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 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 the 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.

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 specimens; the University of Leeds is one of only a handful of centres in the UK where such specimens are available.

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 conduct their clinical anatomy project in collaboration with a consultant clinician.

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/EU: See fees section below

International: £22,750 (per year)

For UK and non-UK EU full-time students starting in 2018, the fee for 2018/19 will be £9,250. 

For UK and non-UK EU full-time students starting in 2019, the fee for 2019/20 will be £9,250. 

The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation, and as permitted by law. For example, the increase of 2.8% in 2017/18 was based on the government’s forecast for the RPI-X measure of inflation.

The UK government has confirmed that non-UK EU students starting in the 2019/20 academic year will have home fee status and be eligible for UK government student loans. The UK government has not confirmed the situation for future years, so keep checking our website for updates.

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.

Students on this degree programme have gone on to give oral or poster presentations at national meetings; some have won awards for these presentations. Recent examples, with student names shown in italic text, include:

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

Jones, L. The limitations of the use of the sternocleidomastoid muscle as a reconstructive flap. Christie International Student Cancer Conference, Manchester 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.