During the first two years, the curriculum at Brighton and Sussex Medical School is delivered using a systems-based approach, with communication and clinical skills developed within the classroom setting, as well as in primary, secondary and third sector placements. From Year 3 onwards, your clinical attachments will play a dominant role in developing your knowledge and skills, supported by weekly teaching sessions within Year 3.
At Brighton and Sussex Medical School your clinical experience begins in the first week of Year 1, with the curriculum outlining the following clinical opportunities:
From the beginning of the course, dissection and live anatomy is taught to small groups, to encourage active participation. Anatomical teaching is also delivered through a number of other approaches, for example interactive lectures, small group tutorials, prosection and ultrasound sessions.
More information about the course structure, including assessment information and places of study, can be found here.
During your third and fourth year, you'll be based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and the Audrey Emerton Education Centre, as well as sites across East and West Sussex.
Gain access to a recording of our free webinar and find out what a day in the life of medical student Helen looks like. There's also videos covering all aspects of medical school applications and the UCAT.
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Brighton and Sussex Medical School offers opportunities for Student Selected Components (SSCs) to allow you to “explore selected topics in depth”.
Within Year 5, you will also have the opportunity to undertake an elective, allowing you to gain clinical experience in a different environment, either in the UK or abroad.
In addition to this, Brighton and Sussex offer the option to undertake an intercalated BSc or Master’s degree between the third and fourth year of your medical degree. More information about the intercalated degree can be found here.
Brighton and Sussex Medical School boast “purpose-built, modern facilities [which] include anatomy and clinical science laboratories, stimulated consultation rooms” etc. Within the stimulation rooms, professional actors are used to provide opportunities to practise patient consultations and key clinical examinations, allowing you to develop key skills in general practice.
Brighton and Sussex Medical School also has a focus on inter-professional education, working closely with a range of healthcare professionals to support you to “learn with, from and about other professions” and develop collaborative practice which produces positive outcomes for patients.
Confirmed: for 2025 entry, interviews will take place in person and online from December 2024 to March 2025.
Brighton and Sussex Medical School uses the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format for its interviews. It specifies that your MMI will consist of five discussions, each lasting nine minutes, with a short break between each discussion. The format will remain the same for online interviews.
Brighton and Sussex advise reflecting on your work experience in relation to the Medical Schools Council’s ‘Statement on the core values and attributes needed to study medicine’ in order to prepare for the MMI.
You can find more information about the MMI process at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, including an example MMI discussion, here.
Most medical schools require you to pass an admissions exam before you’ll be invited for interview.
Admissions exam for Brighton and Sussex: University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT)
The UCAT assesses your scientific and mathematical knowledge, and your problem solving, critical thinking and written communication skills.
The exam consists of 5 subtests: Abstract Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Situational Judgement (SJT) and Verbal Reasoning.
To help you prepare for every part of the UCAT, we’ve developed the free Medibuddy adaptive question bank, which uses artificial intelligence to identify your strengths and weaknesses within the syllabus, and carefully selects questions to meet your individual learning needs.
You can also use the question bank dashboard (below) to see how you’re performing in each of the subtests, with your calculated skill level, response time, total number of questions answered and the number of questions answered correctly, for each section of the UCAT. This allows you to easily identify which areas you’ve “mastered” and which you need to dedicate more time to.
To gain a high UCAT score and secure an interview at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, it’s essential that you prepare well for each area of the UCAT!
For more information about the UCAT entry exam, visit our Medicine Entry Requirements blog.
