Undergraduate curriculum (clinical oncology)

In 2014 the clinical oncology faculty of the RCR worked with medical oncology colleagues at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) to compile a curriculum which provided a basis for undergraduate non-surgical oncology teaching in the UK. The aim of the curriculum is to facilitate medical students gaining the competencies required to enable them to manage patients with cancer appropriately when they graduate.

Undergraduate non-surgical oncology curriculum 2020

The clinical oncology undergraduate steering committee together with medical oncology colleagues updated the undergraduate non-surgical oncology curriculum to bring it in in line with the GMC's ‘Outcomes for graduates 2018’ and the upcoming Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA). The Outcomes for graduates sets out the competencies expected from newly qualified doctors from all UK medical schools, while the MLA tests the core knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to practise safely: UK medical students graduating in the academic year 2024-25 and later will need to pass the MLA before joining the medical register.

The 2020 undergraduate curriculum illustrates how the generic outcomes described in the Outcomes for graduates can be achieved in the context of non-surgical oncology, by identifying the minimum capabilities in practice for non-surgical oncology that all newly qualified doctors require in order to be safe junior doctors, and by promoting an understanding of cancer and non-surgical oncology in newly qualified doctors to inform their decision-making about future career choices and practice. The curriculum is available to download and medical schools are encouraged to use it as a framework for teaching in oncology. 

Download the undergraduate non-surgical oncology curriculum 2020 (PDF)

If you have any questions about the curriculum please email undergraduate@rcr.ac.uk