J. Mosley

References [edit]

Sources [edit]

• University College Hospital and its Medical School: a history by W R Merrington (1976) ISBN 0-434-46500-3

External links [edit]

• UCL Medical School official website
• Royal Free, University College and Middlesex Medical Students Society website
• UCL Medical School Clinical Assessment Centre website
• UCL Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science

v t e United Hospitals Members Current Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Imperial College School of Medicine King's College London School of Medicine Royal Veterinary College St George's, University of London UCL Medical School Former and defunct Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School1 Charing Cross Hospital Medical School1 Guy's Hospital Medical School2 King's College Medical School2 Middlesex Hospital Medical School4 Royal Free Hospital Medical School4 Royal Postgraduate Medical School1 St Bartholemew's Hospital Medical School3 St Mary's Hospital Medical School1 St Thomas's Hospital Medical School2 The London Hospital Medical College3 United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals2 University College and Middlesex School of Medicine4 University College Medical School4 Westminster Hospital Medical School1 Student life Medgroup Medical Student Newspaper Competitions Combined Teams United Hospitals Cup United Hospitals RFC United Hospitals Athletics Club 1Now part of Imperial College School of Medicine 2Now part of King's College London School of Medicine and Dentistry 3Now part of Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry 4Now part of UCL Medical School Category

Coordinates: 51°31′18″N 0°08′05″W / 51.5218°N 0.1348°W / 51.5218; -0.1348