More than 350 students from second-level schools throughout Ireland got a taste for life as a medical, pharmacy and physiotherapy student at the RCSI's Open Day.

At this annual event, Leaving Certificate students also got to experience what it is like to work as a healthcare professional in each of these fields by witnessing a live operation and a real-life pregnancy scan, among many more activities.

This day-long open day provided students with a unique opportunity to get a first-hand insight into what it would be like to be an RCSI student. A number of interactive workshops in medicine, pharmacy and physiotherapy were held which gave students the unique opportunity to witness real patients being treated by RCSI professionals.

In the workshops, the students witnessed a gallbladder operation, live-streamed from Beaumont Hospital and a pregnancy scan on a mother-to-be. The students had a hands on experience as they performed surgical stitching and suturing on dummy patients, conducted a virtual reality operation on a simulator and used the latest physiotherapy technology to analyse the movement of the human body. Students also experienced the art of drug formulation and delivery in a pharmacy experiment. These are just a few of the many activities that were open to them on the day.

Secondary students also got to meet and talk with RCSI staff and students, who answered any questions they had on pursuing careers in these three areas, as well as any queries they had on student life at the College. A panel of current RCSI students were on hand to provide their perspective of life at the College.

A series of talks were held on the range of courses available at RCSI, how to apply to the College through the CAO system and information on the Health Professional Admissions Test (HPAT). Information was also available on the wide choice of clubs and societies available in RCSI as well as information on student accommodation, library and sports facilities.

Speaking on the Open Day, Professor Hannah McGee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, RCSI said, "The annual Open Day is always a great opportunity for second level students to get a sense of life, both academic and social at RCSI. Of course, we know that that is not enough and we want our guests to leave with a good understanding of what it a career in healthcare would be like. Our hands-on workshops gave potential students a more holistic insight into what life really is like, not just as an RCSI student, but in their career afterwards, whether that be in medicine, pharmacy or physiotherapy."