The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) welcomed 450 new students of the College to study Medicine, Physiotherapy and Pharmacy during Orientation Week 2011 which commenced on Monday, 26 October.

This year's undergraduate intake of 373 medical students, 48 pharmacy students and 29 physiotherapy students came from Ireland and 28 other countries across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The week commenced with welcome speeches by Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences; Philip Curtis, Associate Director of Admissions and Student Services and Dr Orna Tighe, Vice Dean for Student Affairs. Students were then introduced to academic and administrative staff of the College, as well as other aspects of student life at RCSI.

A special reception for staff, students and their families was held in the Board room and College Hall on Monday Evening where Professor Cathal Kelly, CEO of RCSI and Professor Eilis McGovern, President of RCSI, welcomed the new students.

The Student Union arranged a full programme of entertainment and other activities for students during the week which included a Fresher's Carnival, Clubs & Societies event and Ballad Session. The 2011 Buddy Programme was also launched which provides an invaluable resource in the form of friendly, knowledgeable and experienced students to welcome the new students to RCSI for the first time and to provide them with first-hand knowledge about the college, the courses, extra-curricular activities and student life in Dublin.

On Tuesday evening, a White Coat Ceremony was held. The white coat is an event held in recognition that the new students are embarking on an important career with responsibilities. The evening also comprised of an awards ceremony for those students in RCSI who achieved excellence to date followed by some short presentations by students, the Dean and members of Faculty.

In addition, 65 Graduate Entry Programme (GEP) Medical Students were welcomed to the College at a special GEP Orientation Day last week and 86 students began the RCSI Medical Commencement Programme which is based at the Institute of Technology, Tralee.

Orientation Week was just one of the many events taking place across the RCSI campuses worldwide during September, which also included RCSI Bahrain and Perdana University-RCSI School of Medicine in Malaysia, which welcomed its first intake of students this month.