medicine in ucd?

ladyluck336

Hey everyone:) I'm in my first year of college in Galway but lately I've started thinking about switching to medicine next year. I did the HPAT this year and I was happy enough with how it went so I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the results bring! Anyway, I was wondering if some people could tell me more about what the course is like in UCD? That's probably where I'll put down first if I decide to take it up. I would like to get a realistic idea of how hard it is, how stressful it is and what exactly happens after you've graduated and you're interning etc. I'm a bit worried about choosing this career path as I'm afraid it might be too difficult for me and I won't be smart enough to understand everything on the course in enough depth. I am willing to work very hard to do well in it but that's still going to be a worry anyway. I'm also a bit confused because I've heard that medicine is like a calling that people get, but it's something I never really considered until now. Maybe that means I just needed a bit more maturity and understanding of it before I actually started thinking about it but I'm not sure. There are many aspects of it that I think I would love and would suit me very well but I'm just a little bit nervous of making this decision. Any help would be welcome!

elmo89

Dear Ladyluck,

I am not writing this to deter you or put you off medicine but moreso to give a realistic perspective!

Think carefully before you apply, it's nothing like ER or scrubs really when you're a student and you don't even get near a hospital until you're in 4th year in UCD (which in my opinion is right, you can't run before you can walk and I disagree with courses that launch students straight into hospitals before they can use a stethoscope properly!) You'll have great craic from a social point of view for the first four years and in terms of lectures and modules-well it's the equivalent of doing a biomedical science degree and then towards the end before you go into hospitals, they'll start teaching you diseases over 2 semesters. But be prepared for physics, some maths, inorganic chemistry, learning about gorillas and receptors and cascades for the first few years (as well as anatomy and physiology!). You'll make great friends though and that's probably the best thing about the early years-it gets boring and frustrating when you're stuck in lecture theatres all the time learning about stuff that seems completely irrelevant.

Then everything changes in 4th yr......for the better!You're sent off to hospitals, put on rotations and finally everything you have learnt becomes relevant. Before you know it, you're in 5th yr, (res year) taking histories and doing physical exams, presenting to consultants and teams on ward rounds, and helping clear out clinics-in vincent's or mater. Downside is, you're up super early for surgery anyway.. so if getting up at 5.30 am to be in for ward rounds is not for you then this prob isnt the best career. Combine this with then coming home at like 5pmish and then having to study for a good few hours=extreme tiredness and you'll be drinking coffee till it starts coming out of your ears!

Then (this is my stage at the mo!) you'll approach your finals, and it's nuts- keeping consultants happy with your attendance, exam tutorials being scheduled in every direction, examining patients, studying and learning what feel likes ALL MEDICINE AND SURGERY, gets very stressful. There comes a stage where you are doing some sort of final exams every six weeks med surg then paeds obs/gyn psych and gp, forensic med, public health. Nothing is easy and you'll also realise you're still in college while all your friends have graduated and are earning and moving out into the world....but ur still stuck in library with no money. (and the case can't really be made anymore that you'll be earning more than them one day-pay is shocking for NCHDs considering the amount of hrs they do and that's when they do get paid-a whole other saga!).

Also you'll be packed off to do rotations down in rural hospitals.....these can be awful. You stay inb&bs and sometimes there are no studying facilities in the hospitals or in the b&bs which is frustrating. Money for petrol, transport and feeding is required....and the hospitals canteens don't do deals down the country except wexford. ucd pay for the b&bs in 3rd and 4th yr but for paeds, obs and gp you have to book your own with a 110 euro allowance/week. It's just costly in general!


That said, given the stress, unsavoury hours, the chaos of exams, hospital life, larger than life consultant characters and the prospect of meagre pay at the end of it all.....I wouldn't change it for the world.

Yes prepare to be annihilated and eaten alive when presenting histories, publicly humilated in front of patients but it's all part of the fun!

There's nothing nicer than a patient thanking you for listening to them!

Just think carefully!

Ayshan

I was just wondering for medicine if you get 585 points in the leaving (Excluding maths because I got a D3) is it still possible for me to do medicine? I'm asking this because on the UCD website it says "Passes in six subjects including English, Irish, a third language, Mathematics and one laboratory science subject of which two of the six must be minimum HC3." Does this mean I HAVE to count maths as one of my 6 subjects?

spurious

Ayshan wrote: »

I was just wondering for medicine if you get 585 points in the leaving (Excluding maths because I got a D3) is it still possible for me to do medicine? I'm asking this because on the UCD website it says "Passes in six subjects including English, Irish, a third language, Mathematics and one laboratory science subject of which two of the six must be minimum HC3." Does this mean I HAVE to count maths as one of my 6 subjects?

As I read that, yes, you have to have passed Maths - a D3 would be a pass in Maths.
As long as you have two of those other subjects mentioned at HLC3 or higher (which presumably you have with that points score) it's OK.
The points you can reckon from any six subjects. The points and the requirements are different.

If I have that wrong, I hope someone will correct me, but that's how it reads to me.