Medical student assessments

Following a conditional offer of a place to study medicine at the University of Oxford, it is a requirement that before commencing your course, the Medical School students meet the standards for medical education and training.

It is also a requirement that before commencing your training, the University Of Oxford Occupational Health Department must assess your current health status and advise upon your medical suitability of fitness to as defined by the General Medical Council.

The Medical School needs to ensure that students will be able to fulfil the requirements of the General Medical Council and be medically suitable to work as a doctor following graduation. Additionally, there is a requirement to ensure that patients are not harmed through involvement in medical student teaching.

The Medical School is committed to providing equality of opportunity for students with disabilities and support will be provided to enable them to complete the course where it considers reasonable to do so. Where appropriate, the Occupational Health Service will advise the medical school of the need to consider any adjustments that you may require to successfully complete your studies.

Information and support for students with disabilities can be accessed from the University of Oxford Disability Advisory Service. You are advised to make contact with them as soon as you have been offered a place to ensure that any adaptive equipment or specialist advice on adjustments can be put in place before you start. 

All medical students are required to complete a confidential Pre-Acceptance Medical Student Screening Questionnaire. The Medical School will send you a link on how to access this online questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed to obtain an over view of your current health status and assess this against the current ‘Higher Education medical standards for medical students’ guidance.

For further information about current medical standards please see Medical students standards of medical fitness to train.

Where it has been identified that the student’s health condition or impairment may have an impact on their functional ability to carry out their training or may pose a risk to patients, Occupational Health may need to contact you to obtain further medical information.

Medical and personal information disclosed on the screening questionnaire will be held in confidence by Occupational Health and in line with the medical standards for confidentiality set by the relevant medical registration bodies i.e. the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery GMC, and UK data protection legislation.

In order to support you with a long term condition or disability, whilst undertaking your course, we may need to share information with a small number of required parties such as your course tutors and those working closely with you in the Medical School. The Medical School will be informed only of the functional effects of any health problems/disability if this is relevant to your educational needs or patient safety, and of the need to consider reasonable adjustments and/or additional support.

However, this information will not be disclosed without your full knowledge and only with your medical consent to do so.

In the rare case that it is decided by the Medical School that you are medically unsuitable for the course even with support as far as is reasonably practicable, the Medical School will inform you of the decision and provide you with advice on the matter.