Respiratory Medicine

Study Respiratory Medicine in the UK is a great way to delve into medicine without compromising your studies or career. These courses can benefit you by improving your knowledge of medicine and making you aware of the capabilities required for future careers within the medical field. This course will give you a broad understanding of the field of respiratory medicine in UK Universities, including its typical disorders, how they are diagnosed and treated, and how much public, community, and secondary care contribute to the overall service delivery in the field as a whole.

Future primary or secondary care respiratory specialists, whether doctors or nurses, will benefit from this Respiratory Medicine program’s concentration on their chosen field. There are three years dedicated to respiratory training in the 2010 curriculum, while this can be extended to five years with dual accreditation with General (Internal) Medicine (GIM). The majority of residency programmes need dual accreditation (with GIM). However, critical care accreditation is still an option for some residents. Cystic fibrosis, pleural illness, pulmonary infections, sleep medicine, lung cancer, airways disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and transplant medicine are just a few of the sub-specialties that trainees might pursue within the field of respiratory medicine in the UK.

What is Respiratory Medicine?

Respiratory physicians evaluate and treat problems with the nasal cavity, throat, larynx, windpipe, lungs, and diaphragm. Respiratory issues account for one-third of all emergency room visits, so you should expect to keep busy.

Why is studying respiratory medicine in the UK important nowadays?

  • Some form of the respiratory disease affects more than a billion people worldwide.
  • In the United Kingdom alone, a new case of lung disease affects 10,000 people every week.
  • Lung disease affects one out of every five persons.
  • Each five minutes, a person in the United Kingdom loses their life due to lung illness.
  • The discipline of respiratory medicine is becoming increasingly significant. The lungs are the body’s largest internal organ and the only internal organ always exposed to the external world. Everyone who takes a breath is at risk from airborne pathogens and toxins.
  • Asthma, bronchitis, COPD, cystic fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, obstructive sleep apnoea, pneumonia/lower respiratory tract infections, and obstructive sleep apnoea are all forms of respiratory disease.

Pros and cons of working in Respiratory Medicine in the UK?

  • Cases range from those requiring immediate attention to those requiring long-term care management or palliative care for respiratory disorders.
  • Strong ties to an emergency, intensive care, and acute care settings
  • Methods such as bronchoscopy, thoracoscopy, and pleural ultrasound are used in practice.
  • Talent for narrowing one’s focus
  • Combining efforts from multiple fields (radiology, oncology, microbiology)
  • Sputum

Best universities for Respiratory Medicine in the UK

Here are some universities in the UK for Respiratory medicine:

University of Birmingham

This MSc in Respiratory Medicine in the UK course from the University of Birmingham will give you a broad understanding of the field of respiratory medicine, including its most common conditions, how they are diagnosed and treated, and how much public, community, and secondary care contribute to the overall service delivery in this area.

University College London (UCL)

The Respiratory Department at UCL is where students who want to earn a Master of Science in Respiratory Clinical Science can do so. In 2015, the Department, part of the UCL Division of Medicine, received extensive renovations. The embedding centre, cryostat, microtome, and automated tissue processing and slide staining units can all be found in the UCL Respiratory Department’s specialised histology facilities.

There are bright field microscopes, fluorescence microscopes, laser-capture microdissection equipment, and an automatic slide scanner in the facility’s microscopy suite.

University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham Students’ Union is home to numerous clubs, organisations, student groups, campaigns, and community projects that contribute to the city’s famous buzzing social scene.

Their studies centre on genetics, pharmacy, molecular pathophysiology, translational research (including biomarkers and imaging), and clinical trials.

Courses and Universities in the UK

University name Offered courses for Respiratory Medicine
University of Bolton
  • AdvDip(CPD) Respiratory (HE7)
  • MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (Respiratory)
University of Leicester
  • Respiratory Science PhD, MPhil, Nephrology
  • Respiratory Sciences PhD, MPhil, Tuberculosis
  • Respiratory Sciences PhD, MPhil – Microbial Sciences
  • Respiratory Sciences PhD, MPhil – Respiratory Sciences
  • Respiratory Sciences PhD, MPhil
University of South Wales
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Respiratory Medicine
  • MSc Respiratory Medicine
UCL (University College London) Respiratory Clinical Science MSc
University of Chester Respiratory Medicine MSc
University of Manchester MRes Experimental Medicine (Respiratory)
University of Nottingham Respiratory Medicine MPhil
Keele University Physiotherapy: Advanced (Cardio-Respiratory) MSc

Programme Structure of Respiratory Medicine in the UK

Here are the list of included courses-

  • Medicine for the Respiratory Tract in the Setting of Tertiary Care
  • Epidemiology of Respiratory Diseases in the Community Calculations
  • Techniques for Scientific Study
  • Evaluation and Planning for Health Services
  • Effective Administration of Health Care Economics

Career opportunities for Respiratory Medicine in the UK

If you want to work in the field of respiratory clinical science or a related industry like biotech or pharmaceuticals, this program will give you a solid foundation on which to build your career. It equips you with a diverse set of transferrable abilities that will be useful during your Ph.D. studies in the UK.

Entry requirements for Respiratory Medicine in the UK

English language requirements-

  • IELTS – minimum 6.5
  • TOFEL – 88

Other requirements-

  • BSc or Equivalent professional qualification (such as nursing, Physiotherapy, and medical degree)
  • Applicants with a non-MD degree but significant expertise in respiratory medicine may be considered.

Tuition fees for Respiratory Medicine in the UK

  • PGCert – for international students: £8,580
  • MSc full-time international students: £17,160

Final Thoughts

If you are interested in numerous aspects of respiratory medicine and not just lung diseases, then this is the course for you. You will be exposed to all aspects of respiratory medicine, like asthma and COPD, measles, mumps, and other viral infections that affect children globally. Many other topics are covered, like radiology and even basic anatomy.

If you would like to know more about a career in respiratory medicine and how it can be one of the most rewarding careers available, there is no better place than studying and completing an undergraduate degree in Respiratory Medicine in the UK. In the end, you should ensure that you have a good general knowledge of the respiratory system and how it works before you begin reading your material. It might sound obvious, but it’s always best to be prepared. Otherwise, you’ll learn more efficiently by using this as a source of additional information rather than trying to use it as a sole resource.

In the UK, how long does it take to become certified to practice respiratory medicine?

Respiratory medicine and internal medicine are two specialties that most residents double up on during their training. The bare minimum for a BSc degree is five years of schooling.This adds another two and a half years to the training period.

How do I become a respiratory therapist UK?

To enter as a healthcare science practitioner under the NHS Practitioner Training Program (PTP), you must earn a BSc (Hons) in healthcare science from a recognized institution and have two or three A2 or A-levels* in science subjects and a broad range of GCSEs at A-C.

What is the highest degree for respiratory therapists?

You can become a Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT), the gold standard in the field, bypassing the Clinical Simulation Examination.

Apply for this course

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