Professional Doctorate in Medicine

About the course

The programme has been designed for clinicians working in practice who wish to undertake a substantial programme of individual research, whilst under the principal supervision of a clinical specialist. The programme has been designed to enable maximum flexibility and is further enhanced by the opportunity for candidates to contribute to the final award using previous research. The MD will afford candidates the opportunity to study a wide range of subject areas relevant to their own clinical practice and these may involve clinically based research, laboratory based research or a combination of both. The culmination of the programme will be the thesis of up to 80,000 words, in which candidates must demonstrate a significant original contribution to clinical practice.

Why choose this course?

Flexible programme to fit in with existing clinical commitments World class on line research support facilities through Studynet and the Learning Resources Centres Training modules to ensure the candidate has the necessary technical skills to pursue the research successfully

What will I study?

Whilst undertaking the programme candidates will have access to a variety of learning opportunities to meet their individual learning needs including research seminars, statistical analysis and research based modules. An individual programme of skills development and training will be developed and agreed with the candidate and supervisory team prior to registration. Candidates will also have regular opportunities to network with peers via regular monitoring meetings and also via StudyNet, the University's managed learning environment. Supervision for the programme is provided by a Principal Supervisor and supervisory team. The former will typically be an external supervisor in the clinician's workplace who has experience of two or more successful MD or PhD supervisions and is supported by the supervisory team which is made up of two academic staff within the University who provide a combination of subject expertise and research experience. Whilst undergoing the programme and in addition to ongoing supervision by the supervisory team, candidates will undergo periodic progress assessments and must provide evidence of progress of the programme of research, including details of achievements to date and future direction of the work, as well as discussing the approach taken and how the work is contributing to clinical practice.

Careers

Clinical specialties increasingly require specialist registrars to have undertaken an MD or PhD in order to become a consultant, although this is not a regulatory requirement, the MD provides this opportunity. Consultants or GPs, having established their clinical practice, may wish to continue research they pursued as trainees, or develop new areas of research pertinent to the challenges they face in everyday practice, and the MD will facilitate this without the need to step out of their existing clinical commitments, and ensure their continued intellectual development.

MBBS degrees (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) or equivalent, and eligibility for full registration or holding limited registration with the General Medical Council (GMC), or equivalent dental qualifications and registration; plus normally three years relevant professional experience.