Barts Malta Campus: The MBBS Curriculum

You do not start with chemistry and physics as separate subjects but with the human body. Each module covers one organ system and brings anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and pathology together into one picture. You learn anatomy in the anatomy centre on the Gozo campus, and skills such as measuring blood pressure and examining patients in the Clinical Skills Lab. In problem-based learning you work on a patient case with your small group every week.

Exams: At the end of the year, written exams in single-best-answer format covering all modules, plus a practical exam in anatomy and clinical skills. If you pass, you progress to year two.

The second year completes the pre-clinical phase and is the densest in content. The nervous system and sense organs, kidneys, hormones, the musculoskeletal system and reproduction and development are added. Patient contact increases, and with Student Selected Components you choose your own topics for the first time, for example a small research project.

Exams: Written annual exams in single-best-answer format and practical station exams. Passing them completes the pre-clinical phase and you move on to the clinical years.

From now on you learn mainly at the bedside. In clinical blocks at Gozo General Hospital and Mater Dei Hospital in Msida, the largest hospital in Malta, you work in internal medicine, surgery and general practice. You admit patients, present them on ward rounds and learn to combine findings into a diagnosis.

Exams: A written knowledge exam and an OSCE, a practical exam across several stations with simulated patients and case tasks.

The fourth year takes you through the specialties not yet covered in year three. You rotate in short blocks through obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, psychiatry, neurology and the smaller specialties. Alongside, there is a programme on clinical communication and exam preparation.

Exams: A written annual exam and an OSCE covering all specialties. If you pass, you move on to the final year.

In the final year you work almost entirely in hospital and in general practice. In assistantships you take on the tasks of a first-year junior doctor under supervision: admitting patients, prescribing medication, joining on-call shifts. There is also an elective period in which you complete a placement of your choice, including abroad.

Graduation: You complete your degree with the finals, written and as an OSCE. Queen Mary University of London awards you the MBBS, followed by the Foundation Programme as your first doctor's post.

Yes, at its core. Modules, learning outcomes, learning materials and exams are identical to the MBBS in London and approved by the General Medical Council. The differences are the teaching hospitals and the Maltese lessons for patient contact.

Instead of only attending lectures, you work on a patient case in a small group with a tutor. You collect questions, research them yourself and bring the results together in the next session. This trains exactly the kind of thinking you will need on the ward later.

Mainly at Gozo General Hospital and Mater Dei Hospital in Msida, the largest hospital in Malta, as well as in general practices. In year five you can also complete a placement abroad as your elective.

Teaching and exams are entirely in English. Because many patients prefer to speak Maltese at the bedside, basic Maltese for patient contact is part of the programme. You do not need to become fluent.

The British MBBS is a five-year degree, with the practical year already built into year five through the assistantships. After graduation comes the two-year Foundation Programme as a paid doctor's post, before specialty training begins.