Studying medicine?

Hooly22

[HTML]http://www.ucd.ie/news/sept05/medicine.htm[/HTML]

THis is a newsletter from UCD during 2005.

Does anyone know if they went ahead with this?
Can I do my degree in science and go onto Medicine?

dajaffa

Hooly22 wrote:

[HTML]http://www.ucd.ie/news/sept05/medicine.htm[/HTML]

THis is a newsletter from UCD during 2005.

Does anyone know if they went ahead with this?
Can I do my degree in science and go onto Medicine?

This year it didn't really happen, 9 graduates were admitted but we put into 1st med (ie no pre-med + a 5 year course). It's due to be run properly next year whereby graduates who gain entry (+ I'd say places will be highly contested) do a special 4 year course.

Also, yes esentially

Hooly22

You honestly have no idea how happy you've just made me.

I couldn't find confirmation on the internet, I'm only in 4th year now, but that's what I want to do.

I'd researched it and found that link, but couldn't find confirmation.

By the time I finish science I'll be around... 23 I think.

Do you think they will continue it?

dajaffa

Hooly22 wrote:

Do you think they will continue it?

Oh absolutely, UCD are the first to have it up + running but other Unis have similar plans + graduate entry is forming part of the restructuring of Medical education by the Department of Education.

I think they're going to have 40 odd places going in it next year, and then increase that as time goes on.

Sarn

As pointed out above it will be seriously contested. I know people with PhDs and MScs applying for these places, it will also be expensive. All of the universities are putting together proposals to get money from the HSE to help fund this entry programme.

At least it gives people a second chance, just because you missed out by a handful of points does not mean you are not suitable, you could have far better people skills etc that aren't taken into account with the CAO. Best of luck.

Hooly22

I should be applying some time around 2012 or 2013.

Do you think more colleges will have started it by then?

And are they really going to make it 50:50 (half the people who got the points, and half the people who are graduates).


So, are my chances very slim getting in? Or does it depends on how well i do during my 3/4 years of science? How is it decided who gets in or not?

dajaffa

Hooly22 wrote:

I should be applying some time around 2012 or 2013.

Do you think more colleges will have started it by then?

And are they really going to make it 50:50 (half the people who got the points, and half the people who are graduates).


So, are my chances very slim getting in? Or does it depends on how well i do during my 3/4 years of science? How is it decided who gets in or not?

You have to get a 2:1 or better in your primary degree + then you qualify to do a specialised aptitude test + the ppl who do best in that get in. I'd say by 2012 it won't be 50:50 but I reckon there'll be a couple of hundred places between the various colleges. I'd say it'll be sh1t hard to get into but if your primary degree is science based I'd say you'd be at a slight advantage 4 the test.

I heard a wild rumour that physios + radios can skip the first year of the grad programme. That'd come in handy if I had any interest in doing medicine

panda100

Hooly22 wrote:

I should be applying some time around 2012 or 2013.

Do you think more colleges will have started it by then?

And are they really going to make it 50:50 (half the people who got the points, and half the people who are graduates).


So, are my chances very slim getting in? Or does it depends on how well i do during my 3/4 years of science? How is it decided who gets in or not?

Heya.Im doing medicine at the mo in UCD. The number of postgrad places in medicine is increasing vastly each year. Id say by the time you graduate there will be a huge number of places for postgrads. Its already about 50:50 postgrad and people who gets points in my class.

dajaffa

panda100 wrote:

Heya.Im doing medicine at the mo in UCD. The number of postgrad places in medicine is increasing vastly each year. Id say by the time you graduate there will be a huge number of places for postgrads. Its already about 50:50 postgrad and people who gets points in my class.

Yeah but many of those actually went back + repeated. I've a mate who got an exceptionally goo Eng degree but had to repeat to get in. Up until now there's been no proper graduate entry route for medicine.

MatthewVII

panda100 wrote:

Heya.Im doing medicine at the mo in UCD. The number of postgrad places in medicine is increasing vastly each year. Id say by the time you graduate there will be a huge number of places for postgrads. Its already about 50:50 postgrad and people who gets points in my class.

The problem is that there isn't a proportional increase in the number of junior doctor places in the affiliated hospitals, at least not yet. For example, there are currently 105 5th year students in Vincent's who are going to be fighting over 50 internship spots. Not pretty

dajaffa

MatthewVII wrote:

The problem is that there isn't a proportional increase in the number of junior doctor places in the affiliated hospitals, at least not yet. For example, there are currently 105 5th year students in Vincent's who are going to be fighting over 50 internship spots. Not pretty

And yet there's a clear shortage of said junior doctors (refers to RTE prgramme of same name). The Irish healthcare system ladies + gentlemen *bursts into spontaneous applause*


Sure that's actually amazing compared to the situation for physios. Vincents took on 2 basic grade physios in the last year...

Vorsprung

MatthewVII wrote:

The problem is that there isn't a proportional increase in the number of junior doctor places in the affiliated hospitals, at least not yet. For example, there are currently 105 5th year students in Vincent's who are going to be fighting over 50 internship spots. Not pretty

Not quite true, it's gonna be messy but a good few of those will be going home to Canada, the US, Europe and Malaysia.

The other thing about all these new places is that there's no space in the hospitals for them to go! There's 80 in my year in Vincents, about 60 there at any one time and thats a lot, don't know how the final years manage with 100! They're gonna have to start doing longer rotations in the regional hospitals I'd say, like the RCSI students, who do 6 week stints out in hospitals like Loughlinstown, where UCD students would only do 2 weeks.

Vorsprung

dajaffa wrote:

Sure that's actually amazing compared to the situation for physios. Vincents took on 2 basic grade physios in the last year...

Heard stories of qualified physios doing temp work in offices last year, what a joke :rolleyes:

dajaffa

bigjimthefirst wrote:

Heard stories of qualified physios doing temp work in offices last year, what a joke :rolleyes:

Me is scared + praying for an improvement in time for me :eek: :eek:

I could start rating about how stupid it is cause on the ground there's such a clear shortage, but I won't...

My current back-up plan is one of doing a research masters/PHD, that or SU Pres

gubbie

dajaffa wrote:

but I reckon there'll be a couple of hundred places between the various colleges.

Isn't there only a couple of hundred places anyway in the whole of the country for med at the moment? Only 4 collages offering it and all. I wouldn't worry about it too much for now-the age thing might really put off poeple. Like if you're a phD science student then thats already 8 years of your primary degree and then you've another 10 years before you become a full doctor (5 of which you'll be working really long hours for pittance). That'd put me off

panda100

bigjimthefirst wrote:

Not quite true, it's gonna be messy but a good few of those will be going home to Canada, the US, Europe and Malaysia.

The other thing about all these new places is that there's no space in the hospitals for them to go! There's 80 in my year in Vincents, about 60 there at any one time and thats a lot, don't know how the final years manage with 100! They're gonna have to start doing longer rotations in the regional hospitals I'd say, like the RCSI students, who do 6 week stints out in hospitals like Loughlinstown, where UCD students would only do 2 weeks.

The final year in vincents this year had to apply to England cos they cannot be garunteed an intern place in Ireland. Many peole in my brother class which finished two years ago had to wait 6months to a year before they managed to secure an intern place, which is a bit crappy really.

Theres a health sciences programme board meeting on today and one of the items being discussed is this entry programme into medicine,ag and eng. These are the entry requirments :

There are no formal educational entry requirements. Applicants may apply using prior educational qualifications or life experience. Adult learners are invited to submit their life experience and individual strengths as evidence of their suitability. All applicants must be over the age of 22 on 1st January of year of entry to the course. Candidates are required to complete an application form, attend an interview and be assessed on a sample of written work.

Heres the link:http://www.ucd.ie/adulted/courses/ex430.htm

dajaffa

gubbie wrote:

Isn't there only a couple of hundred places anyway in the whole of the country for med at the moment? Only 4 collages offering it and all.

Nationally there's 368 (I think) places for EU students + that's been the cap imposed by the government since the 80s until recently. This was changed last summer + there'll be a gradual increase over the next few years until there's over 700 places nationally for EU students. The majority of the new places will be for people who get entry by the graduate route, there won't be much of an increase in places for traditional CAO entrants

Vorsprung

gubbie wrote:

Only 4 collages offering it and all.

UCD
Trinity
Surgeons
UCC
NUIG
And UL are starting a graduate programme soon

panda100 wrote:

Theres a health sciences programme board meeting on today and one of the items being discussed is this entry programme into medicine,ag and eng. These are the entry requirments :

There are no formal educational entry requirements. Applicants may apply using prior educational qualifications or life experience. Adult learners are invited to submit their life experience and individual strengths as evidence of their suitability. All applicants must be over the age of 22 on 1st January of year of entry to the course. Candidates are required to complete an application form, attend an interview and be assessed on a sample of written work.

No formal educational entry requirements? Is this wise? I would've thought that graduates wanting to join the course would be better off having some sort of background in science/health profession, especially if it's been a few years since their LC, and definately if they're not requiring them to have any LC sciences at all.

dajaffa

bigjimthefirst wrote:

No formal educational entry requirements? Is this wise? I would've thought that graduates wanting to join the course would be better off having some sort of background in science/health profession, especially if it's been a few years since their LC, and definately if they're not requiring them to have any LC sciences at all.

I think it's more a course to bring people who may have not done the LC up to standard so that they could start a science-based degree from first year in general, I think it's more aimed at people who could then start science or engineering more so than medicine.

gubbie

OOps!
Forgot NUIG
Being from Cork I only tend to just remember UCC and the Dublin ones straight off
Oh and by the way UCC is driving me mad :mad:

Stepherunie

There's increasing competition in all sections for jobs now - a lot of this had to do with the capping of places for jobs in the Health Care system, like loads of physios are needed hospitals are just not being given the funds to employ them.

Even rads are finding it harder to get jobs - in saying that it's still easy but not as easy as it used be. For example Beaumont hospital had 5 jobs going last year for basic grade radiographers, 14 people applied and only one of those had any experience....

panda100

For those who are intrested the dean of the medical school UCD,Professor powderly was talking about graduate entry into medicine at the health sciences meeting yesterday. Apparently hundreds have been ringing up the medicine school about it each day but the medical schools are really as clueless as students to matters such as fee's etc
So far all that has been decided between the colleges is the entry requirments.So the only thing that is finalised at the moment about graduate entry into med is how to gain a place into the course. All the colleges are waiting on the HEA to decide what the fee's will be. The hea said they wont have an answer to this until March. This is a huge problem as the deadline for the GAMSAT'S is the 24th of January yet most details of the graduate entry wont be finalised by the goverment until March.

Here is the list of questions asked by Irish medical schools to the HEA which still remain unanswered.
http://www.hea.ie/uploads/word/Graduate%20Entry%20Q%20%20A.DOC

Hooly22

I just need to know if it is deffinately going ahead?

Or could they decide in 2008 or 2009 not to do it at all.

I've never been to college, so I don't know how this all works.
They may seem like stupid questions, I just really need them answered if anyone can help.

dajaffa

Hooly22 wrote:

I just need to know if it is deffinately going ahead?

Or could they decide in 2008 or 2009 not to do it at all.

I've never been to college, so I don't know how this all works.
They may seem like stupid questions, I just really need them answered if anyone can help.

They will. It should happen this year. I'd be shocked it if wasn't in place by the year after at the latest, but there'll be some places this year I'd say.

PaddyofNine

panda100 wrote:

The final year in vincents this year had to apply to England cos they cannot be garunteed an intern place in Ireland. Many peole in my brother class which finished two years ago had to wait 6months to a year before they managed to secure an intern place, which is a bit crappy really.

A bit crappy is understating it! Can you imagine how pissed off you'd be after doing your Leaving Cert, (possibly) repeating, breaking your bollix for six years of college and then to be patted on the head and told, "Sorry, no jobs - try the NHS!". :eek:

Not to mention the fact that the NHS intern scheme is now TWO years, AND it starts in August (the Irish one starts in June) so you're effectively out of sync for applying for jobs and **** back home for the rest of your career!

panda100

PaddyofNine wrote:

A bit crappy is understating it! Can you imagine how pissed off you'd be after doing your Leaving Cert, (possibly) repeating, breaking your bollix for six years of college and then to be patted on the head and told, "Sorry, no jobs - try the NHS!". :eek:

Not to mention the fact that the NHS intern scheme is now TWO years, AND it starts in August (the Irish one starts in June) so you're effectively out of sync for applying for jobs and **** back home for the rest of your career!

I dont think the medical school are planning to tackle this problem any time soon. I know its ultimatly up to the HSE to sort the number of intern places out but we and the medical school should be putting more pressure on the HSE to sort this problem out. I want to bring it up at the health sciences meeting but Im not really ablre to get my hands on any proper facts and figures,so if anyone has any.please pm me!

Vorsprung

panda100 wrote:

I dont think the medical school are planning to tackle this problem any time soon. I know its ultimatly up to the HSE to sort the number of intern places out but we and the medical school should be putting more pressure on the HSE to sort this problem out. I want to bring it up at the health sciences meeting but Im not really ablre to get my hands on any proper facts and figures,so if anyone has any.please pm me!

Med Soc were invited by the IMO to a meeting with Mary Harney today on this topic, I'll let you know how it goes when I hear.

mloc

I got sick of waiting around for UCD to get it's act together finalising its graduate medicine plans, so I applied to a few colleges in England through UCAS. Just got my MSAT results there, did pretty well, so I'm hoping interviews will start appearing soon.

TBH I dunno if I'd like another 4 years in UCD.

panda100

mloc wrote:

I got sick of waiting around for UCD to get it's act together finalising its graduate medicine plans,

.

Just to clarify the delay is not UCD fault. They would have finalised everything last year if they could have. It is the goverment that are slowing up the whole procedure so if you want to blame someone blame them.

mloc

Everything is always UCD's fault. They gave birth to Hitler and invented the atomic bomb.

No, but really, the government is being a bit slow on commitment to post-graduate places... they're probably aware of the knock-on effect of more graduates when there's not enough places available in hospitals. They really need to sort out the whole medical system, soon.

Actually, they really need to sort out the whole country, soon.

pansophelia

Just to let people know, UCD did go ahead with acclerated entry last year. They took in 13 people who will do the course in four years, they're currently doing courses in first and second med.
Based on this I'd say its pretty likely they'll get approval from the HEA for the course this year, for anyone wondering, its probably worth going ahead with the gamsat.