science then med?

dynamot

Does anyone know if doing one year of the science omnibus will allow you to get into medicine the following year. I only have biology as a science subject and therefore cant get into med in trinity without repeating

thanks

Jammyc

Nope, it won't. Only way into Med through Science is to go down the Graduate route.

Kwekubo

Trinity takes mature student applications rather than using a graduate entry programme, so in theory you could apply without having a degree at all (although most all successful applicants do have degrees.). There is one other way: if you have done the full five years of dentistry and want to do medicine, you can go into third year directly.

Jammyc

True but for mature entry to medicine in TCD, leaving cert is still relevant.

"applicants to Medicine must present a Grade B and a Grade C in two of Biology and Chemistry or Physics at higher Leaving Certificate level or equivalent. All applicants must sit the HPAT-Ireland admissions test which will take place on 26th February, 2011. HPAT-Ireland test results will assist with short-listing candidates for interview. CAO applications for Medicine must be made online. One to two places will be reserved for applicants with backgrounds in the Arts and Humanities."

blubloblu

Kwekubo wrote: »

There is one other way: if you have done the full five years of dentistry and want to do medicine, you can go into third year directly.

I've never heard of this way. Is there a name for it, link anywhere?

NeuroCat

I've never heard of this way. Is there a name for it, link anywhere?

I believe it's called Advanced Placement, it's only applicable to students of dentistry or veterinary medicine and I believe it only lets you skip to second year, not third year.

Kwekubo

Dentists are definitely exempted from the first two years. It would make sense for vets to be in the same position, but there is a vet who has been in our class since first year; he might have entered via the CAO system, I'm not sure.

NeuroCat

I think it's a bit mental that someone who has a degree in something like Molecular Medicine, or a related field is unfit for Advanced Placement. As the first two years of medicine in most Irish universities is based in the fundamentals of biochemistry and academic medicine with relatively little clinical experience. You would imagine someone coming from a biochemistry degree or the like would have more applicable knowledge than someone from veterinary medicine.

Just Like Heaven

NeuroCat wrote: »

I think it's a bit mental that someone who has a degree in something like Molecular Medicine, or a related field is unfit for Advanced Placement. As the first two years of medicine in most Irish universities is based in the fundamentals of biochemistry and academic medicine with relatively little clinical experience. You would imagine someone coming from a biochemistry degree or the like would have more applicable knowledge than someone from veterinary medicine.

I know somebody who transfered into medicine from medicinal chemistry, I don't know how they went about it though.

Is the advanced placement through dentistry a guaranteed entry route?

NeuroCat

I know somebody who transfered into medicine from medicinal chemistry, I don't know how they went about it though.

Is the advanced placement through dentistry a guaranteed entry route?

I would assume they reapplied through CAO, because I know in Trinity they don't allow transfers into medicine from any courses any other way (having tried to apply myself).

You would most likely be interviewed for advanced placement in a similar way to mature students. I wouldn't say it's garunteed but it is a valid route. I wouldn't encourage anyone to go into dentistry just so they can get advanced placement to medicine. You can take a graduate medicine course in UCD, RCSI, Queens and many of the colleges in England. You can enter grad. medicine in Ireland from any undergraduate degree, provided you have a 2:1 and your GAMSAT results are up to standard, however, this is not the case for the English universities. Several aptitude tests, combined with interviews and a relevent science degree are usually required.

Jammyc

Graduate Med Courses in UCC and UL too. In the 4 Irish universities that do Grad Med, once you've got a 2.1 and then entry is based on GAMSAT score alone, no interview.

Craguls

NeuroCat wrote: »

I think it's a bit mental that someone who has a degree in something like Molecular Medicine, or a related field is unfit for Advanced Placement.

I don't.

While I'd agree that there's a sufficient biochemical aspect to the "academic" medical years, there's also a strong emphasis on Physiology and Anatomy, particularly in first year with the year long Human Form and Function Module which is worth 15 ECTS. In other words way more than the typical Mol. Med grad would have covered in his/her undergrad.

NeuroCat wrote: »

As the first two years of medicine in most Irish universities is based in the fundamentals of biochemistry and academic medicine with relatively little clinical experience.

Again, I'd disagree, in second year Med students begin spending one day a week following Doctors around the hospital learning basic clinical skills. They're examined on these too at the end of the year. Second year also places a strong emphasis on Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Clinical Immunology and Microbiology. Something again, a Mol Med graduate would completely miss out on.


In essence Molecular Medicine, isn't some pseudo medicine degree it's just a biochemistry degree with a emphasis on pathology. While the name would suggest otherwise I'd be wary of thinking you're, somehow, going to jump right into medicine at the end of the day.

dynamot

For a postgrad degree in medicine, does your first degree matter in the selection process? Would a science degree be more beneficial than a psychology one for example?

NeuroCat

Again, I'd disagree, in second year Med students begin spending one day a week following Doctors around the hospital learning basic clinical skills. They're examined on these too at the end of the year. Second year also places a strong emphasis on Pharmacology, Neuroscience and Clinical Immunology and Microbiology. Something again, a Mol Med graduate would completely miss out on.

While I can see were you're coming from, these are also fields which graduates from a veterinary medicine degree would be lacking in. I'm simply comparing the amount of work done in a scientific degree with a biochemical background, with that of a veterinary medicine/dentistry degree. There are quite a lot of similarities between the two.

The Veterinary Medicine degree in UCD is very clinically based with relatively little biochemistry in comparison. I fail to see what a graduate of Veterinary Medicine can offer over someone with a degree in any other relevent scientific field.

I'm prepared to say that Dentistry is an exception, as they do study very similar modules to the Medicine students in their 5 years, with a large emphasis on head and neck anatomy.

I know that in the UK, advanced placement isn't limited to graduates of Den/Vet Med. It just seems quite strange to me that they limit Advanced Placement to these two degree programmes in Ireland.

For a postgrad degree in medicine, does your first degree matter in the selection process? Would a science degree be more beneficial than a psychology one for example?

In Ireland, it doesn't matter in the slightest, as long as you have attained a 2:1 in it. The only thing I would say is, the GAMSAT is a scientific aptitude test so in theory, people coming from scientific fields would have an advantage, but if you took the time to prepare for it, I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to achieve a good grade.

Jammyc

NeuroCat wrote: »

In Ireland, it doesn't matter in the slightest, as long as you have attained a 2:1 in it. The only thing I would say is, the GAMSAT is a scientific aptitude test so in theory, people coming from scientific fields would have an advantage, but if you took the time to prepare for it, I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to achieve a good grade.

True, but people from Arts backgrounds usually find sections 1/2 (reasoning in the humanities and social sciences and written communication) easier, but seeing as section 3 is doubly weighted it evens out. Also, I reckon its easier for a Science student to prepare for sections 1/2 than it is for a non-science student to prepare for section 3.

bythewoods

blubloblu wrote: »

I've never heard of this way. Is there a name for it, link anywhere?

It's the route taken to get into Maxillofacial surgery. It works both ways, people who have a Medicine degree can skip the start of Dentistry to get into Maxfax surgery too.