Biomedical Science in DIT? Pros and Cons?

lilyomara

Interested in doing biomedical science in DIT and i know a lot about the course but i was wondering is there anything people dont like about the course? i went to the open day and wasn't very impressed by the lecturer or the college but i still like the course they are offering. CONFUSED.

paul4green

lilyomara wrote: »

Interested in doing biomedical science in DIT and i know a lot about the course but i was wondering is there anything people dont like about the course? i went to the open day and wasn't very impressed by the lecturer or the college but i still like the course they are offering. CONFUSED.

Hi, I'm currently in 2nd year Biomedical Science DIT. I was talking recently to a girl on here who was enquiring about the course and responded to her with this.


Biomedical Science in DIT is one of only 3 courses in Ireland that allow you practice as a Medical Scientist in a Hospital Pathology Laboratory. The other two are in CIT/UCC and GMIT.
It's a hugely interesting degree. You study the human body from the ground up, learning everything you need to know about the body but also the diseases/syndromes and pathogens that cause human disease. You are the key tool in diagnosing a patients illness. Over 70% of all patients that attend a hospital require tests run by Medical Scientists. We diagnose cancers, haematological disorders like anaemias etc, isolation, culture and use antibiotics in vitro to determine the proper choice to clear the pathogen, diagnose viral infections such as HIV/ Hep C using complex molecular biology techniques such as Polymerase Chain Reactions. IT'S MIND BLOWING TO BE HONEST!!
The Course is very intense I must say. Courses in high regard have high module pass rates. Biomedical Science has a pass rate for all exams of 50%, similar to Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy. It's tough work, I'm not going to lie.
The Core biology modules include Anatomy and Physiology, Cell and Molecular biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry etc. These are prerequisites to more advanced Biomedical Modules such as Haematology, Microbiology, Cellular Pathology, Transfusion Science and Clinical Chemistry etc.

Job prospects are quite good to be honest, if you wish to work in a hospital, there are plenty of Jobs as a Medical Scientist. Starting Salary is about 35k a year, which progresses to 55k a year as a Basic Grade Medical Scientist - This is entry level job after you graduate. From here you can progress to a Senior Medical Scientist whose salary is above 70k a year easy.
Because lab tests are always needed you're on call, which means 50€ an HOUR!! 12hours on call = 600€, SNAP!

Biomedical Science is a stepping stone for Research, personally I'd love to do a PhD in Virology/immunology. Stem Cell research is a key area, but most research jobs need a PhD which is an extra 4 years.

I hope this helps you , ps Science in TCD/UCD doesn't qualify you for any job,
Biomed does.

The only real disadventages I can think of is that Kevin St isn't the best college in the world. However, The course is amazing. During 4th year, for example, for our Research Dissertation you can pick from some of the most pretigious universities in the world to go to. Karolinska Instituet in Stockholm, for example.

Hope this helps

KevinRyanMac

Hi, I'd like to way in here, I am currently in 4th year of the aforementioned course.

I would agree with the above poster in regards to the course itself, its content and the fact its interesting but though at the same time.
Biomedical science in my opinion is a great degree for the following reasons;

1. Upon completion you are a qualified medical scientist.

2 Medical science is a profession that is held in high regard. Although most members of the public know little about what we actually do.

3. DIT and GMIT are the only two courses in the ROI that are accredited by the IBMS(Uk). This means you can work as a medical scientist in the UK, or within the commonwealth (ie Canada, Australia, New Zealand).

4. You are not tied to working in a hospital laboratory, You could work in labs in industries (food/drinks companies etc.) or you could easily land yourself in a research post. Some Biomeds go on to do graduate entry medicine and this gives them an advantage over anybody entering GEM.


5. In this course you will learn practical skills that are used in the real world and employers look for this. Students studying biomed in universities often don't have these practical skills, they also tend to have lectures with 100 plus students. In DIT classes are small and lecturers are very approachable.

With regards job prospects I would have to disagree with the above post. The deficit in the health budget is astronomical, which means cutting staff and hiring less. There is very very few full time jobs available, although there is locums available (6, 9 months ) which can be good to gain experience and of course a bit of money. In my opinion your best bet is to head abroad to Canada, Australia etc, go live it up for awhile and return with experience.

Kevin St is not the most modern of colleges, but DIT is to move the grangegorman with state of the art facilities, however despite what the govt. say I cant see this happening for at least another 5-10 years.

But yeah you should give this course serious consideration. Anyway G'luck.:)

lilyomara

Thanks both how do you find the college life? Is it really as bad as people make it sound? Night life, accomodation etc. how are they?

paul4green

I've noticed that there is a fluctuation is jobs ATM. Of course, there is locum with CPL and the likes but if you check amls.ie/jobs theres 3 BG Medical Scientist jobs on there now and 1 for Senior Medical Scientist.

One thing I love about Kevin St and DIT in general is the fact that it's full of "normal" people, in the sense that many come from working/middle class backgrounds etc. I could have gone to Trinity but I really hated the attitudes I saw on their open day :P

College life is good I wouldn't be worrying about it too much. It's hard for someone to describe their college life experience, but I'm sure you'll find your feet on your own accord regardless

Hint hint: Choose Biomed haha

CallMeByMyName

Hi im currently in 6th year and want to do science next year. Biomedical science in DIT is one of my options but i dono what to choose exactly. Can anyone give me some info on what the course is like, is it good, whats DIT like as a college and whatever else would help me make my decision.

Havent got a feckin' clue.

Foxychick

Prev post on Biomedical science course in Dec 2012 by lilyomara.
Jobs hard to come by at the moment for this qualification,check AMLS website for more information that might help.

G_R

Hope neither OP minds, but I have merged these threads so that all the information is the one place

ainey_1

I heard the hours are horrible 9-5 everyday sometimes labs till 8. Is there room for a social life? I dont want to finish the LC to plunge into something just as heavy