Second-year Cork IT students Kate O'Driscoll and Rose Sexton have taken some time out from their assessments to talk to EL about their choice of course.
For Kate, medical laboratory science is a complete change of direction. She completed the first year of the college's chemical engineering course last year but knew it wasn't for her. The head of chemical and process engineering, John O'Shea, introduced her to the head of biological sciences, who facilitated a meeting with some third-year med lab students.
Kate says: "I went to a hospital to meet some of the third years on placement. They seemed to love it. I'm very happy that I have joined the course." Rose, who went to school at Christ the King in Cork city, was "always interested in science and loved lab work at school". She went directly into the first year of the certificate in medical lab sciences - however, she is finding chemistry something of a challenge, as she didn't study it at school. Rose and Kate advise would-be med lab scientists that the ideal choice of subjects at Leaving Cert is chemistry and biology.
Two other colleges, Galway-Mayo IT and DIT, offer certificate courses in medical lab sciences - and chemistry is a subject requirement at DIT.
Cut-off points this year were 430* for Cork IT, with the asterisk meaning that random selection applied and not all students with this points level got places (DIT 345; GMIT 400, second round 2001). The good news, for those who secure places, is that job prospects are excellent. In fact, many hospitals are experiencing severe difficulties recruiting qualified staff.
Cork IT course director Dr Lesley Cotter says: "Medical lab sciences is a very versatile degree. There are loads of jobs. Traditionally, about 80 per cent of graduates go into hospital labs or the blood banks. Others opt for postgraduate studies, or they go into industry or become medical representatives." Unusually, the starting salaries in the health service are better than those in industry. The basic grade salary goes from £18,000 to £27,000 with the possibility of earning additional income by participating in the out-of-hours on-call rota.
The structure of the course is somewhat unusual and harks back to pre-degree days. Students complete a three-year certificate which comprises two years full-time in college and one year's paid in-service training. This training is done in the lab of a teaching hospital and students rotate around all of the various disciplines. They spend two weeks in a blood bank. Third-year students must also complete a lab project and a literature project.
The certificate is no longer a sufficient qualification to obtain a job and students must spend a further two years in full-time education studying for a degree. Cork IT (jointly with UCC), DIT and UU all offer the degree programme. However, automatic progression to the degree, in your college of choice, is not guaranteed, warns Dr Cotter. Students need a minimum of a credit to obtain a place on the Cork IT/UCC programme, she says. However, students who do not get a place there, can apply to DIT, UU or colleges in Britain. She is not aware of any student who found it impossible to progress to degree due to lack of a place.
At certificate level, the course is split evenly between practical and theoretical work, says Cotter. There were 30 first-year places in Cork IT's certificate course this year. "With a small group of very motivated people, very few students drop out," she says.
Dr Helen O'Shea, a lecturer on the programme, says the first year of the course provides an introduction to the basic sciences - biology, physics and chemistry - as well as introducing some lab-based subjects. In second year, students study biochemistry/clinical chemistry, general and diagnostic microbiology, cell biology/cellular pathology, haematology and transfusion science, laboratory instrumentation and analytical methods and computing.
Essentially, medical labs analyse body fluids, such as blood and urine, and body tissues, as an aid to diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease.
Intending students should try and visit a medical lab and, if possible, gain some work experience, so they know exactly what the job entails.
They should also attend college open days. Dr Cotter says second-level students can also contact Cork IT and ask questions about the course. For more information: www.cit.ie/courses
