Professional Doctorate in General Internal Medicine (Clinical MD; MPhil)
About the course
The Clinical MD programme is especially designed for overseas, early career medical practitioners who wish to undertake a substantial course of individual research and to develop clinical skills related to general internal medicine. It will provide you with the recognition required to become a specialist in general internal medicine in your home country.
The Clinical MD programme is a full-time structured doctorate, run over the duration of of 27 months and is divided into three core components.
- Research Dissertation - Students are expected to complete an individual research project on a novel research area within medical or healthcare delivery.
- Clinical placement - Students will complete clinical placements at a local NHS hospital.
- Clinical units of learning - Students undertake clinical units of learning across a broad range of topics within general internal medicine
Mandatory checks will need to be undertaken before the start of the clinical placements. These checks usually take a few weeks and are:
- an Occupational Health check;
- a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) or criminal record check.
All applicants have the option to be considered by the General Medical Council (GMC) for full registration with sponsorship. Additional entry requirements and fees apply.
The 27-month programme (Clinical MD only) is referred to as pathway 1; the GMC sponsored registered assessment training + Clinical MD programme is reffered to as pathway 2. The choice of pathway does not affect the award given.
Admissions queries and how to apply
If you have any admissions related queries, please contact the course administrator, Donna Beamish. For queries related to the research project, clinical skills and your timetable, please contact the Programme Director, Dr Kate Earl.
Applications are now being considered for admission to the programme from September, 2024 onwards. To apply, please email the Doctoral College.
Teaching methods
Throughout the course, you'll also have access to:
- online pre-recorded sessions, discussions, webinars and self-study in support of all the clinical units of learning
- study days in clinical skills including an introduction
- pre-placement tutorials to facilitate the working practises in the NHS (e.g. cultural safety, human factors)
- a wide range of online research development programmes (e.g. statistics, communication and presentation skills, technical writing, resilience and assertiveness)
- self-directed learning to complement all the above
- invitation to events, social gatherings and others.
Research project
You'll choose a novel research topic in collaboration with your supervisory team within the field of general internal medicine, and will be guided and supported through:
- Learning about health research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative research)
- Defining your research topic and writing a research proposal
- Completing an initial registration assessment viva with a panel of expert academics and clinicians
- Writing a progress report and completing a second progression assessment viva with a panel of expert academics and clinicians
- Presenting the final project results in a thesis and defending it by a final viva.
- While undertaking the programme, students will also be encouraged to publish manuscripts, submit posters, abstracts, and present at scientific conferences to give more visibility to their research work.
NHS clinical placement
Each NHS clinical placement will consist of attending ward rounds, clinics, multidisciplinary team meetings, hospital grand rounds and specialist’s clinical procedures (e.g. cardiac catheterisation, endoscopy). In addition, there will be:
- sharing of up-to-date knowledge of international guidelines in day-to-day clinical practice (e.g. NICE)
- bedside teaching and case-based discussions of different clinical scenarios
- teaching and direct experience and understanding of NHS healthcare system
- demonstration of clinical competencies through assessments such as Mini Clinical Evaluation Skills (mini-CEX) and case-based discussion (CbD) of Knowledge and Skills. Completion will be supported by teaching medical consultants and recorded using a personalised e-portfolio.
Course experts
Professor Diana Gorog
Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist
Find out more about Professor Diana Gorog
Professor Jay Arnold
Consultant Gastroenterologist, Ealing Hospital
Dr Kate Earl
Programme Director
Find out more about Dr Kate Earl
Professor Shahid Khan
Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Consultant Cardiologist, Lister Hospital, Stevenage
Professor Simon Payne
Senior Consultant Emergency Medicine
Professor Thida Win
Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Lister Hospital, Stevenage
What’s next for my career?
While studying at the University of Hertfordshire and working at NHS hospitals, you'll be supported by a team of expert academics and practitioners from different specialties who are conducting world-leading research (3-4* REF) within the Centre of Health Services and Clinical Research.
You'll gain essential doctoral level knowledge and skills in general internal medicine, which will be recorded using an e-portfolio. You'll also benefit from our vibrant, dynamic and international community of postgraduate medical researchers and have the opportunity of living close to London.
I came to the UK to undertake studies to obtain the postgraduate degree of Clinical MD. I am now a NHS Consultant in Acute Medicine and Cardiology at Ealing Hospital in West London. I would recommend the Clinical MD in the UK as it is a great start to a career and training in Medicine and the NHS.
Course fees
International students
Full time
£25,000 per year
Plus an additional £7,500 for GMC sponsored registration assessment training. There is a minimum advance fee payment of £20,000 for students choosing GMC sponsored registration.
