Professional Doctorate in General Internal Medicine (Clinical MD; MPhil)


Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Entry requirements
In addition to the entry qualifications for this Schedule which are set out in the Research Degrees – Generic Institutional Regulations (UPR AS10, section 4 refers), a candidate for a research degree on this schedule will satisfy the following criteria:
1. Have completed undergraduate training from an internationally recognised medical school and be fully registered with the medical council of the respective country whilst undertaking any research degree within this schedule
2. Have completed one year of internship (internship may have been completed as an integral part of medical school training)
3. Achieved an academic IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum of 6.5 in each section, with all scores achieved in the most recent test
4. Provide two-character reference letters from their medical school or from their current consultants
5. If successful at online-application review, applicants will be invited to an online video conferencing interview.
6. Applicants should note that to be considered by the General Medical Council (GMC) for full registration with a licence to practise in the UK, you need to meet the GMC eligibility requirements. This includes evidence that you have carried out medical practice for three out of the last five years, including the most recent 12 months, and evidence of your knowledge of English.

About the course

The Clinical MD programme is especially designed for overseas, early career medical practitioners who wish to undertake a substantial course of individual research and to develop clinical skills related to general internal medicine. It will provide you with the recognition required to become a specialist in general internal medicine in your home country.

The Clinical MD programme is a full-time structured doctorate, run over the duration of of 27 months and is divided into three core components.

Research Dissertation - Students are expected to complete an individual research project on a novel research area within medical or healthcare delivery.
Clinical placement - Students will complete clinical placements at a local NHS hospital.
Clinical units of learning - Students undertake clinical units of learning across a broad range of topics within general internal medicine

Mandatory checks will need to be undertaken before the start of the clinical placements. These checks usually take a few weeks and are:

an Occupational Health check;
a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) or criminal record check.

All applicants have the option to be considered by the General Medical Council (GMC) for full registration with sponsorship. Additional entry requirements and fees apply.

Two Pathways are available:

Pathway 1 - 27 months in full-time mode.
Pathway 2 – 27 months in full-time mode. This pathway gives applicants the opportunity to apply for full General Medical Council (GMC) registration with a licence to practice via the university’s sponsorship scheme and includes a GMC sponsored registration assessment.

The choice of pathway does not affect the award given.

Apply now

We are not currently accepting applications for this programme because a new start date has not been confirmed. However, you can contact the course administrator Donna Beamish via doctoralcollegeadmissions@herts.ac.uk to express your interest in the programme. She will keep your contact details on file and get in touch again when a new start date is announced. For
queries related to the research project, clinical skills and your timetable, please contact the Programme Director, Dr Jacob Enemona

Teaching methods

Throughout the course, you'll also have access to:

online pre-recorded sessions, discussions, webinars and self-study in support of all the clinical units of learning
study days in clinical skills including an introduction
pre-placement tutorials to facilitate the working practises in the NHS (e.g. cultural safety, human factors)
a wide range of online research development programmes (e.g. statistics, communication and presentation skills, technical writing, resilience and assertiveness)
self-directed learning to complement all the above
invitation to events, social gatherings and others.

Research project

You'll choose a novel research topic in collaboration with your supervisory team within the field of general internal medicine, and will be guided and supported through:

Learning about health research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative research)
Defining your research topic and writing a research proposal
Completing an initial registration assessment viva with a panel of expert academics and clinicians
Writing a progress report and completing a second progression assessment viva with a panel of expert academics and clinicians
Presenting the final project results in a thesis and defending it by a final viva.
While undertaking the programme, students will also be encouraged to publish manuscripts, submit posters, abstracts, and present at scientific conferences to give more visibility to their research work.

NHS clinical placement

Each NHS clinical placement will consist of attending ward rounds, clinics, multidisciplinary team meetings, hospital grand rounds and specialist’s clinical procedures (e.g. cardiac catheterisation, endoscopy). In addition, there will be:

sharing of up-to-date knowledge of international guidelines in day-to-day clinical practice (e.g. NICE)
bedside teaching and case-based discussions of different clinical scenarios
teaching and direct experience and understanding of NHS healthcare system
demonstration of clinical competencies through assessments such as Mini Clinical Evaluation Skills (mini-CEX) and case-based discussion (CbD) of Knowledge and Skills. Completion will be supported by teaching medical consultants and recorded using a personalised e-portfolio.

Course experts

Professor Diana Gorog
Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist

Dr Enemona Jacob
Programme Director

Professor Jay Arnold
Consultant Gastroenterologist, Ealing Hospital

Professor Shahid Khan
Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist, Lister Hospital, Stevenage

Professor Simon Payne
Senior Consultant Emergency Medicine

Professor Thida Win
Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Lister Hospital, Stevenage

What’s next for my career?

While studying at the University of Hertfordshire and working at NHS hospitals, you'll be supported by a team of expert academics and practitioners from different specialties who are conducting world-leading research (3-4* REF) within the Centre of Health Services and Clinical Research.

You'll gain essential doctoral level knowledge and skills in general internal medicine, which will be recorded using an e-portfolio. You'll also benefit from our vibrant, dynamic and international community of postgraduate medical researchers and have the opportunity of living close to London.

Course fees

International students

Full time

£25,000 per year

Plus an additional £7,500 for GMC sponsored registration assessment training.

Deposits

You are required to pay a deposit of £5,000 to secure your place and be issued with a CAS.

If you are undertaking Pathway 2, in addition to the £5,000 deposit, you must pay a further £15,000 (total of £20,000) before you enrol, for GMC sponsorship assessment and administration fees.