My RCSI Interview

[okisdwed]

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I have been reading all these posts about how RCSI interviews are all about $$$

just to clarify things:

my interview was about my research experience, there was not a single time where tuition came up

 

[Sage880]

I have been reading all these posts about how RCSI interviews are all about $$$

just to clarify things:

my interview was about my research experience, there was not a single time where tuition came up

Good to hear! I know for a fact that admins read this board so maybe things are starting to change? Hope it went well!

 

[Arb]

Good luck! Hope you get accepted.

 

[arcticmonkeys]

I had my interview recently as well, and the dean did ask about $$$ ...he emphasized his point and also asked me how i was going to finance it, stuff like that... He also said that was the students' greatest complaint

 

[leorl]

If it's the students' greatest complaint...why don't they do anything about it? I suppose that's not the kind of question to be asking in your interview 😉

 

[arcticmonkeys]

If it's the students' greatest complaint...why don't they do anything about it? I suppose that's not the kind of question to be asking in your interview 😉

Partly because I was the one who brought it up, when they asked me "So, do you have any questions?" I asked "What are students' biggest complaints?" etc.... And the dean was on the topic of tuition fees a few moments earlier.

Yeah, I also asked about the lack of hands-on opportunities for med students compared to those in the n.america and they said something about having to respect the patient, you need the knowledge before you go and handle patients, and how US hospitals actually employs med students (?) and not in Ireland....

 

[arcticmonkeys]

Looking back, here are some questions they asked me...(not in this order)

- what do you like to do for fun?
- why do you want to come to Ireland for medical school
- what school i'm studying at/what i'm studying
- where i'm from
- when did i arrive in NYC/when i'm leaving/what i'm doing (sightseeing, etc?)
- how i'm to finance it
... and that's about it

no ethical questions, no question on why i wanted to become a doctor, nothing about my research experiences ....

 

[leorl]

Yes, medical teaching here is more observational. But you can always ask to learn/practice clinical skills things (especially if your intern/SHO is fishing around for something to teach). US hospitals employ medical students? That's news to me... You do need knowledge before you go and handle patients. Sometimes I wish clinical rotations were more hands-on, especially in medical rotations when you're in outpatients or ward rounds waiting around and feel all you're good for is holding up the wall. But you can create your own hands-on experiences as well (asking to be shown things, then once they see you have initiative they might let you do several on a routine basis). Some rotations lend themselves more to this than others (emergency, anesthesiology, etc.) Anyway, no complaints here, I don't feel I've been particularly deprived.

Partly because I was the one who brought it up, when they asked me "So, do you have any questions?" I asked "What are students' biggest complaints?" etc.... And the dean was on the topic of tuition fees a few moments earlier.

Yeah, I also asked about the lack of hands-on opportunities for med students compared to those in the n.america and they said something about having to respect the patient, you need the knowledge before you go and handle patients, and how US hospitals actually employs med students (?) and not in Ireland....

 

[Sage880]

Yes, medical teaching here is more observational. But you can always ask to learn/practice clinical skills things (especially if your intern/SHO is fishing around for something to teach). US hospitals employ medical students? That's news to me... You do need knowledge before you go and handle patients. Sometimes I wish clinical rotations were more hands-on, especially in medical rotations when you're in outpatients or ward rounds waiting around and feel all you're good for is holding up the wall. But you can create your own hands-on experiences as well (asking to be shown things, then once they see you have initiative they might let you do several on a routine basis). Some rotations lend themselves more to this than others (emergency, anesthesiology, etc.) Anyway, no complaints here, I don't feel I've been particularly deprived.

A friend of mine in 4th year med school in the US is getting paid for work he does away from the hospital - at least he says so! But even weirder than that, I visited a med student in Norway and he was working LOADS during medical school (he was nearing the end) and was actually saving a fair bit of money. He wasn't just working in clinics either, he was working at the hospital in ER and the wards doing 8 hours shifts. Didn't seem normal to me.

Actually, even after my first year I did an elective in family medicine and volunteered at the walk-in clinics at night (cause you get to do WAY more). The doctors there would always pay me even if I aggressively tried to stop them from giving me money. Especially if I did the work physicals (if someone needed a physical for a new job or summer camp, etc) for them. They really hated doing the complete physicals but for me it was just good practice! I really tried not to take the money but most nights got around $150 Canadain. Not bad!

 

[leorl]

That's AWESOME! Man, wish that worked here! We complain cuz nursing students and OTs get "paid" here, or if not paid then they get their transportation fees and stuff reimbursed - medical students get jack all!!!

 

[medgirl20]

Student nuress in 3rd year get 2/3 of a qualified nurses salary nice, but I don't think I could do their job. It totally depends on the team you're on some teams you wonder why they're given students seen as they obviously aren't interested in teaching and ignore their students no matter how proactive they are, while other teams are gereat and go above and beyond what could reasonably be expected.

 

[leorl]

I've heard that, but haven't experienced it myself. If I think if the teaching isn't worth my while, then I either leave and do something more productive, or hop in with someone else's team for awhile. Fortunately, it hasn't really come up too much or it involves only a certain person on the team so that you just tag along with someone else in the same team. My opinion is that the way things are structured here, medical students could be doing the intern's jobs, and interns made more useful in a non-running around kind of way.

 

[rcsipremed]

What sort of questions should i be prepared for? And is there any other information that is useful when going into these interviews??
thanks!!