(c) 2004, 2008 UCC Medical Society.
The intercalated BSc is a program just for medical students (and dents and vets) to give us a chance to get an ordinary science degree in addition to our professional degrees. It takes one year usually after 2nd year but can be done after 3rd or 4th and is done in a pre-clinical subject of your choice (a list is furnished below). Most courses involve a combination of normal examined modules and a research project.
Traditionally very few people at UCC take this option because it extends the amount of time in university and raises costs and puts off the prospect of earning and working as a doctor for another year. But this year can also be an investment in your training and education as it can lay the foundations for a further degree such as an MCh, MD, or PhD. Today, most specialist registrars are expected to get a further qualification before proceeding on to consultancy so the scientific training gained from doing a BSc will be put to good use down the line and probably save you time in the long run. There are several useful articles on this in the StudentBMJ.
There used to be a salary supplement for people with extra degrees but this was removed in the recent salary reform. Don't worry - it's a progressive move in the grand scheme of things.
A talk will be given during the year to students interested in doing a BSc. Essentially if you are interested, you will have to arrange it for yourself to meet the head of department and to get the paperwork done which isn't too difficult - just follow the procedure.
To view the list of degrees and modules offered at UCC, follow this link.
If you are interested, the next step is to contact the relevant department whose details are linked below:
Anatomy ----- Biochemistry ----- Pathology ----- Pharmacology ----- Physiology
If you are interested in doing a BSc but the subject you want to do isn't there, you should contact the department of interest directly and ask if they can come up with something. The worst they can do is say "no."
If you are interested in taking a little break from Cork for a year, you can go to another university to do your BSc. The other Irish medical schools can offer the BSc to their own med students but don't comment on whether external students are welcome. Again, the worst they can do is say "no."
Try: UCD --- Trinity - they call it a "medical moderatorship" (page 25)--- NUI Galway --- RCSI
Trinity also offer an Intercalated MSc over two years although it is not clear whether they take outside applicants. It is always worth asking.
If you think the other Irish med schools are just not cool enough, you can go to the UK where their schools actively advertise for external students for their BSc, BMedSc, and intercalated MSc programs (yes a masters in one year). Just be advised that there are implications in terms of tuition fees (the UK top-up fees of around £4,500 per year) and the cost of living in the UK for an academic year and paying in Sterling. You may be rather interested to see they offer a much greater selection of degree titles as well: cardiovascular science, clinical sciences, orthopaedic science, history of medicine, etc...
And the list: (for a more complete list see The Student Room)
and it goes on...
If you have your heart set on a particular degree, you will probably find it at one of the above universities. Unfortunately, Oxford and Cambridge have the old six year BA BM ChB program so they don't offer the intercalated BSc. Not like we wanted them and their funny traditions anyway...
There are other countries with medical school systems like the Irish and British schools; India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and a few of the Caribbean schools are among them. If you are feeling very adventurous, you might want to enquire at a university in their direction for a year long trip overseas. The only problem is some have a different academic year (January - November), but you never know, it might work...