Mailing address:
Medical School
FI-33014 University of Tampere

Visiting address:
Medisiinarinkatu 3, B-Building

International Coordinator:
Ms Tarja Lehto
Room A2107a
tel. +358 3 3551 6628
e-mail tarja.lehto@uta.fi

Degree Programme of Licentiate of Medicine

The degree programme of Licentiate of Medicine is divided into subject and general studies, advanced studies, practical training period, elective studies and language studies. The clinical period takes place at the University Hospital as well as at local hospitals and health centres in the surrounding communities.

The main language of instruction at Medical School is Finnish. However, one of the courses is taught in English and is especially offered for the international students.

Total Extent of the Degree Programme 360 credits = 6 years
Subject and general studies    256 credits
Advanced studies    
Thesis         20 credits
Integrated studies        40 credits
Language studies        5 credits
Practical training        24 credits
Elective studies        15 credits

The first 3.5 years in the curriculum consist of integrated blocks, which comprise theoretical, clinical, behavioural and social studies. The 2–3 last years of the degree programme mainly entail clinical courses where basic sciences in turn are actively integrated.

The objective of the advanced studies is to introduce to the student the fundamentals of research, i.e. critical scientific thinking and creation of new knowledge as well as the basics of scientific writing.

The extent of the thesis is 20 credits. Their main contents entail carrying out research work either by participating in departmental projects or in research groups. It is also possible for the student to carry out research by agreeing on a specific topic of his/her own interest and the method of completion with the supervisor. In addition, advanced studies include attending seminars, writing a thesis on a topic approved by the supervisor, and taking a maturity test, which is an essay on the student’s thesis topic written in Finnish or Swedish, depending on the student’s native tongue. The maturity test is regarded as an exam on the student’s knowledge of his/her research topic and native language. The thesis and the maturity test are graded pass/fail. An exceptionally high-quality thesis, however, may be awarded with the grade ‘approved with honours’.

The extent of the practical training period included in the degree of Licentiate of Medicine is 24 credits. To obtain the credits, the students must work in a health centre, in a hospital, in an institution conducting clinical research, in a theoretical department or equivalent. At least three months must include working in the wards or in the out-patients’ department. It can be completed by working in posts of a doctor trainee, a house officer, a general practitioner or as a teaching assistant. Equivalent kind of work in the Nordic or other countries is also accepted.

The degree of Licentiate of Medicine includes a language proficiency test in the two official languages of the country, Finnish and Swedish, as well as a foreign-language text comprehension test. If the student has received his/her school education in a language other than Finnish, the requirements will be decided upon by the Faculty.

The degree programme also includes at least 15 credits of electives. These may be offered by the students’ own faculty, by other faculties, or by universities at home and abroad.

At the Faculty of Medicine, students study according to a detailed schedule, which is planned for every block separately. The main form of studies and the driving force in the learning process is tutorial work. The tutorial group consists of 10 students and a tutor, who is a faculty teacher. The group meets twice a week and deals with a task, either a case study or a phenomenon, concerning basic medical sciences. The students discuss the problem freely trying to determine the extent of their current knowledge and ideas on issues at hand. They themselves determine their learning objectives and the means to reach those objectives. Therefore, attending the tutorials is compulsory. Between tutorials there usually is an interval of two days, when students can study individually in the libraries, utilise databases, and consult expert teachers of various special fields. Consequently, the number of lectures is small; they merely support and consolidate matters already dealt with at the tutorials. On average, there is a one-hour lecture approximately five days a week, the attendance is voluntary but advisable. In addition, students can request extra lectures on a relevant topic.

Studies included in a block are elaborated in a block book composed by expert teams of various special fields. It contains the general contents and educational objectives of the block, instructions on learning methods, tasks for independent study, a list of tutors and recommended literature as well as a block schedule.

In the Faculty, the term group work refers to instruction given in small groups, such as laboratory and clinical practice, demonstrations, seminars and educational visits, the attendance which is compulsory, and which together with the tutorials strengthens the connection between clinical practice and knowledge of basic sciences. Once the student has attended all the tutorials, done the group work and passed the final block exam, s/he is considered to have completed the entire block.

Clinical skills are taught both in real patient contacts and in the Clinical Skills Laboratory. The Clinical Skills Laboratory includes various practising facilities, literature and audio-visual equipment. There the students have the opportunity to get acquainted with the equipment used in clinical work. They can also practice clinical procedures step by step starting from phantoms and proceeding to patient work. A great deal of emphasis is laid on the development of communication skills. In addition, the skills in the doctor - patient contact are trained in guided situations.

The assessment of learning includes evaluation of acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes and it is based on the criteria of measuring capability. The development of the evaluation system is one of the main priorities in the curriculum. At present, the achieving of learning goals is evaluated at the end of each block with a block exam. The exams are given by an exact point total and a pass/fail grade. The exam can be retaken three weeks from the first attempt.

The faculty organises a so-called progress-test three times a year for all students. Its main purpose is to measure the progress of the students regarding their knowledge augmentation in relation to the overall objectives of the degree of Licentiate of Medicine.

The test consists of a number of assignments from all disciplines. The questions correspond to the level that the students are required to master at the end of their six-year degree programme. All students perform the test at the same time three times a year. The minimum level of requirements will be defined for students of each course year separately.

The Faculty considers assessing the student’s clinical and communicative skills as important as assessing the level of his/her knowledge. Clinical skills are evaluated in the third and fourth study year in an OSCE type test. The student’s performance in each test station is graded on a 0–10 scale. Attitudes and communication skills are evaluated according to a separate programme consisting of simulated and real patient contacts. Personal feedback is given to each student on his/her progress in this area.