David Maskill

I wanted to immerse myself in the specialty I'm interested in without having to worry too much about lectures and exams. Since I already had ideas about pursuing academic medicine, I also wanted to test out these ideas to confirm that I enjoy research.  Of course, I also wanted publications, presentations, etc.

The modules on statistics and study designs were extremely useful and subjects never encountered on the medicine course were taught with pristine clarity. The opportunity to learn in groups with other healthcare professionals (these modules are shared with the health research diploma course), from midwives to consultant surgeons, was invaluable in teaching me the different approaches to research. 

If you are interested in research, or would like to study a particular topic in depth, then this is the course for you. Even if you change your mind about specialty afterwards, the MRes is 'in medicine' and therefore applicable to whatever you want to do. On the course, the majority of your time is your own to use as you wish, and you will certainly need to use it, but this freedom makes it all very enjoyable. I thoroughly recommend the MRes and would do it again but apparently you're not allowed to intercalate a second time.