Transition Year MiniHealthSciences programme

The RCSI Transition Year (TY) MiniMed, MiniDentistry, MiniPharm, MiniFutureScientist and MiniPhysio programmes take place annually, and offer transition year students an excellent opportunity to gain experience of what it is like to train and work as a healthcare professional.

At our in-person MiniMed &MiniDentistry programme, students will have the opportunity to take part in lectures, practicals and real-life surgeries via video link to the operating theatre, all carried out by leading professionals in their respective areas. 

Our 2024 programmes have already taken place. The dates for our 2025 programmes are as follows:

  • MiniMed& MiniDentistry: Monday, 3 March - Wednesday 5 March 2025 (in-person and online)
  • MiniPharm/MiniFutureScientist: Thursday, 6 March 2025 (online)
  • MiniPhysio: Friday, 7 March 2025 (online)  

Registration process

If you are a student and wish to register for an online course, inform your TY coordinator of your interest, as they will register on their school's behalf. Registration for our 2025 programmes will open mid September. All TY coordinators will be emailed details of how to register for the TY 2025 programme. 

If you are interested in attending the in-person MiniMed programme, inform your TY coordinator of your interest, as they will enter your school into the schools’ lottery.

Selection of schools by lottery is required due to limited places on the in-person programme, and we unfortunately cannot take a student from every school. If your school is successful in the lottery, they will be invited to nominate one student to register for the in-person MiniMed programme.

As part of our commitment to access and widening participation, some places are reserved for students from groups underrepresented in higher education, in line with the National Access Plan.

The schools’ lottery for the in-person MiniMed will take place at the start of the next academic year. Please note the following important information regarding our online programmes:

  • The school TY coordinator/teacher must complete the registration and consent form on behalf of students and the school. It is not to be completed by individual students or students’ parents. Registration will be cancelled if belonging to an individual student.
  • Only one registration per participating school is required. 

Should you have any queries about the programme, please email transitionyear@rcsi.ie.

Please note: RCSI does not accept individual student applications nor offer individual work experience to TY students on our campus or in our affiliated hospitals.

  • Weblinks to attend the online programmes will be shared with the registered TY coordinator/teacher one week prior to event, and no sooner.
  • The link can only be used once by the school and is not to be shared with individual students. 
  • We will send out one link for each programme, so it is at your discretion how many students watch from the one link/screen. Please only log in once to the link received as numbers allowed on the webinar are limited. Only one computer device is required per school. 
  • Each day the programme will run from 9am-2.30pm approximately. A full programme will be shared closer to the time. 
  • Student participation and interaction is encouraged through Q&As at sessions. Teachers/TY coordinators must submit questions on the students’ behalf. Questions will be moderated via RCSI, so not all questions will be visible. 
  1. What are these programmes about? The Transition Year MiniMed, MiniPharm, MiniScience and MiniPhysio programmes are specifically designed to encourage post-primary students to consider careers in healthcare.
  2. Will I get paid to take part? No. The programme is work experience, not a job, therefore there is no monetary reward.
  3. I'm not sure yet if I want to study medicine; is there any point in me doing these programmes? Yes, as long as you like science/medicine! It's usually a good idea to try something first before deciding if it's really what you want to do at university. You might discover a passion for a particular field of medicine during the programme and it would be a shame to miss the chance to try it out. You might find that it is not what you want to do after all, but at least you would know this based on experience rather than an idea of what you think it would be like.
  4. What do students say about the programmes? Quotes from past participants include:
    • "I really enjoyed the course, especially the sessions where we could discuss the subjects in detail and ask our questions."
    • "This was a great week and provided me with lots of priceless information."
    • "I would definitely recommend this placement to others because it's interesting and you see expensive machines that do some amazing things!"