Medicine Summer School - Detailed Outline (Online)

This page provides a detailed outline of the online Medicine Summer School, showing the themes and topics explored across the five-day course. The programme below explains what students study on each day, from the fundamentals of diagnosis and patient communication to later sessions on haematology, medical imaging, neurology, paediatrics, psychiatry, and emergency medicine.

The course is taught through live online seminars, case-based learning, discussion, independent research, and interactive roleplay, giving students a realistic insight into how medicine is studied and practised. Students are encouraged to ask questions, contribute to group discussion, work through clinical scenarios, and explain their reasoning clearly.

For further information about the academic level, teaching style, and who the course is best suited to, see the Medicine Summer School FAQ.

Prefer to view and download the PDF version of this outline? You can do so here.

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Day One – Patient Communication, Cardiology, and Clinical Reasoning
Day Two – Evidence, Diagnosis, and the Hidden Body
Day Three – Brain, Mind, and Medical Judgement
Day Four – Children’s Health, Development, and Diagnosis
Day Five – Emergency Medicine and Decisions Under Pressure

Across the week, students explore how doctors gather information, interpret evidence, and make decisions in situations where the answer is not always immediately clear. Beginning with the fundamentals of patient interaction and diagnosis, the course introduces key areas of medicine through structured case studies, online discussion, and clinical problem-solving exercises.

As the week progresses, students encounter increasingly complex scenarios, from interpreting blood results and medical imaging to neurological diagnosis, paediatric assessment, psychiatric history-taking, emergency triage, and ethical decision-making. Throughout, the emphasis is on active learning: students practise asking better questions, weighing up evidence, communicating clearly, and thinking through the reasoning behind a diagnosis or treatment plan.

By the end of the course, participants have developed a clearer understanding of how medical reasoning works in practice, and how doctors combine scientific knowledge, communication, judgement, and empathy to care for patients.

Please note that for some groups, sessions may run in a different order.

10.00 – 12.30 Working with Patients and Understanding the Heart

The course begins by introducing students to one of the central challenges of medicine: how doctors move from a patient’s description of their symptoms to a clear, clinically useful understanding of what may be happening.

Students explore how doctors take a patient history, learning why communication is not a “soft” extra, but a core diagnostic skill. A patient may arrive with pain, breathlessness, fatigue, dizziness, or a vague sense that something is wrong, and the doctor’s task is to ask the right questions, listen carefully, identify what matters, and avoid being misled by assumptions or incomplete information.

This gives students an early insight into the kind of thinking required in medicine: structured, analytical, empathetic, and responsive. They begin to practise explaining themselves clearly, asking purposeful follow-up questions, and using evidence from a patient’s answers to build a more accurate clinical picture.

The morning then turns to cardiology. Students explore the heart as both a biological pump and a complex electrical system, considering how problems with valves, blood vessels, rhythm, or cardiac muscle can lead to serious symptoms. They learn why chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness, or collapse can have different causes, and why doctors must combine anatomical knowledge with careful clinical reasoning.

By the end of the morning, students have begun to develop some of the key skills used throughout the course: active listening, structured questioning, medical explanation, evidence-gathering, and linking symptoms to underlying physiology.

12.30 – 1.30 Lunch

1.30 – 3.30 Cardiovascular Casework and Treatment Decisions

In the afternoon, students apply the morning’s ideas through cardiovascular casework and online roleplay.

They consider how different heart and circulatory conditions may present in patients, and how doctors distinguish between conditions that can initially appear similar. Rather than simply learning a list of diseases, students are encouraged to think through how symptoms develop, what risk factors might matter, what further information a doctor would need, and how a diagnosis might be supported or challenged.

This part of the day develops independent research and presentation skills, as students prepare and discuss cardiovascular conditions from the perspective of both doctor and patient. They practise turning medical information into clear explanations, responding to questions, and thinking about how a real consultation unfolds.

The afternoon also introduces students to treatment decision-making in cardiology, including the example of valve replacement. Students consider how doctors move from diagnosis to intervention, and why choosing a treatment is not always a purely technical matter. Medical decisions may involve risk, age, lifestyle, long-term medication, patient preference, and ethical or religious considerations.

Students finish the day with a stronger understanding of how medicine combines scientific knowledge, communication, judgement, and patient-centred decision-making.

10.00 – 12.30 Haematology – Understanding Blood and Diagnosis

Day Two focuses on haematology: the study of blood, blood-forming tissues, and the conditions that can arise when these systems are disrupted.

Students begin by exploring why blood is so central to medicine. Blood carries oxygen, supports the immune system, helps wounds to clot, and provides doctors with vital clues about what is happening inside the body. By understanding red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma, students begin to see how changes in blood can explain symptoms such as fatigue, infection, bruising, breathlessness, or collapse.

The morning also introduces blood groups and compatibility. Students consider how ABO and Rhesus blood types are inherited, why matching blood correctly matters in transfusions, and how the immune system can react dangerously when incompatible blood is given. This helps students connect biological principles – such as antigens, antibodies, and inheritance – to practical medical decisions.

They then apply this knowledge to clinical examples, considering conditions such as anaemia, septic shock, malaria, HIV, and leukaemia. Students are encouraged to think not just about what a disease is, but how it affects the body, how it might present in a patient, and what tests or treatments may be needed.

The morning also includes discussion of medical ethics through a scenario involving HIV, confidentiality, and public safety. Students consider how doctors balance trust, privacy, risk, and professional responsibility when decisions are not straightforward.

Students develop confidence in applying biological knowledge to clinical problems, interpreting symptoms, and weighing medical and ethical considerations.

12.30 – 1.30 Lunch

1.30 – 3.30 Research, Presentation, and Radiology

In the afternoon, students build on their haematology work through independent research and short presentations.

Each student investigates a blood-related condition, considering its biological mechanism, symptoms, prevalence, diagnostic tests, and treatment options. This encourages them to move beyond memorising facts and instead understand how disease processes create the symptoms doctors observe in real patients.

Students then present their findings to the group, practising how to explain complex medical information clearly and visually. This develops skills that are important for future study and medical interviews: independent research, concise communication, structured explanation, and confidence in responding to questions.

The final part of the day introduces radiology and medical imaging. Students explore how doctors use X-rays, ultrasound, CT, MRI, angiography, and other imaging techniques to investigate illness and guide treatment. They consider why different scans are chosen in different situations, and how imaging must be interpreted alongside a patient’s symptoms and clinical history.

Students begin to recognise major anatomical structures on scans and consider how doctors distinguish between normal and abnormal findings. Through imaging-based clinical examples, they practise selecting appropriate investigations, interpreting visual evidence, and using that evidence to support or challenge a diagnosis.

By the end of the day, students have developed a stronger understanding of how medicine combines laboratory science, imaging, research, ethical judgement, and clear communication.

10.00 – 12.30 Neurology – Understanding the Brain and Nervous System

The morning introduces students to neurology: the study of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and the systems that allow us to move, think, feel, speak, respond, and interpret the world around us.

Students explore how different areas of the brain are linked to different functions, and why this matters when doctors are trying to understand a patient’s symptoms. A difficulty with speech, a change in movement, a loss of sensation, or a problem with coordination may all point towards disruption in a particular part of the nervous system.

The session encourages students to think like clinicians: not just asking what symptom a patient has, but what that symptom suggests about where the problem may be. They consider examples such as aphasia, where damage to specific language areas affects communication, and explore how doctors assess functions such as balance, reflexes, sensation, vision, and hearing.

Students also begin to look at neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, and Huntington’s disease, considering how changes in the nervous system can affect movement, cognition, mood, speech, and everyday life.

This develops students’ ability to connect anatomy with symptoms, interpret clinical signs, and reason from visible effects back to underlying causes.

12.30 – 1.30 Lunch

1.30 – 3.30 Neurology Case Studies – Applying Clinical Reasoning

In the afternoon, students turn to psychiatry, exploring how doctors understand, diagnose, and support patients experiencing mental illness.

They begin by considering what makes psychiatry distinctive as a medical specialty. Unlike some areas of medicine, psychiatric conditions cannot always be confirmed through a single scan or blood test. Doctors therefore rely heavily on careful history-taking, observation, communication, and structured assessment.

Students are introduced to psychiatric history-taking and the Mental State Examination, exploring how doctors assess mood, affect, speech, thought patterns, beliefs, perceptions, and cognition. They consider how conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, OCD, schizophrenia, substance misuse, and medically unexplained symptoms may present, and how doctors distinguish between them.

Through case studies and roleplay, students practise building a psychiatric history, asking sensitive questions, and thinking carefully about diagnosis and management. They are encouraged to recognise the importance of empathy, clarity, and professional judgement, particularly when discussing experiences that may be distressing, complex, or difficult for a patient to explain.

The day also introduces ethical questions in psychiatric and emergency care, including the doctor’s duty to treat, the limits of personal judgement, and the importance of separating medical responsibility from moral or legal punishment.

Students develop skills in sensitive communication, diagnostic reasoning, ethical reflection, and thoughtful engagement with complex human experiences.

10.00 – 12.30 Paediatrics – Children, Development, and Clinical Assessment

Day Four introduces students to paediatrics, exploring how medicine changes when doctors are working with children rather than adults.

Students begin by considering one of the central principles of paediatric medicine: children are not simply smaller adults. Their bodies, immune systems, communication styles, and developmental needs are different, and doctors must adapt their approach accordingly. A child may not be able to explain their symptoms clearly, and the doctor may need to build a picture from observation, parental concerns, developmental history, and subtle clinical signs.

The morning focuses on growth and development, including how children change physically, socially, and cognitively from infancy onwards. Students explore developmental milestones and consider why doctors need to understand what is typical at different ages in order to recognise when something may be wrong.

They also look at areas such as foetal circulation, primitive reflexes, and early neurological development, using these topics to understand how paediatricians assess babies and young children. Through case-based discussion, students consider how symptoms such as poor head control, delayed sitting, unusual movement, or concerns from a parent might point towards an underlying condition.

This session develops careful observation, age-appropriate clinical reasoning, and the ability to interpret information from patients who may not be able to speak for themselves.

12.30 – 1.30 Lunch

1.30 – 3.30 Childhood Illness, Vaccination, and Paediatric Casework

In the afternoon, students apply their understanding of paediatrics to childhood illness and clinical casework.

They explore how doctors assess children with common or serious presentations, including infections, rashes, growth concerns, congenital conditions, and breathing or feeding difficulties. Students consider how the same symptom can mean different things depending on the age of the child, and why paediatric medicine often requires quick judgement alongside careful reassurance of parents or guardians.

The session also considers vaccination and childhood infections. Students explore how vaccines protect both individuals and wider communities, and why public understanding of vaccination can have significant consequences for children’s health. This introduces an important public health dimension to the day, connecting individual clinical care with population-level medicine.

Through paediatric case studies, students practise identifying key symptoms, asking relevant questions, considering possible diagnoses, and explaining next steps clearly. Cases may involve conditions such as meningitis, scarlet fever, pyloric stenosis, congenital heart disease, or genetic conditions, giving students insight into the range and complexity of paediatric medicine.

Where time allows, students may also consider an ethical case involving genetic disease and “saviour siblings”, exploring how medicine can raise difficult questions about treatment, family decision-making, and the use of reproductive technology.

By the end of the day, students have developed a clearer understanding of how doctors adapt their communication, clinical reasoning, and ethical judgement when caring for children and families.

10.00 – 12.30 Emergency Medicine, Triage, and First Assessment

The final day introduces students to the fast-paced world of emergency medicine, where doctors must make decisions quickly, calmly, and in a structured way.

Students explore how Accident & Emergency departments work, and why the first challenge is often not diagnosis in the usual sense, but prioritisation. In a busy emergency department, patients may arrive with anything from minor injuries to life-threatening illness, and doctors must decide who needs immediate attention, what information matters most, and what can safely wait.

The morning focuses on the patient journey through A&E, including triage and the first stages of emergency assessment. Students consider how doctors and nurses assess urgency, communicate under pressure, and use structured frameworks to avoid missing serious problems.

They are introduced to the C-ABCDE approach, which helps clinicians assess the most urgent threats first: catastrophic haemorrhage, airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure. This gives students a clear example of how medicine relies on disciplined thinking, especially in situations where hesitation or confusion could put a patient at risk.

Students develop skills in prioritisation, structured assessment, rapid reasoning, and clear communication in high-pressure situations.

12.30 – 1.30 Lunch

1.30 – 3.30 Emergency Casework, Safeguarding, and Professional Judgement

In the afternoon, students apply emergency medicine principles to a series of clinical scenarios.

They consider how doctors respond to patients presenting with serious symptoms such as chest pain, stroke-like weakness, breathing difficulty, traumatic injury, or reduced consciousness. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, students are encouraged to think about immediate risks, likely diagnoses, appropriate investigations, and the first steps in management.

The session also introduces tools used in emergency settings, such as the Glasgow Coma Scale, which helps doctors assess consciousness and monitor changes in a patient’s condition. Students begin to see how even complex or frightening situations can be approached logically when clinicians use a clear structure.

Alongside urgent physical assessment, students consider the wider responsibilities of emergency doctors. This may include safeguarding concerns, non-accidental injury, pressures on A&E services, and the importance of giving clear handovers between medical teams. Students explore how frameworks such as SBAR can help doctors communicate essential information safely and efficiently.

The day also allows space for ethical discussion. Emergency medicine can place doctors in morally difficult situations, where they may have to treat patients whose actions they strongly condemn, or make decisions under uncertainty with limited time. Students consider the professional duty to preserve life, and the importance of separating medical responsibility from personal judgement.

By the end of the course, students have brought together many of the skills developed across the week: history-taking, clinical reasoning, evidence-based decision-making, communication, teamwork, ethical judgement, and the ability to stay calm when the answer is not immediately obvious.

This outline provides a detailed view of the themes and topics explored during the online Medicine Summer School. The programme is designed to introduce students to how doctors approach diagnosis, interpret clinical evidence, and make decisions in complex situations, while also giving participants the opportunity to work through realistic case studies, online roleplay, independent research, and guided discussion.

If you would like to learn more about how the course works in practice – including the academic level, teaching style, and who the course is best suited to – please see the Medicine Summer School FAQ.

You can also return to the main online Medicine Summer School page for full details about the course and how to apply.