University of Nicosia Medical School and School of Veterinary Medicine

6-Year Undergraduate Entry - Doctor of Medicine Degree

The MD program is discipline-based and has been designed to encourage spiral learning. Topics covered in earlier years are revisited in subsequent years to build on prior experiences. The program allows students to develop a strong background in the basic and biomedical sciences, during the pre-clinical years (Years 1-3). In parallel, the program allows early patient contact through integrated clinical practice courses and short clinical placements starting as early as Year 2, which enable students to familiarise themselves with the clinical environment, in preparation for clinical practice years. The curriculum is additionally enriched by courses in social sciences, such as medical psychology, medical ethics, and medical sociology in order to allow students to practice medicine holistically, encompassing ethical, legal, psychological, and social considerations. Year 4 represents an important transition point within the student’s learning experience. As part of Year 4, students complete junior clinical rotations which further familiarize them with learning in a clinical environment, in preparation for Years 5 and 6, which are almost entirely based in a clinical setting. Years 5 and 6 enable students to gain experience in all major areas of medicine. Furthermore, the MD program places emphasis on interprofessional learning and education, which allows graduates to work effectively within multi-disciplinary teams for patient care.

The Medical School maintains a student-centered learning environment, which promotes the active participation of learners. The multitude of active curriculum delivery methods prepares the students to be life-long learners. The instructional learning methods utilized are based on well-founded pedagogical principles of medical education, including experiential learning, social cognitive theory, adult learning, self-directed learning, situated learning, and learning in communities of practice.

The delivery methods used include large-group teaching, small-group tutorials, flipped classrooms, clinical and communication skills sessions, role-playing, workshops, individual and group work, laboratory practicals, and bedside teaching. The MD program promotes reflective practice and students are expected to maintain a reflective portfolio throughout the program, which allows them to gain further insight from learning opportunities. The use of a wide variety of teaching activities ensures that the program caters to diverse learning styles and needs.

With our devoted Student Success Team, students are matched with a personal tutor, and students meet one-on-one with Career Advisers to track their studies and steps, for practice after graduation. The MD program has been designed to meet, and exceed, the requirements of the EU Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications (2005/36/EC) so as to enable nationals of EU, EEA / EFTA member states, and Switzerland to have their award recognized when applying to practice in those countries, following graduation. Each member state has its own regulations as to which stage of its training program you will enter, and any additional requirements that you will need to demonstrate (such as language proficiency). While the MD degree is recognized by many different countries internationally, applicants are advised to check with their own individual national authorities, if they wish to practice in their own country. Throughout the journey, students will find support and guidance in aligning with national licensure exams, such as USMLE based on their preferred postgraduate pathway. Our Student Success Team hosts alumni and career experts to advise on best practices for working in different regions of the world to support student goals.

With more than 90 nationalities of students, you will study and practice with colleagues and faculty which provides a competitive advantage in the global healthcare market. This accredited medical degree enables pathways to medical practice, with support and preparation for postgraduate placement. Our graduates have been offered positions at over 350 medical centers around the world for residency training, fellowships, internships, and research.

Our Admissions Advisors can provide further information on your career options with this MD degree and licensure requirements.

General Objectives

This program of study provides students with the opportunity to receive a high-quality education in Medicine. The general program objectives are to:

1. Train students to become highly competent physicians and equip them with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will enable them to respond to the challenges of modern medicine.
2. Produce competent and caring graduates, safe to practice initially as junior doctors, and with the potential to develop fully their careers in their chosen branch of medicine.
3. Provide each student with the evidence-based knowledge and experience necessary to advance both scientifically and humanistically in the care and treatment of those who are ill including immediate care of medical emergencies.
4. Foster the development of lifelong commitments to scholarship and service toward individual patients and the community.
5. Encourage students to practise medicine holistically including ethical, legal, psychological and social considerations.
6. Promote health and wellness through disease prevention and research.
7. Contribute toward the establishment of Cyprus as a regional centre of excellence in medical education.

Program Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Upon completion of the program, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the basic, clinical, behavioral & social sciences, ethics, and jurisprudence that are relevant to the study of medicine and be able to apply such knowledge in clinical practice e.g. in health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and practice of public health in both individuals and populations and acquire the ability to implement appropriate measures, independently and with others in the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the treatment of disease.
3. Demonstrate problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills in basic and clinical sciences, including research and evidence-based medicine needed for decision-making in the practice of medicine.
4. Exhibit ability to integrate socio-economic and ethical issues along various phases in learning related to the practice of medicine and management/treatment modalities.
5. Recognize the importance of the therapeutic nature of the patient-doctor relationship and the impact on that relationship of the individual characteristics of both patient and doctor.

Skills

Upon completion of the program, students should be able to:

1. Communicate clearly, sensitively, and effectively with patients and their relatives, with colleagues from relevant multidisciplinary professions, and with communities.
2. Impart appropriate, relevant, and correct information to patients, colleagues, and communities in a coherent and clear manner.
3. Listen effectively to patients, respond to their communication needs, and explore their concerns and expectations.
4. Demonstrate competency in a range of clinical and investigative skills safely, sensitively, independently, and with confidence, to a predetermined standard.
5. Demonstrate a logical approach to solving patient problems, from history data, physical examination findings, and results of investigations, and use this information to make differential diagnoses and form management plans.
6. Keep accurate clinical records based on their own observations and communicate their findings to others clearly and concisely.
7. Demonstrate skills in the recording, organization, and management of information including the use of appropriate information technology.
8. Recognise and manage life-threatening conditions and provide immediate care for medical emergencies, including First Aid and resuscitation.
9. Prescribe drugs safely under supervision, including dosage calculation, prescription writing, and administration
10. Critically appraise information extracted from appropriate information from a diverse range of resources, including library and online information (internet, intranet, online databases), with emphasis on evidence-based or best practices.
11. Recognise and fulfill the obligation to educate patients, colleagues, and the communities.
12. Work with members of a multidisciplinary team and understand their own personal roles and responsibilities within the team, as well as those of the other healthcare professionals.
13. Show qualities of organisation, including prioritisation of workload and time management, with a sense of entrepreneurship.
14. Demonstrate strategies for preventing, and coping with, stress.

Behavior

Upon completion of the program, students should be able to:

1. Ensure the care and safety of patients is central to their everyday practice.
2. Accept the moral, ethical, and professional responsibilities involved in providing care to individual patients and communities, including concern for confidentiality and respect for individual autonomy
3. Respect patients, regardless of their lifestyles, culture, beliefs, religions, race, color, gender, sexuality, disability, age, and social or economic status.
4. Respect the right of patients to be fully involved in decisions about their care, enabling patients and families to make informed decisions in relation to their treatment, including the right to refuse treatment or to refuse to take part in teaching or research.
5. Recognize your own limitations, accept criticism when justified, and know when to ask for help.
6. Adopt an empathic and holistic approach to patients and their problems.
7. Understand and uphold principles of honesty and trustworthiness.
8. Recognise a duty to protect patients and others by taking action if a colleague’s health, performance, or conduct is putting patients at risk.
9. Behave in a professional manner at all times, by being punctual, reliable, honest, respectful, courteous, and well-presented.
10. Recognise the impact of your own health on your ability to practice medicine, and respond appropriately.
11. Keep up-to-date through self-directed learning and recognize that medical education is a lifelong process.
12. Work cooperatively as a member of a team, accepting and providing leadership as appropriate.

The curriculum of the MD Programme is innovative and is based on the most recent research in the field of medical education. In addition to compliance with the WFME standards, this curriculum has focused on the guidelines of professional bodies, such as the General Medical Council of the UK (GMC).

Year 1

Semester 1

• Medical Physics I: The Human Body
• General Chemistry
• Biology I
• Medical Psychology
• Medical Sociology

Semester 2

• Research Methods in Medicine and Essential Medical Statistics
• Medical Physics II: Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy
• Organic Chemistry
• Biology II
• Medical Ethics

Year 2

Semester 3

• Anatomy I
• Histology I
• Physiology I
• Biochemistry I
• Integrated Clinical Practice I

Semester 4

• Anatomy II
• Histology II
• Physiology II
• Biochemistry II
• Integrated Clinical Practice II

Year 3

Semester 5

• Brain & Behaviour
• Microbiology & Virology
• Pharmacology
• Pathology I
• Integrated Clinical Practice III

Semester 6

• Medical Genetics
• Immunology
• Systematic Pharmacology I
• Pathology II
• Integrated Clinical Practice IV

Year 4

Semester 7

• Haematology
• Systematic Pharmacology II
• Epidemiology and Public Health
• Clinical Pathophysiology
• Research Project
• Integrated Clinical Practice V

Semester 8

• Haematology
• Systematic Pharmacology II
• Epidemiology and Public Health
• Clinical Pathophysiology
• Research Project
• Integrated Clinical Practice V

Year 5

The depicted sequence of courses for Year 5 is one possible sequence. Each student will complete all Year 5 courses by the end of the academic year. The sequence of courses is based on the clinical capacity of affiliated hospitals.

Semester 9

• Cardiology, Cardiothoracic, and Vascular Surgery
• Respiratory Medicine, Thoracic Surgery, and Breast Surgery
• Gastroenterology and GI Surgery
• Nephrology, Urology, and Transplant Medicine
• Rheumatology and Dermatology/Plastic Surgery

Semester 10

• Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Palliative Care
• Psychiatry
• Pediatrics
• Obstetrics and Gynecology

Year 6

The depicted sequence of courses for Year 6 is one possible sequence. Each student will complete all Year 6 courses by the end of the academic year. The sequence of courses is based on the clinical capacity of affiliated hospitals.

Semester 11

• Internal Medicine
• General Surgery
• Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care

Semester 12

• Orthopedics, Otorhinolaryngology, and Opthalmology
• Therapeutics and Prescribing
• General Practice and Geriatric Medicine
• Elective Clinical Attachment