Clinically Competent?

[buena suerte]

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Hi,
I just sent in all of my stuff for UCD's four year program; i am definitely going there. My question has to do with how clinically competent doctors are who graduate from medical schools in Ireland. I have read a lot of conflicting accounts of how much Ireland prepares students for managing patients. Do those who have graduated from Irish medical schools feel confident in their abilities, or not? I read posts by some saying Irish medical students do close to nothing when it comes to actually having the experiential component of medicine. Others say doctors in Ireland actually are more skilled in some ways than American doctors because they are not over reliant on diagnostic tests, etc.
My question is: should I have reason to fear that I will be somewhat inadequate as a doctor by the time I graduate from UCD? Or are the differences so minor between the two systems that simply by practicing for some additional months or a year, any gaps in my skill sets are covered.
Another thing, can I hear from someone who feels that rotations in the hospitals in Ireland were very positive, informative, and useful experiences?

thanks a lot🙄

 

[dchaos]

In terms of clinical competence, you will very much reap what you sow.

There is considerable latitude for lazy students to coast by here. However, the opportunity for Irish medical students to become as competent as the best from any system in the world is readily available for the motivated student.

 

[Unch]

Irish grads will have considerably less experience with procedures (chest drains, LPs etc) but will have very solid diagnostic skills (perhaps better in some ways). Procedures are much easier to learn later. But when will you ever have the time again to read and learn in the way you can during school here? Perhaps you can always find the time to read and digest (after all, why pay all this money for self-directed learning?) but many have said that, during residency when they're intensely starved for time, they hugely appreciate all the unfettered "learning" time they had in Ireland. But you have to be motivated to make good use of this time or else the opportunities all slip away.

 

[leorl]

aw i've said before, somehow and I am a little puzzled on how really, Irish grads are very clinically competent. People in the US remark on how well clinically irish students are trained, and I was skeptical until I went over and did several electives which did actually show that. As above, we won't have as much procedural experience, but it does even out in the end...most US grads reach our level of competency in h&ps, and we learn the procedural stuff.

I think clinical exams are shown well in most rotations when you start clinical years in 3rd/4th year here, and definitely during final year it is honed to a very specific level (again, depending on motivation and availability of good tutors) because they are a very important part of your examination marks. So you learn all systems completely.

Graduating from an Irish school, you will have no doubts regarding your competency as a physician. The method to getting there isn't very clear cut though and there will be loads of frustrations but we've all done it so its not impossible

 

[EDZO]

I work in health care and have had the oppertunity to work with many clinical clerks and residents and can honestly tell you that there are great differences in clinical compitencies between students from the various Ontario medical schools, let alone between "systems". In the end however they all seem to equal out - it just takes time. What you don't get in med school you will get in residency. Just remember, you have overcome one of the biggest hurdles in medicine - getting into med school! Enjoy it - your going to be living the dream.

 

[buena suerte]

thanks everyone for your comments; I find them very encouraging and feel much more at ease about coming to UCD. Happy Easter.