Medicine
Academic Staff
Fellows
Dr Shankar Srinivas is the Zeitlyn Fellow and Tutor in Medicine. He teaches organisation of the body, medical genetics and molecular biology. His research group in the Department of Physiology Anatomy and Genetics works on cell movements and fate during early mammalian embryogenesis, with a particular focus on anterior patterning, the process by which the head end of the embryo is properly specified and positioned. His group employs techniques ranging from molecular genetics to imaging developing embryos with advanced microscopes to study this process.
Dr Christopher Winearls is a Senior Research Fellow of the College and a consultant. He teaches Renal Special Study modules and Student Grand Rounds to clinical level students. His research interests include adult polycystic kidney disease, epidemiology renal disease, renal anaemia and myeloma.
Lecturers
Mr Will Owen provides tutorials in 'Physiology and Pharmacology' and 'Integrated Systems' physiology for 1st and 2nd year medical students respectively.
Clinical Lecturers
Although the majority of teaching for clinical students takes place at the Medical School, the College also provides clinical level tutorials with the Clinical Lecturers.
About the Course
All medical students at Oxford simultaneously study for an Honours Degree in Biomedical Sciences and an Honour Degree in Medicine. It is important to point out this requirement because it means that the course in Oxford is six years, with the extra year being designed to lay the foundations of a scientific approach to Medicine.
The first five terms of the medical course are organised into six overlapping courses:
- Organisation of the Body
- Physiology and Pharmacology
- Biochemistry and Medical Genetics
- Integrated Systems
- The Nervous System
- General Pathology and Microbiology
These involve all the pre-clinical departments and provide an integrated base of professional knowledge which is examined at the end of the third and fifth terms in the medical qualifying examination (1st BM). Informal tests during the five terms are used to ensure that any difficulties students may encounter are dealt with swiftly. Non-medical physiologists take a shortened version of this course and are examined after one year. During the remaining four terms of the course students choose from a wide range of topics among the scientific disciplines on which Medicine is based, and on which research is actively being carried out in the pre-clinical departments at Oxford. There is a wide choice of combinations of subjects to suit individual students ranging from Neuroscience to Psychology of Emotion and Motivation, and from Human Physiology to Immunology. Chemical Pharmacology and the History and Philosophy of Science are also offered as supplementary options. It is possible to undertake cutting edge research by taking part in the laboratory investigations of relevant university lecturers and by preparing a project dissertation as part of the final examination. By the time the final examinations are taken, at the end of the first three years, students have an impressive grasp of the critical and imaginative mental disciplines needed to equip the future doctor in an increasingly technical and scientific world.
After obtaining an Honours Degree, medical students move on to a clinical course, and there are ample opportunities to move to London, Cambridge or any other medical school. Many students, however, choose to stay at the excellent Oxford Clinical School. Although a place is not automatically available for each Oxford graduate at this School, every student obtains a clinical place somewhere.
As with all other subjects at Oxford, teaching is based on the weekly tutorials given by the College’s medical tutors to individual students, or to small groups of students. Work must be prepared in advance, and in each tutorial students discuss their conclusions and any difficulties which have arisen. In addition, lectures and practical classes are held in the scientific departments for students from all colleges; these make up a large proportion of the timetable in the first five terms but diminish in importance later, as more time is devoted to private study in the University and College libraries.
At Jesus we aim to make the course interesting, enjoyable and also challenging so that our medical students develop high levels of self-motivation. The welfare of our students is paramount, and we make particular efforts to match a variety of teaching methods to individual students’ needs along with regular contact with the tutors. We encourage the arrangement of teaching by specialists outside the College when required and contacts with hospital medicine through the Clinical Fellows attached to the College. The full range of teaching is available in the College through the Medical Fellow and associated lecturers. Unusual amongst Colleges, we have a Clinical Fellow, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, who undertakes regular, tutorial-style meetings with students during their clinical years.
Medical students are probably required to work harder than students reading for most other degrees, largely because they have to take professional qualifying examinations as well as the Honours Degree. This does not in any way preclude participation in the usual varied activities that characterise College and University life, although it does put an extra burden on a person’s stamina and ability to organise his or her time efficiently.
Joint Schools
There are no Joint Schools for Medicine. Jesus College does not offer the Biomedical Sciences degree as a stand-alone course.
Admissions
Jesus College welcomes applications from anyone keen to read Medicine. Although Medicine is a competitive subject throughout the country, and all universities have many applicants for the places they have available, we do not feel that this consideration should weigh too heavily with anyone who is determined to study Medicine. The numbers of available places are limited by a University quota which applies to all Oxford colleges: competition for places at Jesus is the same as all other colleges due to a central allocation system. At present we are keeping the number of places at 4 each year (in a total College entry of about 100 undergraduates). We see this as an advantage to our students because it maximises the opportunities for individual teaching.
In order to meet the course requirements for Medicine, A2 level (or equivalent) passes in a minimum of two science subjects are necessary, one of which must be Chemistry. NB Maths counts as a science subject in this case. If Biology and/or Physics are not offered to A2 level, students must have obtained at least GCSE Grade C in these subjects or in double-award GCSE Science. The third subject (and any additional subjects) taken at AS/A2 level may be further science subjects, or a contrasting subject from the Arts, and we do not wish to exclude students who are not offering solely science subjects. If you have any questions about the combination of subjects you are taking or plan to take at A2 level, do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Officer for advice.
All candidates will be required to sit the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) in schools in November. Please see the BMAT website for further details and a specimen paper. Candidates are selected on the basis of academic record (e.g. GCSEs) and potential, as shown by their UCAS reference, performance in the BMAT, and in interviews if shortlisted. Please note that ALL candidates for Medicine are expected to attend for interview in Oxford if invited – overseas or telephone interviews are not possible). Those invited will be seen by tutors in two different colleges in order to present candidates with a variety of situations and reduce the possible arbitrariness of one single longer interview.
Offers made to pre-A level candidates will be conditional upon A level results (normally A*AA, with As in Chemistry and at least one other Science subject or Mathematics). Offers made to post-A level candidates will usually be unconditional.
Deferred Entry: Applications for deferred entry to Jesus College are welcomed. You must apply for deferred entry at the time of application to Oxford: you cannot change your mind after an offer has been made. Please refer to departmental web sites for subject-specific advice. You should be aware that applicants who are offered places for deferred entry will generally be among the strongest of the cohort for their subject. We would not usually offer more than one or two deferred places per subject in order not to disadvantage the following year's candidates. In some cases, an applicant for deferred entry may be offered a place for non-deferred entry instead. If you require any further advice, please contact the Admissions Officer.
Postgraduate Studies and Careers
A medical qualification may lead to a wide range of future career paths and you will have opportunities through your training to discuss your hopes and plans with University and NHS staff.
A careers session is organised for final year students and foundation year doctors, and details of specialist postgraduate training and requirements for postgraduate qualifications are available from the Director of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and from the Regional Advisors of the medical Royal Colleges.
Preliminary Reading and Further Information
Further information about Medicine at Oxford can be found on the Medical Sciences website. Information about admissions is available on the University's Undergraduate Courses pages.
Last updated June 2012