Mature Medicine Applicants 2014

livk

Yeah, exactly. Cork asked me that last year.

EternalGeek

Yeah, Rcsi, Trinity and Cork all asked me about how I was planning to fund myself last year.

Livk, that sounds perfect, im actually doing a PG Dip in RCSI at the min but thought it might be really obnoxious to get a reference from RCSI plus I dont feel like anyone knows me well enough, you know? So asked my CNM and ADON for a reference aswell and I'll see which one comes out better

livk

Haha, a good reference from the ADON and you're so unbelievably set. Because of the whole LC repeat and the amount of study I had to do to get this far I haven't been in the Maternity since graduation. You're so lucky you got to keep up the work

EternalGeek

Oh, it really wasn't a choice, I had to keep working for the money, ha! Are you long qualified? When did you do the leaving? I qualified in 2011, did the leaving last year and then started the PGDip in tissue viability and wound management last September. I've been working between hospitals and a nursing home.

livk

Oh, nice! I graduated January 2011, had saved all my internship money, and immediately went and booked into the private school here for my leaving cert. Repeated in 2012. Then spent last year working for my mother helping with foreign students. It meant I had all the flexibility in the world so I could do 12/13 hours of study a day and still get loads of other stuff done for her. Not ideal when it comes to my time out of hospital, but I refuse to give up is on Medicine so we'll see how it goes this year

What supporting documentation do you think we need to send in besides our transcripts? The only thing I can think of that I have is my ABA fancy registration document.

EternalGeek

Cool, I woudnt worry about being out, you are still going to have a greater insight than a lot of applicants!
I think the ABA cert and I was going to put in my canulation and venepuncture certs maybe, purely becuase I have them.I doubt they need my cpr and all that jazz. I do have a couple of ones from conferences and study days but I dont want to swamp them with documents. I'm leaving all my stuff in Tuesday anyway as I wont have another chance between work and lectures.

I'm a bit worried about the charity work thing. Have you done much?

livk

I didn't realise that was a necessity, to be honest. I thought that was more of an assessment criteria for people who came from other backgrounds. I had done so much work in my degree between surgery, the mat, the community and domino midwives that I didn't think about anything else other than getting my academic stuff up to par. Not much I can do about it now, i'll keep it in mind for next year if I need to do this all again.

EternalGeek

Oh, great, that was my opinion on it too til I started seeing other posters who seemed to have a lot. I did a lot of work eith the Irish epilepsy association the year before last but have had next to nothing this year as my dad was quite ill so most of my spare time was spent caring for him.

livk

Yeah, I had similar things going on that kept me busy when I wasn't doing the LC. I haven't done any charity work since secondary school, being honest. I was involved with Enable Ireland for many years but it wasn't in an unpaid capacity so it won't count.

EternalGeek

Well even if it was paid, I think that sounds like a really great thing to have on your application

livk

I think it's safe to say that every new day brings about a new level of nerves when it comes to this

Fair play to you, by the way. You're doing so much at the moment and still managing to look after your dad. Amazing stuff. I think they'd be crazy to not offer you something this year.

EternalGeek

Aww, thank you so much. I would love to get in this year but after last year, I'm taking nothing for granted

livk

Right there with you. We'll definitely have to set up that support group

EternalGeek

We will ask the INMO for funding :P

livk

Haha, I can't even imagine how hilariously that would go. 'We don't want to be nurses anymore, please give us money to get us through this difficult transition'

EternalGeek

Hahaha, considering the abuse I get from some fellow nurses when mentioning my medicine goal, I don't think it would go down too well!

livk

I can't tell you how happy I am to finally have met someone who was in the same position as me. I felt like I was surrounded by people that were so unbelievably different to me. Never seen such hatred thrown at me. One day, a theatre nurse took me aside, and made me promise to her that i'd do everything in my power to get into medicine. She said she listened to all the naysayers, and it was too late for her. Even had a goodbye card when I left from her telling me to remember what she said.

EternalGeek

I actually had a very similar experience with a nurse I worked with. I also know two nurses who are now in medicine so we are definitely not alone

yoppo

My best friend from childhood is a registrar and I was gonna ask him to write me a non academic reference. Do you think that would be acceptable or would they think it was biased?

Fiddles44

yoppo wrote: »

My best friend from childhood is a registrar and I was gonna ask him to write me a non academic reference. Do you think that would be acceptable or would they think it was biased?

I'd say that would be fine, just maybe not mention that you're good friends

jody24

wud a reference from the gp doctor be any good, specially as i have been accompanying alot of people to her for translation purpose? wud any one know at this stage if we have really met the hpat cut off score? or is this email been going out to every one else?

Fiddles44

jody24 wrote: »

wud a reference from the gp doctor be any good, specially as i have been accompanying alot of people to her for translation purpose? wud any one know at this stage if we have really met the hpat cut off score? or is this email been going out to every one else?

If you have shadowed his GP and they know you are applying I would definitely ask them for a reference. I was told last year that only the people who reached the hpat cut off would be asked to submit their info

jody24

Fiddles44 wrote: »

If you have shadowed his GP and they know you are applying I would definitely ask them for a reference. I was told last year that only the people who reached the hpat cut off would be asked to submit their info

thanks Fiddle44,
i havent shadowed her honestly, but i have been to her only when i was needed for translation ( which was like once every week for a period of almost a year) and she knows me for more than 5 years. and she told me i can do couple of days work experience at hers.

livk

If you got to stay for the consultations then that in itself is a form of shadowing, really. You can certainly use it as something that has shown you what a life in medicine can be like. Just try and put as positive a spin on it as you can

Caolan

Just wondering if anyone else here has applied internationally?

I have applied to Italy and have IMATs toward the end of the month, and if I am correct you can apply for teh english medical school in Prague until the end of the month- anyone else applied for either?

EternalGeek

Left in my documents to RCSI today.

The wait begins

livk

Left mine in yesterday. Fingers crossed for everyone here. Another huge month ahead of us

yoppo

I plan to post mine Thursday I'm stressing out here... on the bright side I'm getting to shadow a GP for the next few days!

livk

Caolan - So far you and I seem to be the only ones talking about the IMAT.

EternalGeek

yoppo wrote: »

I plan to post mine Thursday I'm stressing out here... on the bright side I'm getting to shadow a GP for the next few days!

Don't stress, it is in the lap of the Gods.
Enjoy your shadowing:)