Medicine

Medicine is the study of the human body in health and disease, and the development of the knowledge, clinical skills, and professional values needed to care for patients across the full range of medical conditions. It is one of the most demanding and most rewarding of all graduate careers, requiring intellectual rigour, practical skill, empathy, and the ability to make sound judgements under pressure and uncertainty. The degree integrates scientific knowledge with clinical experience from early in the programme, developing in students the capacity to apply biological and psychological understanding to the individual patient in front of them.

5-year MB ChB programme is designed to train ethical, honest, and compassionate doctors who place the patient first. The Medical School holds General Medical Council accreditation, which is the standard required for a UK medical degree to lead to registration as a doctor. The programme is structured to develop clinical competence alongside scientific understanding, and the emphasis on ethics and professionalism is built into the curriculum throughout rather than treated as a separate concern.

Buckingham's small size and tutorial tradition mean that students receive close personal attention and support throughout their medical education.

Qualifying as a doctor in the UK leads to registration with the General Medical Council and entry into the Foundation Programme, the two-year postgraduate training that all new doctors complete. From there, doctors go on to specialty training in one of a wide range of medical and surgical specialties, general practice, psychiatry, public health, or academic medicine. Medicine is a lifelong learning profession, and the degree is the beginning rather than the end of a doctor's education.

The qualification is recognised internationally, and many UK-trained doctors work abroad at various points in their careers.