Medicine and Surgery with a Gateway Year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery - BMBCh

Designed for talented UK students from backgrounds under-represented in medicine, our Gateway Year builds the academic skills, knowledge and confidence needed to progress onto the full five-year MBChB Medicine and Surgery programme — and to become a skilled, compassionate, patient-centred doctor. 

Our approach 

Studying medicine at Lancaster is about more than diagnosis and treatment. You will learn about the body's systems — cardiovascular, musculo-skeletal, renal and more — before exploring how dysfunction leads to ill health. Social, psychological and ethical dimensions are woven throughout, helping you treat the whole person. 

How you'll learn 

Teaching is active and small-group focused. Methods include: 

* Case-based learning 


* Think through real clinical problems 


* Clinical skills 


* Hands-on practice from year one 


* Simulation 


* Practise safely, build confidence 


* Placements in locations from rural GPs to urban hospitals 


* Placements and assessment 

Clinical placements begin in year two, aligned to what you've just studied. Assessment combines written exams, OSCEs (structured clinical exams testing communication, history-taking and practical skills), and an ongoing online portfolio built from year two onwards. Final exams take place at the end of year four, leaving year five free for Foundation training preparation. 

Support and values 

Lancaster is committed to social justice, inclusion and sustainability. We offer dedicated pastoral support for medical students covering academic, health, disability and personal matters, in addition to the university's wider student services.