Peninsula Dental School

Introduction

The Peninsula Dental School is an exciting new initiative designed afresh to ensure its graduates are best prepared to rise to the oral health challenges of the future.

The demands on today's dental professionals are extremely broad, and the first new Dental School in over 40 years has taken the opportunity to put in place a programme which is radical, reflects modern educational thinking and equips practitioners with the skills and abilities to adapt to rapidly changing professional circumstance.

The School offers a very 'different' kind of experience from most dental schools. Peninsula Dental School offers its students four years of clinical experience instead of the traditional two to three years.

The Peninsula Dental School will produce dentists who will be highly technically proficient, patient-centred team leaders who are as concerned with the preservation of oral health as with the treatment of disease. The degree is clinically intensive and makes use of community-based experience starting in Year 1 and building throughout the programme. There will be major emphasis on the sciences that underpin modern dental practice as well as the human and societal impact of dental disease.

The Peninsula Dental School aims to deliver a world-class educational programme for dental students and produce dental practitioners of the highest quality.

The Peninsula Medical School, a partnership between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and the NHS in Devon and Cornwall has put the South West at the forefront of delivering ground-breaking, modern clinical education. Having established a highly successful medical undergraduate programme, the School was selected from an intense national competition to create the Peninsula Dental School. It was formed, following a successful bid to the Government, as part of a national expansion of dental student numbers in the UK.

Graduate Entry Study at Peninsula Dental School

The curriculum will ensure that our new graduates possess the knowledge, skills and behaviours essential for safe, evidence-based practice and entry to the vocational training period of postgraduate practice.

Research-Rich Environment

There are many benefits to studying at a school with an excellent research reputation and you will find research integral to the School. Research is being carried out in the fields of biomedical research, clinical education, and health services research, which map NHS needs and priorities. The School has a growing reputation in dental research with a particularly strong emphasis on evidence-based practice, the epidemiology of dental disease and the fundamental origins of gum disease. University partners and the health community form a network of co-ordinated research activity across the Peninsula as part of the South West Peninsula research collaboration

The Peninsula Medical School is also recognised for the provision of formal training of young clinical researchers and educationalists through the provision of Clinical Fellowships and Clinical Lectureships.

Graduate Entry Programme

The programme is designed for science graduate or health care professional entry.

Academic Selection Criteria

First Degree

A minimum requirement for entry is normally a First Class or Upper Second Class honours degree, or equivalent in a biomedically-related or health care related subject. Applicants are invited to contact the PCMD Admissions team on: +44 (0)1752 437333 or email: pcmd-admissions@pcmd.ac.uk for advice on which degree subjects may be accepted by the College for consideration for entry.

The Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry reserves the right to use degree classification as part of the academic selection process for interview.

Professional qualifications not equivalent to degree level

Health care professionals without a degree must provide evidence of past higher education experience, for example to diploma level, in addition to a high level of work experience in a health care setting. All candidates without a degree level qualification must sit the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) to be considered for admission to the 4 year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme.

Full entry requirements details can be found here

Locations

Wherever you are based in Peninsula Dental School sites across the South West, you will benefit from fantastic facilities purpose built for the Dental School to enrich your learning experience.

The development of the Peninsula Dental School has involved the design and construction of bespoke new teaching and dental education facilities throughout Devon and Cornwall.

The programme is delivered at the Dental Education Facilities, which houses a total of 128 student chairs. These facilities have been designed and built specifically to meet the needs of the Peninsula Dental School, and will be integrated with local NHS dental care provision to allow students to gain experience of both routine dental care and insight into specialist and medical care.

Dental Education Facility centres are at:

• Plymouth Devonport, comprising 40 student chairs and supporting generic facilities
• The Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust site at Treliske, Truro, comprising 32 student chairs and integrated facilities
• The Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Heavitree Hospital, Exeter, comprising 16 student chairs and supporting facilities
• The soon to be opened facility in Tamar Science Park, Plymouth, which will comprise 40 student chairs

Whether at Exeter, Plymouth or Truro you will be close to the sea and have access to an exciting array of sporting and watersport activities including surfing, sailing, and diving, as well as some very picturesque beaches. In addition to good places to shop, there are plenty of places of interest in the area including the world famous Eden Project in Cornwall, the Dartmoor Wildlife Park and the Lost Gardens of Helligan!

As a student you will have unrivalled opportunities for new experiences – from sports and live entertainment to welfare support, clubs and societies. The Students Union will help you make the most of your free time, but offers much more than just good bars, nightclubs and live entertainment. It provides the perfect social complement to your academic life.

Given the South West location, water-based activities are extremely popular and well represented. The University of Plymouth is unique in having its own Diving and Sailing Centre set in a prime waterfront location providing a wide range of water sports courses. The historic city of Exeter is an ideal base from which to explore the delights of Exmoor the surrounding countryside and coastal walks.

National Health Service Partnership

The NHS has been closely involved in the development of the Peninsula Dental School and is the major UK employer of dental professionals. The groundbreaking curriculum of Peninsula Dental School requires facilities and expertise to enable the vision of the partners to be realised. The NHS in Devon and Cornwall has worked with Peninsula Dental School to ensure that its services and facilities offer the right environment to support the way dental graduates are best prepared to rise to the oral health challenges of the future.

Contact

Peninsula Dental School
The John Bull Building
Research Way
Tamar Science Park
Plymouth
PL6 8BU

Tel: +44 (0) 1752 437444
Fax: +44 (0) 1752 517842
Email: dentistry@pds.ac.uk