The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) welcomed 477 new students to the College to study medicine, physiotherapy and pharmacy during Orientation Week 2012 which began on Monday, 1 October.

This year's undergraduate intake of 337 medical students, 49 pharmacy students and 29 physiotherapy students came from Ireland and 23 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 on Monday evening where Dr. Terry McWade, Deputy Chief Executive, gave an overview of RCSI today followed by a unique perspective on the College and some of its distinguished graduates, presented by Professor Clive Lee, Head of Anatomy. The presentations were followed by a reception in the Boardroom and College Hall where Laura Viani, Member of Council, delivered a short address welcoming the new students on behalf of the President of RCSI, Professor Paddy Broe.

The Student Union arranged a full programme of entertainment and other activities for students during the week which included a Fresher's Carnival at Dardistown Sports Ground, Clubs & Societies event, Mystery Tour and Ballad Session. The 2012 Buddy Programme got underway with over 130 second and third year pharmacy, physiotherapy and medical students volunteering to act as Buddies for the new students this year. The Buddies provide an invaluable resource in the form of friendly, knowledgeable and experienced students, who welcome the new students to RCSI for the first time and 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 students from Foundation Year through to Senior Cycle in RCSI who achieved excellence to date, followed by some short presentations by students, the Dean and members of Faculty.

In addition, 62 Graduate Entry Programme (GEP) Medical Students were welcomed to the College at a special GEP Orientation Day in September and more than 120 students are now registered on the RCSI Medical, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy Commencement Programmes which are based at the Institute of Technology, Tralee.

The week's events were organised by Departments around the College including Admissions, Student Services, Student Academic and Regulatory Affairs (SARA), and staff from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science as well as the Student's Union.

Orientation Week was just one of the many events taking place across the RCSI campuses worldwide in recent weeks, which also included orientation week programmes at RCSI Bahrain and Perdana University-RCSI School of Medicine in Malaysia.