Prep for Med 2025
Prep for Med 2025
Prep for Med 2025 - UCC Transitions Students into Medicine
Transition Year secondary school students from across Munster attended University College Cork’s School of Medicine ‘Prep-for Med’ Event on Friday 31st January 2025. This hugely popular programme allows young people to experience both the life and the facilities available to medical students’ in UCC’s School of Medicine.
Following a warm welcome by Prof Paula O’Leary, Dean of the School of Medicine, and Mr Simon Smith, School of Medicine Prep-for-Med organiser, the one hundred TY students and their Guidance Counsellors spent the morning in Brookfield Health Sciences Complex. They were given a tour of the state-of-the-art FLAME anatomy lab and the teaching facilities in Brookfield including clinical skills rooms and the ASSERT centre. The TY students themselves were given ‘hands on’ experience of how clinical skills are taught in the medical programme. Facilitated by our fantastic volunteer medical students and supervised by faculty, including Dr Rob Gaffney, Dr Nora McCarthy, Dr Irina Korotchikova and Dr Fiona Quinn, they were given the opportunity to practice skills such as measurement of vital signs, as well as emergency management of cardiac arrest, anaphylactic shock and acute haemorrhage. In parallel, talks were delivered to the Guidance Counsellors by Dr Helen Hynes, Direct Entry to Medicine Programme Director and Senior Lecturer in the Medical Education Unit, about the Medical Programme in UCC and by Mr Dave O’Sullivan, from Student Support, about the transition to university.
After lunch, with the help of Brid O’Neill from the School of Medicine, our TY students moved safely to Cork University Hospital where they were hosted by Professor Mark Corrigan, Clinical Professor in Surgery. The students witnessed the live arrival into the world of a beautiful baby girl, delivered by the maternity team via Caesarean section lead by Dr Richard Horgan. Through the work of Uwe Schiller form the AV team and the high-definition links, the students were privileged to be a small part of a very long journey for this happy family from our community.
Our TY’s, having already heard from our assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster regarding her incredible life investigating some of the state’s most challenging crime scenes, then met Dr Daragh Matthews who is a Prehospital Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Retrieval Physician. In an inspirational talk Daragh described roadside rescues, deliveries, airlifts, and his personal experience of completing his medical degree and post graduate training as a student. Daragh left nobody in any doubt on what can be achieved with the right combination of desire and dedication.
Continuing the theme of academic achievement, the students next heard from one of our leading female surgeons Ms Louise Kelly. Louise took time from a busy cancer surgery list to sensitively walk the students through some of the ethical problems faced by doctors, before reinforcing the theme of achievement through work and commitment.
Finally, our TY students where enthralled by Prof. Leonie Heskin, ASSERT director of research and education, and her description of the virtual and augmented reality technology available to teach 21st century medical students, along with the myriad of practical facilities available in the world class ASSERT centre. Leonie reflected on the changes she has witnessed over her career and the huge developments in training and education of which UCC is at the forefront.
Upon conclusion several teachers voiced their admiration and appreciation for what they described as the outstanding highlight of the TY calendar. With that, an inspired and enthused group of TY students from across the province filed out of the CUH lecture hall, bringing the 16th Prep for Med day to a very successful close.
It is a privilege to be able to open our doors to all these potential doctors, and to show them how they will learn to be highly competent, skilled and empathetic practitioners, should they choose to study Medicine here in Cork.
Professor Paula O’Leary, Dean of UCC’s School of Medicine 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. UCC has led the way in developing this innovative program which showcases life in Medicine to secondary school students, and I am looking forward to seeing some of our visitors return to UCC’s School of Medicine in the years ahead.”
The feedback from the day was fantastic.
“It was an amazing privilege to gain such a behind the scenes insight into so many facets of medicine and the talented professionals who shoulder this responsibility. They were utterly professional and humane, with a superb wit and humour. We noted particularly the outstanding camaraderie, joy and satisfaction they exemplified despite the many obstacles and difficulties they experience in completing their duties and fulfilling their roles. We have utter admiration and respect for them.”
“My two students were buzzing after the day and very focused on definitely wanting to work in the field of medicine. It was so good of all the medical practitioners to give up their time, and energy, to giving such inspirational talks”
Prep for Med 2026 will be held on Friday 30th January 2026
Further information about UCC’s School of Medicine can be found by visiting https://www.ucc.ie/en/medical/
Material recorded by Ger Griffin Media Production - ger@griffinpromedia.com
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