Personal Excellence Paths (PEPs) contribute to the breath of  your learning in the MBChB programme.

The aims of all PEPs are for you to:

• Adopt an active approach to learning, based on curiosity and exploration of knowledge;
• develop communication in an educational context;
• develop communication in an information technology context;

PEP is one of the longitudinal components of the MBChB curriculum offering you an opportunity to choose areas of interest for your studies. The PEP supports the GMC requirements for student choice and delivers scholarship outcomes of the GMC Outcomes for Graduates (2021).

To avoid a potential conflict of interest in supervision and assessment, students must never undertake a PEP in situations where a close relative is working. Ignoring this regulation may lead to you failing the assessment.

This information is only an overview; you must read the detailed PEP guidelines on 1Med / Canvas as they became available nearer the time of the assignments.

Year 1 Poster PEP

The Year 1 Poster PEP takes place in Semester 2 of Year 1 and consists of group work centred around the production of a scientific poster. The poster will be assessed during the Semester 2 exam period.  Each PEP group will be assigned an academic facilitator. Groups will be expected to meet both independently and twice with their facilitators.

The Year 1 PEP will enable you to develop skills in:

• Discussing ideas and collaborating data within a group;
• acquiring information about a specific subject area using scientific databases; referencing the information used;
• integrating information from basic sciences, behavioural sciences and clinical relevance;
• using computer technology to produce a visual presentation (poster)

Further details on the poster preparation and submission will be provided at the beginning of Semester 2.

Year 1 PEP is a summative assessment.

Please note: The Programme Policy does not allow students with a disability to have an automatic one week extension to their written assignments on their University Support Plan from the University Disability and Advisory Support Service for the Year 1 PEP assignment because 100% of the assessment for Year 1 PEP comes from group activity, which cannot be DASS adjusted.

Similarly, no other extension is allowed for Year 1 PEP.

See: Personal Excellence Path Year 1 Information on 1Med  or on Canvas

Year 2 PEP

The Year 2 PEP takes place in Semester 4 and is a literature review, resulting in a dissertation. Your PEP report will be assessed for its content, organisation, use of literature and overall presentation. You will conduct a review of the published literature on a topic offered by a member of staff. The objectives of your Year 2 PEP are to enable you to develop skills in:

• Using the library and information services to perform literature searches;
• gathering data from the literature and critical evaluation of those data;
• ranking the range and level of authority of different forms of scientific literature;
• compiling information into a written report that addresses the topic investigated;
• using computer software to produce a written report.

Detailed instructions regarding the selection of PEP topics, the PEP period, as well as the production, submission and assessment of your report will be posted on 1Med nearer the time of your assignment. Briefly, a list of topics offered by staff members will be posted on 1Med and you will be expected to select several topics from the list before a deadline, ranking them in order of preference. Every attempt will be made to allocate you a topic of your choice. Once you have been allocated a topic, you should contact your designated tutor as soon as possible in order to make arrangements for your Year 2 PEP.

During the PEP period, in consultation with your tutor, you will research your topic using a range of types of literature and plan your report.

Year 2 PEP is a summative assessment.

Please note students with a disability who have an automatic one week extension to their written assignments on their University Disability Advisory and Support Service Support Plan are automatically allowed an additional one week extension, if required.

Please note no other extension is allowed for Year 2 PEP and auto-extensions are not applied to any PEP resit period.

See: Personal Excellence Path Year 2 Information on 1Med

Year 3 and 5 PEP

Students are required to be in Manchester throughout their APEP and QEPEP blocks. It will not be acceptable to undertake these blocks virtually at any time. Failure to follow these requirements could result in referral to the Concerns Review Panel.

Year 3 Applied PEP (APEP) – Please note: The APEP does not apply to students studying on the GEM pathway. 

The Applied PEP is a student selected component and runs in Year 3 from April to June. During this period the majority of time is for students to work on their chosen projects, and the final week is for presentations and assessments. You choose your project and supervisor from a very large range within the Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health and its NHS partners (in acute NHS trusts and the community).

The Year 3 APEP can be a wide variety of projects, but all will enable you to develop skills in:

• Defining the objectives of the chosen project;
• studying a particular problem, specialty or aspect of medicine in depth;
• planning how to make best use of the time allocated;
• being able to critically review literature;
• understanding methodology appropriate to the project type;
• understanding basic statistical analysis of numerical data;
• being able to communicate clearly in writing;
• being able to communicate key findings in an oral presentation.

During the project students will collaborate with their supervisor and will formulate, conduct and complete a unique project. They will complete two required outputs: A written report and an oral presentation. Both form the grounds for the summative assessment.

Please note students with a disability who have an automatic one-week extension to their written assignments on their University Disability Advisory and Support Service Support Plan are automatically allowed an additional one week extension, if required. Please note auto-extensions are not applied to any PEP resit period.

Please note that no other extension is allowed for Year 3 APEP.

The Applied PEP Guidelines on 1Med contain information and guidance on all information needed to support students’ and supervisors’ success in this module.

See: Applied PEP Information on 1Med

Year 3 GEM PEP – only for students studying on the GEM pathway

The GEM PEP is allocated 1 day each week during GEM block, which runs in Year 3 from April to June.

Students will spend this time working on their chosen project, producing an individual poster and preparing for a poster presentation which will be delivered and assessed in a conference-style assessment day during the final week of GEM block.

This poster and poster presentation is designed to assess your ability to:

1. Investigate a question based on available literature and form your own conclusions.
2. Summarise and present relevant information clearly in poster format.
3. Explain your investigative process with reference to principles of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and justify your conclusions.
4. Demonstrate your depth of understanding of the topic and your ability to reflect on the process by presenting and answering questions from assessors and/or peers.

The final summative assessment will include both the submitted poster and poster presentation.

Please note students with a disability who have an automatic one-week extension to their written assignments on their University Disability Advisory and Support Service Support Plan are automatically allowed an additional one week extension, if required. Please note auto-extensions are not applied to any PEP resit period.

Please note that no other extension is allowed for Year 3 GEM PEP.

See: GEM PEP information on onemed

Year 5 Quality and Evidence PEP

The Quality and Evidence PEP (QEPEP) is a four week block during Year 5 post Finals Exams. In this block the student will explore the role of audit or lay information in clinical practice. This is only an overview; you must read the QEPEP Guidelines for Year 5 before arranging your project and again before the PEP period starts.

The students will gain experience of the clinical area whist learning about the role of quality and evidence in health care. They will, under supervision, undertake a project within the quality cycle or develop information appropriate to varied audience including public. You choose your project and supervisor preferences from a large range within the geographical boundaries of the primary care centres and our affiliated teaching hospitals.

A database containing this information will be made available on 1Med. You will be expected to state several preferences from the list before the deadline. Every attempt will be made to allocate you to a project of your choice but this is not guaranteed. The QEPEP can be a undertaken in a wide variety of clinical areas but in all will enable you to develop skills in:

• Identifying the mechanisms, barriers and facilitators to evidence adoption in healthcare locally;
• appreciating how clinical guidelines are developed and clinical governance is conducted with special reference to improving the quality;
• understanding how an audit (complete cycle) is used in the practice of evidence based medicine;
• using audit in clinical governance and quality improvements in terms of patient care and doctors performance;
• summarising findings of an audit or quality improvement project;
• producing documentation that is understandable for a lay; audience, which addresses a topic or area that he/she has been investigating;
• understanding the methods used in applying best evidence in practice.

Students will submit a written document at the end of the QEPEP which is the summative assessment. Your attendance and engagement during QEPEP is also summatively assessed.

Please note students with a disability who have an automatic one week extension to their written assignments on their University Disability Advisory and Support Service Support Plan are automatically allowed an additional one week extension, if required. Please note auto-extensions are not applied to any PEP resit period.

Please note that no other extension is allowed for QEPEP.

See: QEPEP Guidelines for Year 5