Graduate Entry Medicine

The Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) programme at RCSI is a four-year accelerated programme designed for students who have already completed a bachelor's degree.

Programme Overview

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, small group teaching, and clinical rotations. In the first year, students are taught in a dedicated teaching facility on the main St Stephen's Green campus. In the second year, students spend most of their time in RCSI's dedicated teaching space at Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown, Dublin. The final two years are spent on clinical rotations in a variety of hospitals and GP practices in Dublin and throughout the country.

Year 1

• Teaching Methods: Year 1 teaching involves a combination of lectures on the biomedical sciences and small group teaching involving weekly cases, facilitated case discussions, data interpretation tutorials, clinical skills training, group projects, and anatomy practical labs.
• Clinical Attachment: At the end of the second semester, students spend the last month of the academic year completing their clinical attachment at one of the teaching hospitals affiliated to RCSI.

Year 2

• Location: Students are based full-time at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, which is one of the main RCSI-affiliated teaching hospitals in Dublin.
• Teaching Methods: In addition to lectures on pathology, microbiology, and clinical sciences, students participate in small group tutorials on all aspects of patient care, including history taking, clinical examination, radiology, data interpretation, and therapeutics.
• Clinical Attachments: Two clinical attachments (each of one-month duration) take place at the end of each semester, providing students with the opportunity to become an active member of a clinical team within the hospital.

Year 3 and 4

• Clinical Rotations: The majority of teaching is hospital-based, where students are attached to consultant-led teams.
• Specialties: In the third year, students learn paediatrics, family medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, along with medicine and surgery. The final year concentrates on medicine and surgery.
• Assessment: The paediatric rotation is assessed using end-of-rotation short case clinical exams, continuous assessment (including a paediatric logbook, online quizzes, topic and case reports), and a paediatric written exam.

Curriculum

Year 1

• Length and Structure: Year 1 consists of two semesters delivered from September to June.
• Modules:
  • First semester: Fundamentals of Biomedicine, Musculoskeletal Biology, Blood: Haematology and Immunology, Health, Behaviour and Patient Safety, Gastrointestinal Biology, Medicine and Surgery.
  • Second semester: Cardiorespiratory System, Renal and Endocrine Biology, Nervous System Biology, Evidence-Based Health and Population Health Epidemiology, Medicine and Surgery, Molecular Medicine.
• Surgical Grand Rounds: Students attend Surgical Grand Rounds throughout the year.
• Hospital Placement: After the second semester final examinations, students have one month of hospital placement in June.

Year 2

• Length and Structure: Year 2 consists of two semesters delivered from September to June.
• Modules:
  • First semester: Cardiology, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal and Hepatology, Clinical Competencies.
  • Second semester: Renal, Endocrine, Genitourinary and Breast, Central Nervous System and Locomotor, Haematolymphoid and Tropical Medicine, Clinical Competencies.
• Clinical Placement: Students participate in a 12-week hospital-based clinical placement in medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, and ophthalmology.

Learning Experience

• Learning Philosophy: The programme integrates clinical and communication skills with knowledge acquisition and the formation of professional identity.
• Learning Communities: Students are part of a learning community that connects them with students from other years, both academically and socially.
• Teaching Methods: A wide range of teaching methods are used, including lectures, small group tutorials, and simulation labs.
• Feedback and Assessment: Formative assessment helps students track their progress, and engagement with personal tutors and e-portfolios supports their learning journey.
• Student Supports: A range of student supports are available, including educational challenges, training, guidance, and emotional support.
• Clinical Experience: Students are exposed to clinical experiences from the earliest stages of the programme, taking increasing levels of clinical responsibility throughout their degree.
• Clinical Electives: The programme offers international clinical elective opportunities through partnerships with other universities and healthcare institutions.
• Research Opportunities: Students can participate in the RCSI Research Summer School, research electives, and other intensive research experiences.

Programme Details

• Start Date: September 2026
• Duration: 4 years
• Qualification: MB, BCh, BAO (Hons)
• EU CAO Code: RC101
• Places: 30 (EU), 52 (Non-EU)

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)

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Overview:

RCSI is a university focused exclusively on health sciences. It offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as professional development courses. RCSI emphasizes collaboration between students, educators, and researchers to advance human health.

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Academic Programs:

RCSI offers a wide range of academic programs, including:

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  • Advanced Therapeutic Technologies
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