The University of Buckingham is the UK’s first independent not-for-profit Medical School, the curriculum has been crafted over the last 20 years to provide a comprehensive medical education aimed at producing empathetic and competent doctors.
What is an independent medical school?
Buckingham differs from many other medical schools as it is independent. This means that it receives no government subsidies, meaning that the tuition fees must cover all expenses for a students medical education. This has resulted in tuition fees for the 2023 intake being set at £38,000 per annum for both UK and overseas students.
The University of Buckingham Medical School selection criteria
The selection process for The University of Buckingham is split into two parts; academic selection and Objective Structured Selection Examinations (interview). You must pass academic selection in order to be invited to interview. The academic requirements can be found here
The University of Buckingham Medical School Interview explained
The University of Buckingham uses an Objective, Structured Selection Examination (OSSE) for their interviews. This is a series of tasks intended to test the abilities related to ‘Good Medical Practice,’ published by the UK General Medical Council (GMC).
The OSSE is similar to the MMI interview format used by many other medical schools. This will involve rotating around 6-10 stations (dependant on the year), seeing several interviewers over the course of 1-2 hours.
Due to COVID-19 for 2022 entry the University of Buckingham Medical School Interviews will be held online.
How does The University of Buckingham assess applicants at interview?
GMC: Good Medical Practice
Buckingham uses the qualities outlined on Good Medical Practice – a document produced by the GMC to assess prospective applicants.
Good Medical Practice is an explanatory guidance document outlining the behavioural standards expected of doctors by the GMC. Four core domains are highlighted:
1. Domain 1: knowledge, skills and performance
a. This covers a doctor’s responsibility to keep their professional knowledge and skills up to data and to always practice to a high standard.
2. Domain 2: Safety and quality
a. This highlights a doctor’s responsibility to comply with risk management systems and to protect patients and colleagues.
3. Domain 3: Communication, partnership and teamwork
a. This area focuses on a doctor’s role within a team
4. Domain 4: maintaining trust
a. This outlines the responsibility of a doctor to act with honesty and without discriminating against their patients.
Core areas of interview at Buckingham
Personal qualities - Buckingham Medical School
The domains outlined in Good Medical Practice highlight the qualities of an excellent doctor. Buckingham will assess you at interview to ensure you possess these too. Therefore it is important to have examples ready covering these core domains.
For example for Domain 3: knowledge skills and performance - reflections on the importance maintaining your first aid skills as a part of a parttime lifeguard job is just one way of demonstrating your understanding of the importance of these standards prior to medical school.
Data interpretation - Buckingham Medical School
Doctors are required to be scientifically literate as well as being excellent practitioners and communicators. Testing your ability to analyse data is a common interview station and simple to excel at with a basic awareness of what examiners want.
A structured and vocal approach to data interpretation is needed – imagine that the examiner has never seen this data before and think about what information they will need to understand it. They will need to understand the data in a broad sense first i.e. the topic, and measured parameters prior to understanding the trends that exist within. Of course, this will all need to be vocalised clearly and concisely to allow this.
TOP TIP: when structuring a data interpretation answer – start broadly (define the topic) before discussing specifics. Think of it this way; there would be no point randomly listing rules of football with no context of the broader game! Whoever you are explaining to would not understand!
Ethical scenarios - Buckingham Medical School
Ethical scenarios are another way which the University of Buckingham can assess your capacity to embody the values outlined in Good Medical Practice. With an understanding of the core medical ethical principles (check our blog here) you can provide answers which do just that!
Professionalism and the GMC
As the standard of assessment for the University of Buckingham’s interviews a thorough understanding is needed of these areas. Read the full Good Medical Practice document prior to your interview and understand the role of the GMC as the professional regulator of doctors.
Professionalism will be assessed throughout; remain polite, confident and answer with integrity.
Key resources - Buckingham Medical School
Accept that even with all the preparation in the world, you cannot predict precisely how the interview will go, and that’s okay. You’ve practiced, you’ve researched, and you’re ready, so ease into the unexpected and go with the flow. You’ve got this.
Put all that you have learned in this guide to the Buckingham Medicine Interview into practice with a MasterMedPrep Mock Interview!