Who applies and who gets admitted to UK graduate entry medicine? - an analysis of UK admission statistics

Paul Garrud

doi:10.1186/1472-6920-11-71

Abstract

BackgroundGraduate-entry medicine is a recent development in the UK, intended to expand and broaden access to medical training. After eight years, it is time to evaluate its success in recruitment.ObjectivesThis study aimed to compare the applications and admissions profiles of graduate-entry programmes in the UK to traditional 5 and 6-year courses.MethodsAggregate data on applications and admissions were obtained from the Universities and Colleges Admission Service covering 2003 to 2009. Data were extracted, grouped as appropriate and analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.ResultsGraduate-entry attracts 10,000 applications a year. Women form the majority of applicants and admissions to graduate-entry and traditional medicine programmes. Graduate-entry age profile is older, typically 20's or 30's compared to 18 or 19 years in traditional programmes. Graduate-entry applications and admissions were higher from white and black UK ethnic communities than traditional programmes, and lower from southern and Chinese Asian groups. Graduate-entry has few applications or admissions from Scotland or Northern Ireland. Secondary educational achievement is poorer amongst graduate-entry applicants and admissions than traditional programmes.ConclusionsGraduate-entry has succeeded in recruiting substantial additional numbers of older applicants to medicine, in which white and black groups are better represented and Asian groups more poorly represented than in traditional undergraduate programmes.

Highlights

Graduate-entry medicine is a recent development in the UK, intended to expand and broaden access to medical training
Graduate entry medicine began in the UK in 2000 with the establishment of two programmes at St
Correspondence: paul.garrud@nottingham.ac.uk School of Graduate Entry Medicine & Health, University of Nottingham, Royal Derby Hospital, Uttoxeter Road, DERBY DE22 3DT, UK. At this point it is pertinent to review the profile of applicants and the success of recruitment to graduate entry medicine, in comparison to the established five and six year undergraduate courses

Summary

Introduction

Graduate-entry medicine is a recent development in the UK, intended to expand and broaden access to medical training. Graduate-entry programmes account for 10% of admissions to medical school with 894 places in 2009-10 This development in the UK was an attempt to expand medical training numbers beyond the traditional A level school leaver population, to broaden access to the profession and to train doctors in four rather than five, or six, years [1,2]. At this point it is pertinent to review the profile of applicants and the success of recruitment to graduate entry medicine, in comparison to the established five and six year undergraduate courses

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion