2014 Press Releases
100 students Prep-for-Med
The excitement was palpable at UCC’s fourth Prep-for-Med day held on Friday 24th January at UCC Medical School and Cork University Hospital.
Almost 100 Transition Year students and 50 teachers from schools all over Munster attended the Prep-for-Med programme which gives an insight into life as a medical student and medicine as a career.
Professor Mary Horgan, first female Dean of Medicine at UCC, welcomed the students saying "Medicine is a wonderful profession with lots of different career avenues. Like you, it was always my dream to study medicine. There are other options if you really want to study medicine and don’t get a place after your Leaving Certificate such as the Graduate Entry Medicine programme here at UCC. My advice is to work hard and follow your dream."
Professor Horgan also commented "UCC is a great place to study. We have an amazing new Anatomy lab and top-class simulation training. UCC-trained doctors are recognized all over the world for their clinical training."
The morning programme included a session in UCC’s state-of-the-art FLAME Anatomy laboratory and clinical skills sessions where students learned how to measure blood pressure, take blood samples, stop bleeding, check pulses, perform CPR, and bring the most advanced Human Patient Simulator (METI-HPS), back to life.
The afternoon programme took place at Cork University Hospital and included ‘CSI Cork’, by Professor Margot Bolster, Assistant State Pathologist, Emergency Medicine scenarios (Jason Van de Vries) and medical ethical dilemmae (Surgeon Louise Kelly).
The highlight of the day, however, was seeing a baby being born by Caesarian Section on live videolink from Cork University Maternity Hospital. The students broke into spontaneous applause as a beautiful baby girl entered the world – a first for Prep-for-Med!