Students who wish to become doctors must follow the five-year programme leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
In addition to satisfying the University entrance requirements, candidates for admission shall satisfy the following requirements:
| Grade E or above in either | 3 AL subjects |
| or | the equivalent of 6 AS subjects |
in EITHER of the following combinations: (1) Chemistry; and the remainder from the following: Physics, Biology, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Mathematics and Statistics, OR (2) Chemistry; the remainder from (i) Physics, Biology, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, and Mathematics and Statistics; and (ii) any other subject(s) equivalent to not more than 2 AS subjects.
Candidates who do not have Grade E or above in AL or AS Physics and/or Biology are required to obtain Grade E or above in Physics and Grade C or above in Biology/Human Biology in HKCEE.
Selection Criteria
For JUPAS applicants, preference is given to those who list the MBBS degrees as a Band A choice. For non-JUPAS applicants, only those who list the MBBS degrees as their first choice will be considered.
Selection for admission is based on academic performance in HKALE and HKCEE (or equivalent) and performance at interviews.
Applicants who have not sat the HKALE but have obtained passes in examinations of equivalent standard recognised by the University for admission purposes may also be considered for admission provided that they have fulfilled the subject requirements listed in the curriculum entrance requirements.
Preference for admission is given to local candidates but in exceptional circumstances a few overseas applicants may be selected. All applicants, both local and overseas, are required to have a good working knowledge of English and Cantonese.
Interviews
JUPAS applicants may be selected for an interview to be held in May 2011. Interviews for non-JUPAS applicants may be held in April, June and/or July.
The interviews are designed to assess the applicants' suitability for medicine, and will take into account their motivation, aptitude, communication skills and general social awareness. It is conducted in both English and Cantonese.
PROGRAMME AIMS AND FEATURES
The goal of the curriculum is to produce doctors who are competent in the understanding and delivery of effective, humane and ethical medical care, committed to lifelong learning, and ready to proceed to postgraduate training. The design of the course reflects the following educational principles:
Active, student-centred learning Students are encouraged to be active in managing their own learning and to question both what and how they learn through problem-based, small-group tutorials. These tutorials foster the development of skills for interpersonal communication and teamwork, and help train students to become lifelong learners.
Integration The curriculum emphasizes the inter-connections between different fields of knowledge. Essential elements of basic science and clinical practice are learnt through an integrated approach.
Early clinical contact Students are introduced to clinical and clinical interpersonal skills, patient contact and medical ethics early in the curriculum. These clinical experiences relate closely to theoretical teaching. Students develop clinical skills in purpose-built Clinical Skills Training Centre to achieve early and effective training.
Increased use of community resources A wide variety of community-based teaching is employed to complement the activities that take place within hospitals, exploiting the educational experiences which family physicians, maternal and child health services, hospices and patient support groups can provide.
Core and options approach 'Special-study modules' are offered at the end of the second, third and fifth years which allow students to choose to explore specific areas of interest or experience in either medical or non-medical fields. At the same time, students learn a core of materials providing essential medical knowledge during term time.
The MBBS curriculum lasts for 10 semesters spreading over five years and is designed to emphasize and integrate four key themes:
In the first semester, an Introduction to Health and Disease Block is offered to provide an introductory overview of the structure and function of the human body. This also gives an overview of the processes of disease and introduces the therapeutic strategies for modulating disease processes. From the beginning, students are encouraged to develop an understanding of the ethical and economic implications of modern medical care, as well as the importance of an approach to patient care that is based on sound scientific evidence.
In the second, third and fourth semesters, the curriculum is based on a 'human systems' approach. The curriculum includes nine interdisciplinary modules (respiratory system, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, urogenital system, musculoskeletal system, central nervous system, head and neck system, haematology and immunology, and endocrine system). Students learn the structure and functions of the body systems through these modules as they relate to the patient both as an individual and as a member of a wider population group.
In the first part of the fifth semester (i.e. the beginning of the third year), an Integrated Block adopting a 'life-cycle approach' to studying multi-system problems is introduced. The aim is to help students to integrate the knowledge they have acquired during the earlier parts of the course and prepare them for the subsequent clerkships.
During the remaining semesters, the emphasis shifts to the clinical management of patients. Students proceed from the Junior Clerkship programme occupying the second part of the fifth semester and the sixth semester, to the Senior Clerkship programme in the seventh semester and the Specialty Clerkship programme in the eighth and ninth semesters. During the period of Specialty Clerkship, students are required to reside in the Madam S.H. Ho Residence for Medical Students or in an approved teaching hospital for specified periods.
The tenth semester comprises a revision block preceding the Final Examination, and the last special study module (SSM) after the Final Examination. During the SSM period, students have the opportunity to explore areas of individual interest by means of either clinical attachment or laboratory/clinical research. Some students may undertake clinical attachment overseas. Students then proceed to a 4-week pre-internship programme comprising practical tips workshops, hospital attachments, and orientations organised by the Hospital Authority and the hospitals.
PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
The degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery are currently recognised as registrable primary qualifications by the Medical Council of Hong Kong.
CAREER PROSPECTS
After having obtained the MBBS degrees, all medical graduates are required to undergo one year of housemanship in a public hospital before they can practise as licensed doctors in the territory. Completion of the basic medical training opens the door to a multitude of career options in medicine, e.g. public hospital doctors, private practitioners, university doctors who are involved in clinical teaching, research and services, and health administrators. To be a specialist, the medical graduate should be prepared for more years of postgraduate training and more examinations. A few graduates will use their basic medical training to build a non-medical career (e.g. law, business or pharmaceutical development).
EXAMINATIONS/ASSESSMENTS
Comprehensive and competence-based assessment methods such as evaluation of tutorial performance, continuous clinical competency assessment, year-end knowledge-based examinations and objective structured clinical examinations are employed to assess students' knowledge and other qualities such as critical thinking, group skills, information management skills, and clinical and clinical interpersonal skills. In case of unsatisfactory performance, students may be required to undertake supplementary assessments, following completion of remedial work prescribed by the Board of Examiners.
CONTACTS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
| Email: | medfac@hkucc.hku.hk |
| Website: | http://www.hku.hk/facmed |