Clinical Anatomy Intercalated BSc

A sound knowledge and understanding of human anatomy is required in almost all medical specialities, not simply in the obvious disciplines like surgery, pathology, anaesthesiology and radiology.

The BSc Clinical Anatomy offers you the chance to explore clinically-oriented anatomy in an absorbing and practical manner. You'll get plenty of opportunity to do your own dissections, to study the rare and fascinating specimens in our anatomy and pathology museums, and to learn how to interpret medical images systematically. You'll also learn about anatomical education, and you'll get real hands-on experience as an anatomy teacher. You'll find out how to research and write about a topic, and do an in-depth dissection-based project about a cutting-edge aspect of surgical or clinical anatomy.

The anatomy team is small and friendly. We work very closely with our intercalating anatomy students and get to know them very well.

Students on this degree programme have gone on to give oral or poster presentations at national and international meetings; some have won awards for these presentations. Many have published abstracts. Occasionally, they've published full papers.

The programme aims to put anatomy into a clinical context and to provide opportunities for the practical exploration of each topic. In the dissecting room, each student will have the opportunity to conduct extensive dissection, initially in small groups of 2-3 and then individually. The Anatomy staff will always be on-hand to guide you, and you shouldn't be concerned if you haven't done any dissection before - the course is designed to provide you with the necessary skills.

The practical elements are supported by lectures, small-group tutorials, seminars and other forms of learning, covering not just gross anatomy but also medical embryology, neuroanatomy, medical imaging and both the theory and practice of anatomy teaching.

The modules offered build substantially on the anatomical learning you will have done earlier in your medical studies. All the modules have been designed exclusively for the Clinical Anatomy programme, and they aren't taken by any other students.

In your project, you'll study a cutting-edge aspect of clinical or surgical anatomy. You might, for example, compare the anatomical reasons for choosing one type of surgery over another, or consider the most appropriate sites for administering nerve block anaesthetics, or investigate the anatomical reasons why a treatment may be suitable for some patients but not for others.

Recent project titles include:

• Clinical outcomes of carpal tunnel release with and without opposition transfer

• Operative management of medial epicondyle fractures

• Surgical management of splenic injuries

• Pancreatic transplant surgery with and without concomitant kidney transplant

• A comparison of three different injection sites for the anaesthesia of the anterior abdominal wall

• The key anatomical landmarks for retrograde identification and dissection of the facial nerve in parotid surgery

• Lung vasculature: Pulmonary and bronchial artery and vein variation and significance for lobe resection

• Neurovascular structures in the gluteal region (with reference to hip arthroplasty)

• The structures involved in uterine transplantation

• The anatomy of toe-to-thumb transfers

• Safe corridors for fine wire fixation of the distal tibia in relation to the peroneal nerve: an anatomic study

• An anatomical study of the brachial plexus and surrounding structures for ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia with special reference to pectoral and intercostobrachial nerve blocks

• The anterolateral ligament of the knee: does it exist and what is its importance in knee injuries?

• Structures at risk during the extreme lateral (trans-psoas) approach to the lumbar spine

Students are able to suggest their own project title if they wish, but the staff always provide a long list of possible titles for students to choose from.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Clinical Anatomy BSc in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Learning and teaching

Learning is centred on practical sessions, tutorials, seminars and lectures, supplemented by individual study.

Facilities

Intercalating students have access to a well-equipped dissecting room. As well as basic instruments, the facilities are equipped with operating tables and lighting, an operating microscope, laparoscopic stacks, and extensive a.v. facilities including a powerwall. As well as formalin-fixed material, we are able to provide Thiel-embalmed and soft-embalmed specimens. We believe that we are the only centre in the UK using all three of these approaches to preserve human remains; doing so allows us to chose the optimum technique for any particular application.

We have a Da Vinci surgical robot for research use, and although it wouldn’t be something you’d use in the programme, you might get chance to try it out. We bring in the latest generation of these machines to train surgeons as part of a programme of surgical courses that we run in-house. We will be actively encouraging intercalating students to observe in these courses where possible.

We hold a collection of over 4000 anatomy and pathology museum specimens, including some historically important ones that have played key roles in the understanding of surgical anatomy and in the development of modern surgical techniques.

We have extensive connections with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust; many students co-opt a senior clinician to act as adviser on their project.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

Assessment is by a combination of coursework, written and spot-test examinations. Coursework elements include poster and oral presentations, delivery of a teaching session to undergraduate medical students, dissection and the preparation of a dissertation.

Dissection skills are not assessed in semester 1. However, the quality of the specimens produced is an important element in the assessment of the Clinical Anatomy Project module taken in semester 2.

Entry requirements

Other course specific tests:

Successful completion of the first two years of an MBChB programme (or equivalent) at a UK University or International equivalent. For International students, proof of English language proficiency will be required. In line with undergraduate medicine, we require a minimum of English GCSE grade B or IELTS 7.5

International Foundation Year

International students who do not meet the academic requirements for undergraduate study may be able to study the University of Leeds International Foundation Year. This gives you the opportunity to study on campus, be taught by University of Leeds academics and progress onto a wide range of Leeds undergraduate courses. Find out more about International Foundation Year programmes.

How to apply

Read about applying for intercalation on the School of Medicine website.

Potential applicants from other universities must contact the Programme Administrator Miss Sarah McLaren (s.mclaren@leeds.ac.uk), for further information about the programme and the application process.

Fees

UK: See fees section below

International: £24,500 (per year)

UK undergraduate tuition fees for 2021 entry 
For UK full-time students starting in 2021, the fee for 2021/22 will be £9,250.

The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation, and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the UK government and may vary if policy changes.

EU students starting in 2021/22 
EU students starting their course in the 2021/22 academic year or later will now be classed as international students and so will need to pay the international student tuition fee.

UK undergraduate tuition fees for 2022 entry
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2022/23 have not yet been confirmed by the UK government. In other years, the government has confirmed fee levels in the summer. When the fee is confirmed we will publish an update on all course pages.

Tuition fees for new international students for 2022 entry
Tuition fees for international students are published on each individual course page. These are usually published a year in advance, so 2022 course fees should be available from September 2021.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Brexit 
Visit our Brexit page for the latest information on the effect of the UK's exit from the EU on current students and applicants to the University.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs

Most medical students are appointed to NHS foundation school posts, following graduation with MBChB. At the moment, possession of an intercalated degree places medical students at a competitive advantage in the foundation post application process.

The Clinical Anatomy programme may be particularly beneficial for students interested in pursuing careers in surgery, radiology, anesthesiology, pathology and related subjects.

Some students on this degree programme go on to present or publish aspects of their project work. Selected examples, with the students’ names shown in italics, include:

Rebuffa, N, Strauther, S, Holton, C and Hackney R. The recurrent motor nerve, a possible cause of denervation following hamstring injury and repair: a cadaveric case. Eur J Anat, 24 (4): 281-284, 2020. An image from this article was used for the journal’s cover page.

Jones LF, Farrar EM, Roberts DJH and Moor JW. Revisiting the sternocleidomastoid flap as a reconstructive option in head and neck surgery. Journal of Laryngology and Otology 133:742-746, 2019.

Kumar, S.D. & Bourke, G. Nerve compression syndromes at the elbow. Orthopaedics and Trauma 30(4): 355-362, 2016

Rogers, G, Clancy, J, Taylor, M & Harwood, P. The safety of distal tibia Illizarov wire insertion in relation to the superficial peroneal nerve and deep peroneal neurovascular bundle: a cadaveric study. British Orthopaedic Association, Belfast 2016.

Moriarty, S & Clancy, J. Branches of the cervical vagus nerve and implications for vagus nerve stimulation. International League Against Epilepsy Annual Scientific Meeting, Dublin, 2016.

Blackham, M. Surgical approaches to the cervical spine. Cutting Edge Women in Surgery Conference Leeds, 2016.

Chandra M, Start S, Roberts D and Bodenham A. Arterial vessels behind the right internal jugular vein with relevance to central venous catheterisation. Journal of the Intensive Care Society 16(3) 202-207, 2015

Kelly, C, Loughenbury, P, Harwood, PJ, Clancy, J & Britten, SS . Safe corridors for insertion of calcaneal wires in Ilizarov surgery: An anatomic study. Oral presentation at the 16th EFORT Congress, Prague 2015.

Scarff , G & Pickering JD. Blood supply to the splenic flexure and prevalence of the collateral vessel Arc of Riolan in relation to ischaemic colitis. Oral presentation to the British Association of Clinical Anatomists 2015.

Wood, B, Kelly, G, Phillips, N & Pickering JD. Approaches to the cerebellopontine angle: What is the most effective form of management for a patient presenting with a small acoustic neuroma and serviceable hearing. Oral presentation to the British Association of Clinical Anatomists 2015.

Jackson, P & Roberts, DJH. Assessment of anatomical landmarks as reliable predictors of the course of the Spinal Accessory Nerve in the posterior cervical triangle. Poster presentation to the British Association of Clinical Anatomists 2014.

Smith A & Pickering JD. Assessing the usefulness of Simon’s and Joll’s triangles in thyroidectomy. Oral presentation to the British Association of Clinical Anatomists 2014.