The first three years are the foundation training which all future doctors must take (190 credits). They are made up of courses and 12 months of compulsory placements spread over the 3 years. Students must also prepare an individual piece of work (20 credits) which they submit during the last year of the Master.
At the end of the third year, the progression differs according to students’ chosen professions:
- students who wish to go into general practice should choose the professional focus in general medicine (30 credits). If they wish the fourth year of their Master to count towards specialist training in general medicine (Advanced Master), they should also choose the option course in general medicine.
- students who wish to go on to an Advanced Master other than in general medicine should choose the professional focus in specialized medicine (30 credits). This will give them the opportunity of doing one or more placements to prepare for the competitive entrance examinations required by most medical specializations.
- students who are not doing a professional focus but who nevertheless wish to pursue a career in research (PhD) should choose the research focus (30 credits).
This programme is completed by an ‘option’ period (20 credits) during which students may widen their experience through placements or do more advanced research work on a topic begun as an individual assignment.