BSc in Urgent and Emergency Care at Plymouth University

By Dr Tess Sanders, FY1

I completed an intercalated degree in Urgent and Emergency Care with the University of Plymouth between my fourth and fifth years of medical school. The course involves spending nine months embedded in an A&E department under the supervision of a consultant, alongside completing three essay‑based assignments.

Course information

The interview was split into two parts: a 10‑minute A–E clinical scenario and 10 minutes of personal questions. I ended up ranking in the top 10% of applicants, which meant I could choose where I wanted to be based. Although the degree is offered by Plymouth, you don’t actually have to stay there (otherwise I wouldn’t have been so keen, being a northerner!), so I chose to go to Sheffield.

I’d always planned to intercalate. I went straight into medicine from Year 13 and really felt I needed a change of pace and a bit of a reset.

For nine months, I worked closely with Dr Iftikhar, an A&E consultant at the Northern General Hospital- a major trauma centre. I fully integrated into the team, which is something you rarely get as a medical student when placements only last a couple of weeks. I had the chance to perform procedures like fascia‑iliaca blocks, chest drains, ultrasound‑guided cannulation and more advanced suturing. These were opportunities I would never have had in standard medical school placements.

With some of the team at the helipad

Beyond the clinical experience and the feeling of truly belonging to a team, I also completed a quality improvement project. I’d never even heard of a QIP before starting- but they’re an amazing opportunity to make a difference and brilliant for your portfolio.

I raised money by running the Sheffield Half Marathon and used it to create a sensory-friendly equipment box for the department. What began as a small idea turned into a pilot project that secured £28,000 of funding to build two sensory-friendly rooms. It was incredible watch

ing something so small grow into a project that made such a real difference to patients. Off the back of this, I’ve presented a poster and given an oral presentation at the RCEM annual conference, and I was honoured to receive the Salma Hussein EDI Award for my contribution.

If you’re interested in A&E, GP, or acute medicine- and you want a year that gives you a breather while massively boosting your clinical confidence- I’d 100% recommend this degree! Even if you don’t end up in those specialties, the skills and confidence you gain are invaluable when starting FY1.