General Objectives

The programme provides graduate students with the opportunity to receive high quality education in Medicine.  As it is aimed at those holding a first degree, its mode of delivery focuses on a highly integrated approach to learning.  It features an initial emphasis on the basic sciences relevant to medicine, followed by a system/ theme-based, clinically-focussed programme, using a combination of learning methodologies including case/ problem/ team-based learning, flipped classroom and clinical training. Directed self-learning and technology-based learning are both key to the programme. There is significant early clinical experience from Year Two culminating in the final two, purely clinical years, of study.

The general programme objectives are to:

• Train students to become highly competent physicians and equip them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that will enable them to respond to the challenges of modern medicine.
• Produce competent and caring graduates, safe to practise initially as junior doctors, and with the potential to develop their careers in their chosen branch of medicine.
• Provide each student with the evidence-based knowledge and experience necessary to advance both scientifically and humanistically in the care and treatment of those who are ill including immediate care of medical emergencies.
• Foster the development of lifelong commitments to scholarship and service toward individual patients and the community.
• Encourage students to practise medicine holistically including ethical, legal, psychological and social considerations.
• Promote health and wellness through disease prevention and research.
• Contribute toward the establishment of Cyprus as a regional centre of excellence in medical education

Programme Learning Outcomes

The principles of the Medical School’s mission and core values underpin the design and development of the graduate entry MD programme and its intended outcomes for graduates. These outcomes have been designed on the basis that graduates of the programme will have the required knowledge, skills and professional competencies to provide safe and effective patient-centred care and have been grouped under these three corresponding headings.

Upon completion of the programme students should be able to:

Knowledge

• Explain normal human structure and function at the molecular, cellular, tissue, organ and whole-body level from conception to old age.
• Explain the scientific principles underlying common and important disease processes including inflammation, infection, neoplasia and trauma.
• Describe basic pharmacological principles together with the pharmacology of commonly used medications, including their modes of action, pharmacokinetics, medication interaction and side effects.
• Describe the role of genetics in predicting the risk of disease and in personalised medicine.
• Explain the determinants of normal human behaviour at an individual and societal level.
• Explain how psychological and sociological factors might impact on the risk of disease and the outcome of treatment.
• Describe how individuals adapt to major life changes, including the onset of illness.
• Explain the concept of ‘wellness’ and describe the importance of promoting lifestyle factors in achieving the best possible health.
• Describe the role of epidemiology in evaluating the health of a population.
• Discuss the role of environmental, ecological, social, behavioural, occupational and cultural factors in determining health at individual, community and societal levels.
• Describe the principles of primary, secondary and tertiary disease prevention, together with the role of immunisation and screening.
• Describe the basic principles of communicable disease control in both hospital and community settings.
• Discuss the role of nutrition in health and illness.
• Discuss the determinants of health from a global perspective and recognise the impact that global factors may have on local health.
• Describe the utility of qualitative and quantitative methods in scientific research.
• Interpret common statistical methods used in medicine and in medical research.
• Critically appraise the research literature in terms of study design, results, analysis and conclusions.
• Discuss the role of doctors in contributing to the collection and analysis of patient data.
• Describe the principles of health informatics.

Skills

• Communicate compassionately and effectively with patients and when relevant, with significant others including taking a relevant focused history.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues in all professional settings, including group situations.
• Communicate effectively by written and by electronic means as well as orally.
• Keep accurate clinical records and demonstrate skills in the recording, organisation and management of information including the use of appropriate information technology.
• Conduct an examination of the major body systems in a simulated environment.
• Assess, investigate and manage patients in a safe, competent and caring manner applying sound clinical reasoning at all stages of the process.
• Prescribe drugs safely under supervision including dosage calculation, prescription writing and administration.
• Recognise and manage life-threatening conditions and provide the immediate core of medical emergencies including First Aid and resuscitation.

Professional Competencies

• Discuss the nature of medical professionalism and its importance in patient care recognising that the care and safety of patients is central to their everyday practice.
• Work with members of the multidisciplinary team and understand their own personal roles and responsibilities within the team as well as those of other healthcare professionals.
• Discuss the basic principles that underpin good ethical practice including the need to respect patients regardless of their lifestyle, culture, beliefs, religion, race, colour, gender, sexuality, disability, age, and social or economic status.
• Be aware of and be able to discuss the major ethical issues in healthcare as may be encountered in everyday clinical practice including concern for confidentiality and respect for individual autonomy.
• Explain the importance of maintaining patient confidentiality and of respecting the autonomy, dignity and privacy of patients.
• Explain one’s professional and legal responsibilities when accessing information in relation to patient care, research and education.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of always acting with honesty and integrity, including the duty of open disclosure when things go wrong.
• Demonstrate an understanding of when patient consent is required and how it is best obtained. This includes an understanding of when and how consent needs to be obtained from a third party.
• Recognise the potential impact on patient care of one’s personal beliefs and biases and describe the strategies that mitigate this.
• Describe the principles of safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
• Display a life-long commitment to scholarship and service towards the individual patient and the community.
• Practise medicine holistically taking into account ethical, legal, psychological and social considerations.
• Promote health and wellness through disease prevention and research.
• Contribute toward the establishment of Cyprus as a regional centre of excellence in medical education.

Curriculum

The curriculum is innovative and builds on the major advances in medical education that have occurred internationally over recent decades and the latest research in the field. This includes such things as student-centredness, interactive small-group teaching, technological innovations, vertical & horizontal integration across the basic and clinical sciences and community orientation.

Years 1 – 3

In the first three years, emphasis is placed on contextual learning with learning outcomes linked to weekly scenarios or cases which are increasingly clinical in nature. The scenarios/ cases provide context that puts focus on the learning outcomes of the week and illustrates their relevance to practice. The discussion and analysis of these scenarios/ cases, in small group settings, is the basis of the learning week in the first three years. There is early clinical exposure with a longitudinal clinical placement starting at the beginning of the second year of the programme.

The first Pre-medical Basic Sciences year is designed to provide a solid grounding in the basic sciences that underpin the practice of medicine. The year focuses on genetics and molecular biology, development and functional histology, biochemistry and metabolism and the basis of physiology and pharmacology. These key courses are supplemented by two projects covering critical appraisal of literature and data analysis providing the basis for training in critical inquiry and evaluation of evidence.

In the second year, the learning of the basic sciences remains the focus but this becomes integrated and system-based and covers sequentially the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary, endocrine, musculoskeletal, neurological and reproductive systems as well as growth and development in childhood. Small-group learning continues as the backbone of the learning week and teaching in clinical and communication skills is introduced for the first time and follows the topic of the week as much as possible. Clinical placements are introduced and comprise longitudinal, once-weekly attachments in a range of clinical settings with the emphasis being on primary care facilities. The aim of the clinical attachment at this early stage is to give increasing confidence to the students in taking histories and conducting clinical examinations using skills learned in the simulation laboratory as well as to provide the necessary clinical context for the weekly cases. In addition to the horizontal integration of the learning week, Year 2 courses provide opportunities for spiral learning and vertical integration as is the case between molecular genetics in Year 1 and clinical genetics in the Reproduction, Growth and Development course of Year 2.

In the third year, the basic structure of weekly cases continues, but the topics become more complex and address multiple systems. Longitudinal clinical placements, similar to those described in Year 2, also feature in the first semester and the first course of the second semester with the focus on providing opportunities to the students to practise their clinical and communication skills and to provide a broad clinical context for the learning in these courses. Year 3 courses are excellent opportunities for spiral learning and vertical integration of system-based physiology and pathophysiology as well as clinical and communications skills with a strategy that is no longer restricted by a body systems approach. The final course in Year 3 is Polymorbidity and the emphasis here shifts from a once-weekly clinical attachment to learning primarily in the clinical environment. The aim of this is to consolidate students’ skills in taking a clinical history, conducting a clinical examination and formulating a basic differential diagnosis as well as having a broad understanding of patient management. This course is designed to prepare students for the clinical training in Years 4 and 5 of the programme.

Year 4 -5

In Years 4 and 5, learning takes place in the clinical environment. Curriculum delivery in Years 4 and 5 utilizes both horizontal and vertical integration. Medical and surgical disciplines are integrated horizontally, for example, Medical and Surgical Gastroenterology; Nephrology and Urology; Rheumatology and Orthopaedics. Vertical integration is utilized to build on previous knowledge, including formal structured revisiting of the basic sciences. Students revisit the conditions encountered in the earlier years, as well as less common disorders. Whereas the focus in earlier years is on reaching a diagnosis e.g. through history, examination and appropriate investigations, in Years 4 and 5, students are expected to place increasing emphasis on patient management. During the senior clinical years, the level of responsibility is gradually increased through revisiting topics previously encountered, which culminates in assistantship-type attachments in Year 5, in preparation for the first year of clinical practice.

Students remaining in Cyprus for clinical training will need an appropriate knowledge of Greek so that they can better communicate with patients. The Medical School provides free Greek-language lessons to prepare students for this requirement.

Curriculum Streams

In addition to the courses that run sequentially through the academic year, key components of the curriculum are organised to run both horizontally and vertically across the years of the programme. These curriculum components are represented by streams as opposed to dedicated courses and examples include Health Psychology & Sociology, Health Law & Ethics, Global Health, Public Health, Populations & Epidemiology, Cultural Competence and Patient Safety. These represent indispensable curriculum elements aimed at equipping the graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies in order to practise safely and effectively. For example, they provide detailed insights into the complex manner in which patients and their families experience illness, the nature of the doctor-patient relationship, the ethical dimension of medical practice and the associated challenges and the promotion of health and prevention of disease in entire populations.

Educational methods

The educational methods used in the delivery of the programme are based on modern educational principles and both well-established and innovative trends in medical education, as these relate to the teaching and learning of knowledge, skills and professional competencies. These principles include experiential learning, social cognitive theory, adult learning, self-directed learning, situated learning and learning in communities of practice.

The overall approach is based on the need to deliver education to more mature learners and is characterised by a clear shift away from the more traditional, didactic forms of teaching and towards interactive learning. A backbone of small-group activities in various forms (mainly case/problem-based learning) underpins the educational strategy of the programme. This is appropriately complemented by some directed delivery in selected key topics, interactive large group sessions including flipped classroom and team-based learning, directed self-learning, computer-assisted learning, project work, practical & laboratory skills sessions, clinical & communication skills sessions, role playing, workshops, debates, journal clubs, interprofessional learning opportunities and education in the community and the clinical environment.

The learning of skills required to practise medicine includes instruction in history taking, communication, examination and the performance of procedures in a safe simulated environment and in a well-structured and educationally stimulating format. In keeping with our focus on innovation, ultrasound skills are taught alongside clinical skills in a manner that gives students increasing confidence in the use of this modality. The learning of these skills is carried over into the clinical environment where students are closely and appropriately supervised and where workplace-based assessments are integral components of clinical training. Other important components of education in the clinical years of the programme are clinical demonstrations and clinicopathological conferences, designed to enhance the integration of the basic and clinical sciences by ensuring that the theoretical knowledge acquired in the earlier years continues to be relevant and applicable in the clinical environment and in the context of patient care. In terms of the various settings, these include a wide array of community, medical centre and hospital environments. In the community, beyond primary care and other outpatient facilities, students learn, for example, in community centres, old people’s homes, rehabilitation facilities, hospices, patients’ homes, remote communities through the School’s mobile clinic, schools and refugee centres. In terms of hospital settings, students receive training across the full range of secondary and tertiary referral facilities.

Projects

Projects in the form of electives and selectives are also key components of the programme’s educational philosophy and methodology. These allow the students to develop their critical thinking, creative and presentation skills through an array of activities including working with and critically appraising literature, data analysis and handling, formulating research proposals, investigating topics in depth, preparing posters, presenting to peers and faculty and essay and report writing.

Programme Structure

The graduate entry MD programme (GEMD) is structured around 10 semesters over a period of 5 years. In each semester students are required to take 30 ECTS credits, completing 300 credits after 10 semesters of full-time tuition.

Semester Breakdown

PRE-MEDICAL BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

YEAR 4

YEAR 5

Assessment

The assessment in all five years of the graduate entry MD Programme is designed to evaluate the knowledge, skills and professional competencies that students need to achieve in order to practice medicine.

Knowledge and Skills are assessed by:

1. Final Exams (Years 1-3)
2. End of Year Exams (Years 4-5)
3. Project work (in Years 1-3) including scientific reports, oral presentations and posters.

Practical skills are assessed by Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). OSCEs are practical exams in which the students’ clinical and communication skills are evaluated in the context of standardized medical scenarios. Students have to demonstrate competency in a range of skills, including history-taking, explaining and negotiating, physical examination, procedural skills, clinical reasoning, diagnosis and management. Both simulated and real patients are involved.

Professional Competencies are assessed longitudinally in every year and in Years 4-5 by Workplace Based Assessments and reflective portfolio entries.

The details of assessment for each year of the graduate entry MD programme are thoroughly described in the Scheme of Assessment, which is available to the students upon enrolment on the programme.

Assessment of the Highest Quality

In the graduate entry MD programme several mechanisms are in place to ensure assessment is of the highest quality. All assessments are blueprinted against the curriculum and thoroughly reviewed by Internal Moderators, an Assessment Panel and an External Examiner.  Pass marks are established via a standard setting approach, as appropriate for the type of exam. The results of each exam, including relevant psychometric analysis, are reviewed during Results Meetings.

Formative assessments, such as formative online quizzes, are an integral part of Years 1-3 and play an important role in the support of learning. They are followed by a plenary feedback session delivered by the Course Lead. At the end of Year 2, students take a formative OSCE and detailed constructive feedback for each station is provided to them.

Accreditation

The graduate entry MD programme is accredited by the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA). CYQAA holds Recognition Status by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) and the graduate entry MD programme is thus assessed against the rigorous standards for Basic Medical Education of WFME. The framework for WFME accreditation has been developed jointly with the World Health Organisation. This ensures that the quality of education is at an appropriate and comprehensive global standard.

You may also find the programme listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS).

Career Prospects

This global mark of recognition enables our graduates to pursue a career in their chosen field of medicine around the world. For example, beginning in 2024, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) will only extend certification to international medical graduates of medical programmes that meet WFME standards. ECFMG certification is required for international medical graduates to pursue residency in the United States and thus practice medicine.

The graduate entry MD programme (GEMD) has been designed to meet, and exceed, the requirements of the EU Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications (2005/36/EC) so as to enable nationals of EU, EEA / EFTA member states and Switzerland to have their award recognised when applying to practise in those countries, following graduation.

With its WFME-based accreditation and EU Directive-aligned design, the programme is well-suited to those aspiring to engage in postgraduate specialty training around the world, following their graduation from the programme, including the United States and Europe. Students are advised to check with their own individual national authorities if they wish to practise in their own country. It should also be noted that individual countries have their own regulations as to the entry point of their training programme, as well as any additional requirements that may be needed (such as language proficiency). Our careers team provide support in that respect and throughout their journey, students will receive assistance and guidance in aligning with national licensure exams, such as USMLE, based on their preferred postgraduate pathway.

With our devoted Student Success Team, students are matched with a personal tutor, as well as being invited to meet with our Career Advisers for a one-to-one meeting, starting in Year 1, in order to map and track their studies and career objectives. We build an individualised career profile to assist and guide each student in how to prepare for postgraduate training applications and registration processes after graduation. Our Student Success Team provide various Alumni-led student support mechanisms i.e. mentoring and mock interview coaching to name a few, as well as specialty specific presentations and information sessions hosted by alumni and career experts to offer best practice skills and information for working in different regions of the world to support student goals.

With more than 80 nationalities of students represented at the Medical School, students study and practise with colleagues and faculty in a diverse environment that provides a competitive advantage in the global healthcare market. Graduates of our School’s programmes have been offered positions at over 200 medical centres around the world for residency training, fellowships, internships, and research.

Our Admissions Advisors can provide further information on career options with this GE MD degree and any licensure requirements.

Admission Requirements

1. Academic Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree from any field with at least a 2.2 class honours or equivalent GPA.

PLUS

Entrance Examination

MCAT: 498 minimum score

Or

GAMSAT: 55 minimum score (must have a minimum of 50 in all sections)

Or 

UCAT: 2500 overall score with a minimum of 500 in each section, and a situational judgment score within Bands 1-3. Note that UCAT is accepted ONLY for those who hold a Bachelor of Science degree in the Life Sciences or Biomedical Sciences with at least a UK 2.2 class honours or equivalent GPA. Please contact us if you wish to inquire about your eligibility.

Applicants from Israel can provide evidence of having the Tel Aviv University / Yeda exam with minimum overall score of 300 in place of the MCAT or GAMSAT requirement.

The Medical School may also consider applicants from other education systems. For any other qualifications, please contact us so that we can assess eligibility.

2. English Language Requirements

6.5 overall in the IELTS (with 6.5 in writing and a minimum of 6.0 in all other elements),

Or 79 in TOEFL iBT

Or grade 5 in the GCSE (or B with the old grading system),

Or a score of 5 in English in the International Baccalaureate Standard Level (SL),

Or a score of 8 in English in the European Baccalaureate.

Students whose native language is English and who originate from the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia and New Zealand, are exempt from this requirement.

Students from English speaking provinces in Canada are required to provide an official letter from their high school and University that confirms that the language of instruction was English. Otherwise, they are required to provide proof of their English proficiency as per our admissions requirements.

Applicants with an EU/EEA passport and who have graduated from an English-speaking university in one of the above six countries, but who are not from that country, may be able to submit the English language proficiency certificate used when enrolling in that university – our Admissions team can provide further advice on this. Third country nationals will be required to submit evidence of English language proficiency in line with the above requirements as part of the student visa process, regardless of the language of instruction of their first degree.

3. An online Interview

The objective of the interview is to establish whether applicants have the appropriate skills and attributes to complete the programme successfully and to practise medicine professionally.

Applicants need to demonstrate through volunteer experience that they have an understanding of the biological, psychological and social dimensions of medicine to support their application displaying suitability for a career in medicine.

Financial Information

Tuition and Living Costs

Annual tuition is €24,000 per year. In years 4 and 5, Clinical Training Supplement fees may be charged depending on clinical site allocation.

On average, staying in Nicosia for the whole year will cost a minimum of €12,000.

In addition to tuition, the following fees also apply:

Financial Assistance

Our School has established a scholarship fund that is designed to assist students in partially funding their studies.

An applicant must first meet our admissions requirements, successfully complete the interview, and be offered a place, before they can apply for such a need-based scholarship.

If you have received an offer and are considering applying for a scholarship, please review your offer letter for relevant deadlines to ensure you apply in a timely manner.