UCC Checks-up Tomorrows Doctors

1 Feb 2016

100 school children from across Ireland descend to University College Cork’s (UCC) School of Medicine to attend the fifth annual ‘Prep-For Med’ today.

This hugely, and increasingly popular programme, allows transition year pupils from across Ireland to experience both the life and the facilities available to Medical students’ in the School of Medicine, based in UCC’s College of Medicine and Health.

Accompanied by 50 career guidance councillors, the students’ were guided through Brookfield Health Sciences Complex and the FLAME anatomy laboratory, before being put through their paces in multiple teaching stations covering areas such as resuscitation, laboratory testing and anaphylaxis; allowing them to learn first-hand how skills are taught and delivered. The afternoon saw the group move to Cork University Hospital where Dr. Margaret Bolster discussed the forensic examination of a crime scene, Dr. Jason Van der Velde from West Cork Rapid Response unit discussed Emergency medicine, and Dr. Matt Hewitt performed a live Caesarean Section via videolink which saw the birth of a baby girl.

Professor John R. Higgins, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology & Head of College, UCC College of Medicine and Health, comments that “UCC has a long and proud tradition in Medical Education. The quality of students who enter our medical programme is first class due in no small way to the excellent secondary schools who prepare those students. ‘Prep-for Med’ allows students from across Ireland to understand how we train our future Doctors and Clinicians and how they can aspire to a career in Medicine”

Dr Brad Noel, lead of undergraduate recruitment at UCC’s School of Medicine, comments “This initiative opens Cork's doors to Schools from across the country as we seek to attract from our nations sparkling youth the finest of Irish potential so we may prepare the next crop of Tomorrows Doctors''

Videos from previous Prep-For Med days can be found from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_MX4r6E2Xg and further information about UCC’s School of Medicine can be found by visiting https://www.ucc.ie/en/medical/prosstud

(Prep-for Med was made possible thanks to Dr. Brad Noel, Dr. Matt Hewitt, Mr Mark Corrigan, Dr Margaret Bolsters, Dr  Aoife O’Sullivan, Dr. Jason Van der Velde,  Dr. Robert Gaffney, Dr. Siun O’Flynn, Dr. Bridget Maher, Ms. Lorraine Crossan, Ms. Melissa Walsh, the staff from the School of Medicine and Clinical Skills in addition to  students’ from MedSoc and the Surgical Society.)