Student-selected components (SSCs) give you the
opportunity within the busy medical curriculum to
concentrate on subjects that particularly interest you.
They enable you to broaden and deepen your core
learning.
At HYMS, you can choose your SSCs from a very wide variety
of topics, grouped within three overarching
themes: sciences, clinical issues of special interest,
and arts and humanities. For students in Years 1 and 2, the current list includes:
- Medicine and evolution
- Introduction to British
Sign Language
- HIV-AIDS
- Experiments in
neuroscience
- Happiness: the new science
- Radiology of stroke
- various modern languages
taught specifically for medical students
SSCs are not an optional extra. They are required by the General Medical Council , and
they currently make up about a quarter of the
curriculum. As well as the opportunity to study widely outside
the core curriculum, they help you to acquire and
use research skills, develop greater confidence in
your own abilities, and undertake small-scale projects.
They also enable you to work with knowledgeable and
experienced tutors, passionate about their subjects.
They allow you to express yourself, take
subjects that are out of your comfort zone, develop
your ability to think critically and challenge other people's
opinions. And finally, they can help you develop a particular area
of interest which you may choose to develop as part of an intercalated degree.