Medical training: The merger of medical education for graduate and traditional entry students after an initial 18-month period should be considered, according to a leading consultant surgeon with the South Eastern Health Board.
Speaking after addressing a conference on the future of Irish medical education in Waterford Institute of Education recently, Mr Gordon Watson said this would allow graduate students the same amount of contact time with patients and clinicians as their undergraduate equivalents.
As students on four-year graduate courses have to learn quickly to catch up with their undergraduate counterparts, initial courses tailored to their needs could be introduced that could focus on case-based studies, problem-solving, small group tutorials and laboratory skills and training. However, Mr Watson said after this initial period, it might be possible to merge their course of study with traditional students.
Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr Watson said he believed both graduate and traditional entry students needed to spend as much time as possible with patients and clinicians.
Also addressing the conference was Mr Fergal Costelloe of the Higher Education Authority.
He underlined the findings of its report on changes to the Irish medical education systems, which was published last year.
This recommended broad-based graduate entry through the introduction of a multi-streamed entry model, comprising both graduate and undergraduate students.