SGU of London INTO program Residency

[londonbound]

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Guys I know this feed has most likely been started before but I wanted to get current medical students and any residences thoughts on St. Georges University Medical school located in London. I got in through their INTO program and I had a couple of questions.

The first goes out to those who are or have participated in PBL curriculum. since they participate heavily in the PBL curriculum I am worried about a blind leading the blind situation, or since it is mainly self motivated in the study department, not knowing if you've studied the correct material in enough detail to do well on the old ball and chain (step 1 and 2) since there are not really "normal" lectures (histo, A&P, biochem etc) in this style of learning. Those who are or have participated in PBL is there a rough outline of what to study or did yall go about your studies by a trial and error type method. I come from a very lecture based undergraduate program where you are told this what you need to know and am concerned that might be lacking in a PBL curriculum.

The second is for residences. in yall's residency placements have you come in contact with anyone from SGU London? I know each residency specialty has their own trials and tribulations and no matter what the program is they are incredibly difficult to get into but if you have come into contact with someone from there did they seem on par with the other residence? I know that question sounds elitist but it stems from my previous question and my worry that they are trying to dazzle prospective students by stating you start clinics after the second week and don't build a good solid clinical science foundation, which most likely will lead to not so great step 1 scores.

any thoughts on these two questions, or thoughts on St. Georges in London in general would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Moving to Allo forum

 

[chipwhitley]

Is this school related to the SGU in the carribean? It looks like it's different but it has the same name.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Is this school related to the SGU in the carribean? It looks like it's different but it has the same name.

No.

 

[Stagg737]

Wait, you start clinicals after your second week?!? Why?

 

[sloop]

Wait, you start clinicals after your second week?!? Why?

It sounds bizarre, but I'm not entirely against it. It's unlikely that you're going to be able to diagnose much or come up with a plan at that stage, but if they made it a focus of the first week I'm sure med students could at least take histories by the second week and they might be able to do a physical exam. They might not be the best at it, but that comes with time. How this works out, in my mind, would really depend on how the clinical environments they throw these students into are structured. A lot of clinical environments in the U.S. are such that although you introduce yourself as a medical student, the patients still expect a decent amount of competence (which is why you have to act confident and if a patient asks you a question that you could answer but don't want to give wrong information, you have to say stuff like "Well, I'm still a medical student so I'm still learning but this is my impression [. . . ] That being said, I'm gonna come back with the doctor and we'll go over this again while he's here.)

I think there are definitely ways to structure clinical environments where patients do not necessarily expect as much competence from the medical students they see. It would be simple enough to let new patients know that they might be seeing medical students and that some of them have just started school. As long as the patients are reassured that they will also be getting evaluated by physicians and that the medical students are mostly there to help take histories/physicals and learn, I don't see a problem. Patients vary and some of them can be miserly and refuse to be seen by a student, but I find that a lot of them actually like being seen by a student because it gives them a good feeling that they are contributing to the education of a future doctor.

For what it's worth, I had a clinical experience towards the end of my first year and it was super fun and helpful so I'm supportive of early clinical exposure.