General Information

The information provided below is always being updated, please ensure you visit this site regularly to ensure you are aware of the latest changes.  If you have any questions or would like to suggest items to be added to these pages please contact the MBPhD Programme Administrator – Ms Susan Beesley (Tel: 020 7679 0886)

Exceptional Leave

Exceptional leave requests must be submitted for all absence requested during clinical term times except self directed learning. Additional leave may only be granted in exceptional circumstances with the prior permission of the Consultant during whose firm exceptional leave is requested and a Welfare Tutor. The MBBS regulations require students to complete the full prescribed course of study before entering finals. Unauthorised absence will be taken as failure to complete the course.

Exceptional Leave must:

  • be no more than 1 week in duration (n.b. more than 2 days will not normally be granted during 1 week attachments)
  • not clash with specific events e.g. introductory days, examinations etc
  • be for clear and well founded reasons
  • be requested at least 2 weeks prior to the event (for non emergencies)
  • be approved by the Consultant/Educational Supervisor from whose firm the student will be absent
  • be countersigned by Welfare Tutor (WT)
  • be notified in advance to the MBBS Year 3, 4 or 5 Administrator

Further information and leave application forms can be found here...

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Exposure Prone Procedures (EPPs)

What are EPPs? The Department of Health defines EPPs as “those invasive procedures where there is a risk that injury to the worker may result in the exposure of the patient’s open tissues to the blood of the worker. These include procedures where the worker’s gloved hands may be in contact with sharp instruments, needle tips or sharp tissues (e.g. spicules of bone or teeth) inside a patient’s open body cavity, wound or confined anatomical space where the hands may not be completely visible at all times”. Venepuncture, canulation and suturing are not considered as EPPs.

Do I need to do EPPs to qualify with MBBS or register with the GMC?
No. The GMC is absolutely clear about this. Performing EPPs as a student is not a requirement for either the MBBS or for Provisional Registration. However, you should be aware that choosing not to do EPPs as a student may limit the jobs you can do and, ultimately, your career options. For this reason, recommend that all students have the tests required for the Additional Health Clearance (which includes hepatitis C and HIV screening). Students who do not wish to have the extra tests can opt out, but will not be able to do EPPs and will need to be seen in the Welfare Clinic to be given a card exempting them from EPPs.

What happens if either of these tests is positive?
In the unlikely event of a positive test, you will receive guidance and an appropriate referral to a specialist. You should be reassured that your test results will not be disclosed without your informed consent.

Further information can be obtained from the Medical Student Occupational and Travel Health Centre website...

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Graduation Day

Graduation Day is handled by the UCL Student Centre.  Further details can be found here...

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UCL Information Systems

Information Systems provides central IT services to UCL students and staff. Further details on services can be found at the IS website.  During your PhD research your Department may allocate you a Departmental e-mail account. This new account is completely separate to your main UCL account and will have a different username and password. If you are allocated a new account, it is important that you arrange to forward your main UCL email to your new account as all centrally generated e-mails regarding registration, Portico etc will be sent to your main UCL account.

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NHS Bursaries

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medicalschool/staff-students/welfare/nhs-bursaries

In your clinical Years 5 and 6 you may be eligible to have your fees paid for by the NHS and receive an income-assessed bursary. To find out if you eligible please click on the appropriate link at the foot of this page.

If you have questions regarding any aspect of the NHS bursary scheme and your application,  please deal directly with the NHS or your relevant authority:

If you are unable to find an answer on these pages or from your funding authority, please contact Jelena Baburina in the Medical School.

Please note that any bursary may not be sufficient to fully support your living expenses.

UCL is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

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Portico

PORTICO is the Corporate Service for the support of Student Administration at UCL.

The core PORTICO system supports student records, Exams, Assessment and Award, Fees, Invoicing and Debt Management, Admissions and Graduation Ceremonies

PORTICO currently offers the following for students:

  • Update personal details
  • Update contact addresses
  • View Module Results
  • View Module Directory

Access to PORTICO is available to everyone across UCL – both staff and students alike - via the web portal www.ucl.ac.uk/portico. You will need to logon using your UCL userid and password, which are issued to you once you have enrolled. These are the same as the ones used for accessing UCL restricted web pages, UCL email and the Windows Terminal Service (WTS). If you do not know them, you should contact the IS Helpdesk as soon as possible ( www.ucl.ac.uk/is/helpdesk ).

As a student you can take ownership of your own personal data by logging on to PORTICO.

In PORTICO you can:

  • edit your own personal data e.g. update your home and term addresses, contact numbers and other elements of your personal details;
  • complete online module registration – i.e. select the modules you would like to study, in accordance with the rules for your programme of study (subject to formal approval & sign off by the relevant teaching department and your parent department);
  • view data about courses/modules - i.e. information on courses/modules available either in your home department or elsewhere to help you choose your optional modules / electives.
  • view your own examination results online

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Research Student Log

A Research Student Log is provided by the Graduate School for all new research students to record the development of their skills and research. The Log is a mandatory component of all UCL research degree programmes. The Research Log provides a framework for recording details related to your graduate research programme, scheduled supervisory meetings and activities concerning the development of academic and key skills. Your Log will also help you to assess your progress and to plan and chart evidence of the development of academic and discipline specific skills and key skills. more...

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Graduate School's Skills Development Programme

The Graduate School's Skills Development Programme is open to all graduate research students at UCL. The purpose of the programme is to give you the opportunity to expand your generic research skills and personal transferable skills. These skills are intended to help your research at UCL and also to enhance your life skills and employability.

All Research Council funded research students are required by their funding bodies to participate in the Graduate School Skills Development Programme and/or appropriate departmental courses to a degree equivalent to two weeks per year of their funded studentship.

Effective Academic Writing: Individual Tutorials
One-to-one tutorials during term time in effective academic writing. The principal aim is to foster good writing practice across all disciplines and media, helping students to write clearly and effectively.

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Students Fees & Debtors Office

The UCL Student Fees and Debtors office is responsible for:

  • Invoicing tuition fees
  • Chasing fee debtors
  • Collecting tuition fees
  • Provisional enrolment
  • Suspension of students for non payment of fees

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Student Loans Company

You should apply in the normal way for the first part of MBBS Year 4 (Integrated Clinical Care) and contact the MBPhD Programme Administrator if your require a supporting letter confirming your "additional attendance" for the period 2nd July to 31st August.  

If you are an external student, and have already applied for student finance prior to your transfer to the MBPhD Programme, you will need to inform Student Finance via a 'change of circumstances form' as soon as possible as this is likely to affect your ability to enrol. 

A Change of Circumstances form will be completed by UCL when you transfer to the PhD component of the programme.

You will be able eligible to apply for an NHS bursary when you return to  MBBS Year 5 (Life Cycle) after your PhD.

More information on the Student Loans Company can be found here...

Further information on Change of Circumstances and forms for Student Finance England can be found here...

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Transport for London

Transport for London Student Oyster Photocard. Further details can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/joining-ucl/tfl/

Tube and bus route maps, timetables and travel news etc can all be found at the Transport for London website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

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UCL Maps

A selection of maps of UCL can be found at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/

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Have you lost your ID?

If you have lost (or had them stolen) your UCL or UCLH Trust ID, you need to get these cancelled urgently.

  • Further details on cancelling your UCL ID and obtaining a replacement card can be found here...
  • In order to obtain a replacement UCLH Trust ID, you must take the completed application form (obtainable from s.beesley@ucl.ac.uk) to the cashiers at UCH (located on the ground floor, between pharmacy & the chaplaincy).  Pay £10, obtain a receipt and take both the receipt & application form to the ID room in John Astor House.  Give both receipt & application to the ID card operator, who will then produce the new card.

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Study Guides:

A copy of the MBPhD Clinical Introduction 2012 booklet is available to download in pdf format here...

Once students have enrolled and been allocated a UCL userid and password they can access the current editions of the following:

  • MBBS Year 4 (Integrated Clinical Care) Course Information Study Guides - download here...
  • MBBS Phase 2 Years 3 - 5 Handbooks, Study Guides etc. download here...

The latest and most up-to-date information from the Medical School about the MBBS, assessments, welfare, foundation school and careers, rules, regulations and policies can be found on the MBBS website at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medicalschool/staff-students/, and students are asked in particular to check the website during the ICCM for any updates to Year 3 course information and assessment requirements for 2010/2011.

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Personal Tutor Scheme 

UCL requires all MBPhD students have access to their personal tutor throughout their study at UCL, and to meet on a 1:1 basis on a minimum of 3 occasions in each academic session. In view of the unique duration and scheduling of the MBPhD programme and the location of teaching in the later years, arrangements have been put in place to ensure the most appropriate personal tutor support at each stage.   A confidential record of each meeting will be kept by the Medical School as part of your personal and academic development and can be seen by authorised staff members only.  It is the responsibility of the student to ensure a copy of this form is completed and returned to the MBPhD Programme Administrator (s.beesley@ucl.ac.uk) as soon as possible after the meeting.

MBPhD Personal Tutor 1:1 sessions will be scheduled in September, November, December and April.  Professor Gordon Stewart is the Personal Tutor for all MBPhD Students.  Each session is open to all MBPhD Students at any stage of the MBPhD programme, however,  the timetable below shows the minimum number of attendances required by UCL for each Year of the Programme.  This timetable should be read in conjunction with the complete MBBS Personal Tutor Scheme arrangements available here...

Session MBBS PhD
 September
  • Year 3
  • Year 4
  
 November
  • Year 3
  • Year 5
  
 December
  • Year 4
  • Students that commenced PhD in September
April
  • Year 4
  • Students that commenced PhD in January
  • Students scheduled to return to clinical programme in September

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Research Degrees Submission


As students are expected to return to the clinical programme in September, it is important that they enter for the examination and nominate their examiners in the May prior to their return.

Theses should be submitted no later than the Friday prior to the first day of term of the clinical programme. For students returning in 2012, theses should be submitted to Student Records by: Friday 7th September 2012.  Further information regarding submission of a Research Degree can be found at the Graduate School website.

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Important Dates

2013 Symposium
Date:  Thursday 31st January 2013
Time:  1pm - 5.00pm
Venue: The Rayne Seminar Room.

MBPhD/MBBS Graduation Day
July 2013

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The Cordwainers' Prize for the Best MBPhD Thesis Of The Year

The Royal Free Hospital was founded by one William Marsden, at one time the Master of the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers. The Company has maintained a strong link with the hospital ever since and has now generously donated a prize for the best PhD thesis presented by an MBPhD student.

The prize will consist of a cheque for £1000. The theses will be examined by a distinguished clinical scientist, chosen by the MBPhD Management Committee.

The award is open only to MBPhD students at UCL.

The thesis will be judged on the following grounds:

  1. The timeliness of its submission
  2. Its contribution to clinical science
  3. The quality of its presentation.

All students submitting a thesis in the current calendar year will be expected to apply. The student will present one copy of the thesis, accompanied by copies of papers and abstracts published, in press and submitted, with a one page summary of the research work, outlining the scientific contribution that has been made.

The award will be made in the autumn term. The winner will be required to attend the Marsden Lecture (third Thursday in November) to receive the award.  The Marsden Lecture is held in recognition of the Royal Free Hospital’s founder, William Marsden and is open to the public. Following the lecture, prizes are presented by the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, such as the Cordwainers’ scholarship for highest marks achieved for year 1 examinations and the prize for best MBPhD thesis.

The MBPhD Management Committee will reserve the right to make no award.

Award Administration

  1. The Faculty of Medical Sciences will notify:
  • the successful candidate by the end of December in the year of the award.
  • The Clerk of the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers
  • The medical student administration department of the name of the selected scholar

2. The gift of £1,000 will be paid directly to the student by the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers

3. The gift will be gratefully acknowledged in appropriate UCL publications under the name ‘The Cordwainers Prize for the Best MBPhD Thesis Of The Year'

4. UCL reserves the right to vary these regulations should it become necessary to do so.

5. Awards are subject to the provisions of the General Regulations. 

Prize Winners...

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Astor Travel Bursary Scheme

The principal aim of the MBPhD Astor Travel Bursary is to encourage MBPHD students to present their research at international conferences. Awards are for a maximum of £500 per student during their programme of study and this can be split over two applications totalling a maximum of £500.  Further information can be downloaded here:

UCL is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

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Page last modified on 19 apr 13 08:15