Hull York Medical School

Hull York Medical School

Age: 8

History: The Hull York Medical School is a partnership between the Universities of Hull and York and the NHS. The first students arrived in September 2003.

Address: For the first two years of the programme, half of HYMS students are based in Hull and half in York. The remaining three years involve a cycle of placements in a variety of clinical settings across North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.

Ambience: Both universities are campus-based and are very close to their city centres. HYMS students are well integrated with other students in their accommodation and social facilities. HYMS achieves a unified feel, with HYMS students sharing lectures, thanks to whole school events, video-links and staff working on both campuses.

Vital statistics: 700 undergraduate medical students at any one time, welcoming 140 new students every year. There are some 1,750 members of staff, including full-time and part-time clinical placement tutors, and staff from other universities and the NHS, contributing occasional lectures and short courses.

Added value: Alongside the traditional medical curriculum, students go out on placements in hospital, community and primary care settings very early on. In the final year, students work as an integrated member of a health care team, looking after four or five patients. They also have a two-week placement on a multi-professional training ward. It is the only medical school that actively provides up to 50 per cent of students’ clinical experience in primary and community care settings. Students also focus on problem-based learning, evidence-based treatment, good communication skills and management skills.

Easy to get into? In a word, no. Students ideally need three As at A-level, including Biology and Chemistry. You also need a fourth subject at grade B for AS level, and grade A English language and maths at GCSE. All applicants must take the UK Clinical Aptitude Test as well.

Glittering alumni: None as yet.

Transport links: Good train services to both cities via the East Coast mainline from London to Edinburgh. Hull is reached via the M62 and M18; York from the A1 and M1 via the A64. Easy access to Leeds/Bradford, Manchester and Humberside airports, and daily ferry services to mainland Europe from Hull. York and Hull are well-known cycling cities.

Who's the boss? Professor Tony Kendrick, who has has published work on the primary care of depression, schizophrenia, and eating disorders.

Teaching: HYMS is ranked 9th out of 30 medical schools according to the National Student Survey.

Research: It came 12th out of 30 medical schools in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Nightlife: Hull University has its own nightclub, Asylum. York is well known for its large number of good bars, pubs and restaurants but it is a bit sparse for nightclubs with only three.

Any accommodation? Hull offers many different types of accommodation, including catered halls of residence, self-catering on-campus flats, and self-catering university-owned student houses. But the university recommends that student houses or the Taylor Court flats are best suited to HYMS students’ needs, due to their location and longer contract lengths, which fit HYMS’ longer terms. Costs are between £55 and £126 per week.

York university accommodation is divided between the seven undergraduate colleges and each student is allocated to one of these. All rooms are single and third of them have en suite facilities. Colleges have a range of café bars and dining rooms, and most have basic kitchen facilities or an area for preparing snacks, allowing students a mixture of catered and self-catered. Costs are between £85 and £118 per week.

Cheap to live there? Depends where you live. Rents are very low in Hull, where you get a room in a shared house for as little as £50 per week. In York, you're looking more at about £70.

Fees: £3,375 per year for full-time home undergrads starting in 2011. Next year's fees will be set by the Universities of York and Hull, and are yet to be confirmed.

Bursaries: Students may be entitled to a £1,000 per year HYMS bursary if their family income is less than £25,000 for the first four years of the course. In the fifth year students may have their tuition fees paid for by the NHS.

Prospectus: 0870 120 2323; www.hyms.ac.uk/prospectus/

UCAS code: H75