So far, only eight graduate nurses have been employed under the controversial two-year contracts on lower pay offered by the Health Service Executive (HSE) though, according to the Minister for Health, James Reilly, a further five nurses are due to start…
Novus Medica
Medical news service from Penhire
Blog Archives
NUI Galway and charity to run postgraduate cardiology course
NUI Galway plans to provide postgraduate training in cardiovascular disease prevention in a community partnership with the heart and stroke charity Croí. The new master’s course in preventive cardiology will be the first of its type in the State, according to…
GP’s letter to Times re time for doctors’ hours to change
We, the undersigned, all of whom are involved in educating young doctors, would like to call on Minister for Health, James Reilly, to urgently ensure that those doctors are not forced to work the inhuman, illegal and dangerous hours that…
Working hours crisis costs junior doctors
George Shorten, the dean of UCC’s School of Medicine, said he hoped the students would learn about the good and the bad associated with pursuing a career in medicine. “There are difficulties,” said Prof Shorten. “It’s hard work, it’s long…
Irish trainee surgeons nurse home thoughts from abroad
Most trainee surgeons who leave Ireland to improve their skills will end up returning home, in spite of significant pay reductions here, according to the president of the Royal College of Surgeons. Prof Paddy Broe says a lack of resources…
NUI Galway med students get credits for joining orchestra
Dr Gerard Flaherty, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Medicine and Medical Education at NUIG, said the rationale behind the decision was to help create better doctors. “Playing music together brings people closer. Research has shown that it enables people to empathise…
Medical schools’ demands from their students
Dr Jason Last, associate dean of programmes and educational innovation in UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, argues that a balanced college experience is very important for the doctors of tomorrow. “Medical students genuinely have to work extremely hard,”…
Medical school entry test fails to widen access to profession
THE NEW entry and selection test for entry to medicine – known as the Hpat – has done little to widen access to the profession, according to a draft review for the Higher Education Authority. The review also concludes that…
No place for a medical graduate
[Letter to Times >] Sir, – An alarming report published this month by the Medical Education and Training Unit of the HSE (Implementation of the Reform of the Intern Year) describes a “significant deficit in the number of intern posts…
Doctor surgeries suitable for medical students
However, the study by researchers from University College Cork (UCC), published in the current issue of Forum, the journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners, shows that three-quarters of the 91 patients surveyed would be willing to be seen…
45% of hospital interns left system
Almost half of all interns placed at Irish hospitals last summer have now left the health service, raising fears “significant State resources” are being “wasted” on their training. A new HSE report into the career paths of medical graduates, has…
Nurses want more training in palliative care
JUST ONE in three staff working in three public long-stay care units for elderly patients in Dublin had been educated in palliative care at the beginning of an Irish Hospice-sponsored study. Some 98 per cent had expressed an interest in…
Shortage of corpses for medical training
A PLEA for body donations has been issued as Irish medical schools strive to avoid a UK-style shortage of cadavers. UCC’s Professor John Cryan told the Irish Independent that such selfless donations meant that more than 600 students each year could be…
Anatomy of a medical class: minister opens TCD’s €131m institute
While students have been attending classes in the new building since September, the school was officially opened yesterday by Minister of State for Research and Innovation Seán Sherlock. Mr Sherlock said housing medical students in a multidisciplinary research environment would…
Martin Arrigan on training doctors to see them go
[Letter to Times >] Sir, – I am confused by Prof Frank Muldowney’s analysis of the junior doctor shortage (February 13th). He seems to believe Prof Shaun McCann offered no remedy to the situation having highlighted many of the reasons…
Frank Muldowney on training doctors to see them go
[Letter to Times >] Sir, – I was delighted to read Prof Shaun McCann’s thoughtful article “Why train doctors just to see them go” (HEALTHplus, January 31st, 2012). He has analysed the reasons for this crazy state of affairs whereby…
Highest number of overseas doctors may be in Ireland
IRELAND IS likely to have the highest number of doctors and nurses in the developed world trained overseas, a new study has suggested. In 2008, the last year for which comparable figures are available, Ireland was second in the OECD…
Donating body for anatomy study
“All our medical students need to use real human donated material,” says Siobhan Ward of the Trinity College Dublin anatomy department. “If students didn’t have remains to work on, it would be like a trainee mechanic looking under the car…
Shaun McCann asks Why train doctors just to see them go?
Let me make one thing clear: the number of medical students in public medical schools is strictly controlled by the HEA. The number is not “capped” by the medical profession or kept artificially low by a cabal of doctors, as…
Examining the doctors
Following on from making fitness-to-practice hearings public events, the Medical Council is about to introduce on-site practice assessments of doctors’ performance for the first time. It means a small number of doctors can expect their standard of patient care to…
Why my diligent, caring surgeon is truly a saint – Emer O’Kelly
He has successfully created a climate of public opinion where all nurses are considered angels of mercy with medical expertise to match that of any consultant, working slave labour hours for wages that would disgrace a Victorian miner. The nurses are now…
Seasoned surgeons perform better
PATIENTS can expect safer care if their surgeon is aged 35 to 50, research suggests. Previous studies have found experts tend to reach their “peak performance” after about 10 years in their speciality. The latest research, published online in the…
Courses focus on prevention of heart disease
A RANGE of new courses being developed at NUI Galway will be the first in Ireland on the prevention of cardiovascular illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. A partnership initiated by west of Ireland heart and stroke charity…
Medics and artists study anatomy in 3D
Students from both disciplines can now study human surface anatomy in precision detail and in full 3D. The results of the venture will go on public display tomorrow at the Royal Hibernian Academy. The work is a two-year collaboration involving…
Doctors suffering morale crisis
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has blamed a crisis in morale and poor manpower planning by the HSE for junior doctors travelling abroad to complete specialist training. Senator John Crown, a consultant oncologist, said there was something profoundly abnormal in…
New doctor grade aims to improve hospital service
PLANS for a new grade of senior non-consultant doctor to improve hospital service delivery were revealed by Health Minister James Reilly. Dr Reilly told a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that the new grade of…
Has medicine fallen victim to healthcare?
Muiris Houston on Sidney Lowry’s The End of Medicine and the Last Doctor: “It is hard to argue with his contention that compassion is a form of altruism. “It has been defined as caring for others as you would wish for yourself.…
Dr Toby Gilbert on Getting in to Medical School
[Letter to Times >>>] Sir, – I find myself once again disappointed to read Dr Chris Luke (August 29th) propose draconian restrictions on non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs), who opt to spend a year working abroad, early in their careers, before returning…
