More than 120 students from the south-east counties of Ireland completed the four-day Waterford RCSI Transition Year MiniMed training programme, which ran from 21-24 February.

This interactive programme, held between University Hospital Waterford (UHW) and Waterford Institute of Technology, gives transition year (TY) students the opportunity to step out of their usual classroom setting and experience what it is like to train and work as a doctor.

As part of the programme, the students got the opportunity to witness a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, or ‘keyhole' surgery to remove a patient's gallbladder, on Wednesday, 22 February, which was broadcast via a video link from a surgical theatre in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. Tiny cameras showed the inside of the patient as the RCSI healthcare professionals performed the procedure. Students were able to interact with the surgical teams by asking questions, and vice-versa, all while being talked through the operation in real-time.

During the programme, students also attend interactive lectures, received hands-on practical training in clinical skills, CPR, first aid and got the chance to test out their own surgical skills using virtual reality simulators. As well as this, TY students received practical experience in medicine and scientific tutorials on subjects such as cardiology, paediatrics, general practice, obstetrics, ophthalmology and forensics to name but a few.

The 2017 RCSI Waterford MiniMed Programme is coordinated by Professor Riona Mulcahy, Undergraduate Dean, Senior Lecturer in Medicine, RCSI and UHW; Professor Fred Jackson, Senior Educator in the Department of Medicine, RCSI and UHW; and Mr Joe O'Beirne, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Orthopaedics at RCSI and UHW.

Speaking on the course, Professor Arnold Hill, Head of the RCSI School of Medicine said: "With this unique programme, students experienced what it is really like to train and work as a healthcare professional and it doesn't get much more hands-on than watching a real life surgical procedure. The programme is a fantastic opportunity for students to spend time in a hospital environment, while using and learning about the latest innovative technology in medicine from some of Ireland's top healthcare professionals at RCSI and University Hospital Waterford. The experience will give them an excellent insight into prospective careers in medicine, science and research and will help them decide if a career as a doctor is for them."