Medicine demands high points and places are few - however, there are other options, writes Emmet Oliver
High-points courses like medicine usually grab the headlines when offers are made by the CAO in August. Because these courses invariably top the points charts, one might assume thousands of students are involved.
In reality, only a fraction of Leaving Cert students manage to land a medical place. But if you do not want to become a doctor, or if you fail to get the points, there are other compelling career options in the healthcare area.
Veterinary
One option is veterinary medicine. A lot of students interested in this area also apply for medicine. There is a natural overlap, but the basic veterinary degree takes five years, whereas medicine takes seven.
UCD is the only college which offers veterinary training in Ireland. Last year it accepted just over 80 students and the dean of the veterinary college, Prof Boyd Jones, says he expects similar numbers this year.
He says the students who do well in the area are those with an "empathy" with animals, but he says the selection of students is solely academic, so previous experience with animals, say on a farm, is not necessary.
Last year you needed 545 points (with random selection) to secure a place, and this year 550 or thereabouts may be needed. The whole veterinary college has shifted from Ballsbridge out to Belfield, where final-year students treat cats, dogs and horses under the supervision of a qualified vet.
There is little unemployment among veterinary graduates, but the money in the first few years can be low. The kind of six-figure earnings available to some doctors is rarely possible for vets today, but there is usually a plentiful supply of work. However, be warned: if you do not like anti-social hours or weekend working, do not become a vet, because inevitably in the early years you will be called upon to work at weekends, and sometimes late at night during emergencies.
UCD also offers five places on a graduate programme. These places are for people with relevant experience who hold a degree in a discipline other than veterinary medicine. Prof Jones says an exam must be taken and an interview is also held. People with scientific or agricultural backgrounds tend to be ones who get places. Last year 20 applicants applied for the five places.
Pharmacy
Until recently, Trinity College was the only provider of pharmacy degrees in the Republic, but now two other colleges are offering courses: the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland (RCSI) and UCC.
This unprecedented increase in provision should be good news for students. Simply put, there will be more places available and this should reduce points, if only slightly.
The RCSI last year offered 38 places and should offer about the same this year, but things are far from clear in relation to the UCC course. The body which regulates the pharmacy profession, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, had not accredited the UCC course at the time of writing. But UCC has still, to the surprise of many, listed the course in the handbook (CK703).
The president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC), Mr Brian Mooney, said yesterday that courses without accreditation like this should be pulled.
He said students should have "absolute clarity" about what courses are accredited. The PSI said in its last statement about the UCC course that "significant deficiencies still remain". No one was able to tell The Irish Times yesterday when precisely the course would be accredited.
UCC seemed at a loss to explain what was going on, and students should approach the course warily for the moment. However, if the course is pulled subsequently (as it was last year by UCC) students can use the change-of-mind facility to alter their selections.
Dentistry
The position in relation to dentistry courses is, thankfully, a lot clearer.
UCC offers its degree (CK702), while Trinity College offers its TR052 course. The numbers of applications have been shrinking for dentistry, but the number of students choosing it as first preference is usually quite healthy, at about 194.
The problem is that, between them, UCC and Trinity offer less than 60 places. The other problem is that strong academic performers tend to be attracted to the course.
For example, the average score among students entering TCD's course last year was 565.
So points are going to be high regardless of the slight decline in the number of applications. The degree courses of both colleges last five years, and the amount of work involved can be exhausting.
Both universities have dental hospitals attached and students get a chance, under strict supervision, to treat patients.
After graduating, students join the Irish Dental Association and either work in a practice or for a health board. Earnings are usually very good, although a dispute has been raging over recent months between the dentists and the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, about dentist fees for PRSI claimants.
Private practice is generally regarded as providing the best income, but setting yourself up can be costly and dentists warn that maintaining a practice and meeting overheads reduces overall earnings considerably.
The level of unemployment, though, is low, and dentists can easily work abroad once they have been registered and approved by professional associations in the foreign country they select.
Optometry
There is only one optometry course in the State, and that is at DIT. It only takes 24 students each year and the average points score of successful applicants was 510 last year.
But with the numbers graduating so low, there is at least the chance to earn a decent income. The DIT course gives students plenty of options, and language lessons are included.
Apart from broad subjects like biology and chemistry, the course also focuses on business studies and law. There is also a period of unpaid training.
The course prepares students to be optometrists or ophthalmic opticians. This means they can dispense treatments and also examine eyes and suggest remedies.
However, a clear distinction must be drawn between their role and that of a consultant working the ophthalmic area. Work is not always plentiful to begin with, and many graduates have to travel to Britain to get their first job.
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