Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry

Infobox University
name =Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry


motto =
established =2000
type =Medical and Dental school
staff =
dean =Professor Sir John Tooke
students =
undergrad =
postgrad =
city =Exeter & Plymouth
state =
country =England
affiliations =University of Exeter
University of Plymouth
website =http://www.pms.ac.ukThe Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry is a relatively new medical school run jointly by the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth. It consists of medical school, a dental school and postgraduate health institute.

Peninsula Medical School

The School was established on 1 August 2000 following a successful bid to the Government, as part of a national expansion of medical student numbers in the UK. The bid was creatively led by Professor Sir John Tooke, who was then working in a joint appointment between the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Professor Tooke was subsequently appointed as the school's first Dean, a post he still holds; his vision and drive have been recognised nationally by his appointment as Chair of the UK Committee of Heads of Medical Schools, and by the award of a knighthood in the New Year Honours list for 2007. The school was opened as a part of the British Government's attempts (under the Labour Party) to train more doctors, which also saw Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of East Anglia Medical School, Hull York Medical School and Keele University Medical School open their doors.

Undergraduate Degree Programme

Peninsula Medical School’s Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BM,BS) degree programme has been designed specifically to develop students to meet the challenges facing health care in the new century. The first intake of 130 undergraduate students commenced their studies on 30 September 2002. From September 2003, the annual intake rose to 167 and in January 2006 the Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt, announced that the Peninsula Medical School had been awarded funding for a further expansion. The additional UK and overseas places increased the School's intake to 214 from September 2006 cite web|url=http://www.study-medicine.co.uk/index.php?pageid=stats|title=www.study-medicine.co.uk British Medical School Statistics|publisher=Study-medicine.co.uk|accessdate=2008-09-08] .

Highlights of the training include:

* Being community-wide. The School involves the student in health care provision in a wide range of community-based settings throughout Devon and Cornwall and thus provides a clinical educational experience more suited for the new NHS.

* Placing particular emphasis on training doctors to be part of a multi-professional team and to understand and appreciate the roles of other health care professionals.

* A high level of close clinical supervision of students by experienced NHS consultants and general practitioners with ring-fenced funding for teaching.

* Emphasising the importance of competence and confidence in Clinical Skills.

* A rigorous assessment structure which enables the accurate identification of problem students at an early stage in training.

Undergraduate Programme Structure

For the first two years of the undergraduate programme students are based at either the University of Exeter or the University of Plymouth. The learning emphasis is placed upon biomedical sciences, taught within the context of relevant clinical problems. From the first week of the programme students learn in various community-based clinical environments.

In years three and four, students spend the majority of their time in acute and community-based clinical placements and are based at one of the [http://www.pms.ac.uk/pms/location.php School's 3 main localities] in Exeter, Truro or Plymouth.

During year five students are attached to clinical apprenticeships with general practitioners and consultants throughout Devon and Cornwall.

Peninsula Dental School

PDS was established on 26 January 2006 following a successful bid to the Government, as part of a national expansion of dental student numbers in the UK. It is the first dental school to open in the U.K for three decades.

The Peninsula Dental School will train 64 dentists a year and will offer a joint Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree through the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth. The programme will be four years, designed for science graduates or health care professionals.

Peninsula Postgraduate Health Institute

The Peninsula Postgraduate Health Institute (PPHI) contracts with the NHS in Devon and Cornwall to provide taught programmes and research opportunities in medicine, health and social care, working in collaboration with the NHS. The programmes are provided by the University of Plymouth's Faculty of Health and Social Work and Schools of the University of Exeter. The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry is represented on the Board of PPHI.

Peninsula Allied Health Collaboration

The Peninsual Allied Health Collaboration (PAHC) is a separate collaboration of the two universities, together with the College of St Mark & St John, Plymouth, which contracts with the NHS to provide undergraduate programmes in allied health professions such as nursing, occupational therapy, and radiography. The programmes are provided by the collaborating institutions but students may take modules from more than one institution. The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry is represented on the Board of PAHC.

References

External links

* [http://www.pms.ac.uk The official website of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry]
* [http://www.pms.ac.uk/pms/research/ Areas of medical research at the Peninsula Medical School]