Lots of people would like to go into medicine, but it's a tough area to get experience in. That's why two hands-on schemes are so popular with students, reports John Holden.

Medicine is an exciting career, and lots of transition-year students would love to get a taste of it. Sadly, TV shows such as ER and The Clinic are about as close as most of us will get to experiencing how doctors, nurses and other medical staff work. Patients' need for privacy, the fast pace and insurance issues are among the reasons why we can't stroll in for a look around. So the small number of students who get to see what goes on are luckier than most.

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, in north Dublin, has been running week-long transition-year courses since 1999. It offers 16 programmes a year, with nine students in each group. Demand is high.

"I have 86 on the cancellation list for this term alone," says Sandra Crawford, the hospital's education and training co-ordinator. "But I can understand why. This is a golden opportunity for any young person interested in science. The whole programme depends on the willingness of medical staff in the hospital to show students their area of expertise. However, some staff benefit from it, too. Recently one said to me: 'I didn't realise my job was so interesting. The students asked me so many questions!' "

The timetable for the Mater's Introduction to Hospital Life course is, like that of a doctor, hectic. Twenty-three departments are involved in the programme, including audiology, orthoptics and radiography, and students see what happens in each area. They also talk with dieticians, psychiatrists and cardiologists.

In the echocardiography department, last week's group met a cardiac technician who showed them how to scan the heart. Colm Reade of Skerries Community College, in Co Dublin, had his heart and blood rates checked. "This has been a really interesting week," he says. "I was particularly interested in the audiology section, which I knew very little about before."

"I really enjoyed our visit to the physiotherapy department," says Emmet Malee of Glenstal Abbey School, in Co Limerick. "I thought physiotherapists dealt mainly with sports injuries, but there is so much more to it."

Petra Grehan, a 23-year-old physiotherapist at the Mater, decided that she wanted to work in the area after visiting the Mater in her own transition year."I qualified from UCD in May of last year," she says. "I did the introduction course when I was 16 and knew after that where I'd like to go in medicine. What is great about the course is that, as well as finding out what you would like to do, you also learn pretty quickly what you wouldn't like to do."

This is more important than it sounds. Quite a few students go into medicine simply because of the high points requirement and its status as a career, which can turn out to be a big mistake if it is not your calling. "Students fill out feedback forms when they finish their week here," says Crawford. "Last year one said that the main thing they had learned in the week was that they never wanted to work in a hospital."

Other alumni of the course had no prior interest in the subject. Cara Allen, a 20-year-old from Malahide, in Co Dublin, got a place on it in 2004. "I went into it with an open mind," she says. "But I had no interest in science and wasn't studying biology, chemistry or physics in school at the time. After the week in the Mater I decided I wanted to be a nurse, which meant I had to take on biology for the Leaving." She is now in her second year of training - and her younger sister, Sinéad, is doing the Mater course.

Competition for places is stiff, but they are open to anyone with a genuine interest. By the end of this school year the Mater will have facilitated 135 students from 61 schools. If you live far from Dublin you will have to organise accommodation for the week. Students must apply to Crawford directly. "We generally limit the number of students to two per school," she says. "So I rely on teachers to assist me in selecting suitable candidates. With so much demand, the last thing we want is a student who is there just to get out of school for a week."

If you are keen on a career in medicine, send in an application. This is a great chance to focus on possible future directions and, therefore, work out which subjects to choose. It is probably too late for this year, but the hospital will also accept applications from students in fifth year.

For more details, contact Sandra Crawford on 01-8032817 (bleep 3099) or ihl@mater.ie

CSI: DUBLIN

This week the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is piloting a hands-on medical course. Based at the college, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin, and at Beaumont Hospital, in north Dublin, Mini-Med School for Transition Year Students will give participants a taste of various medical departments, including cardiology, gastroenterology and accident and emergency. They will meet doctors and patients both before and after operations - including a kidney transplant - watch an operation via satellite and train on dummies.

Orla McGuinness, a 16-year-old student at St Mary's Secondary School in Edenderry,

Co Offaly, is one of the 175 students taking part. "I'm really interested in science," she says. "At the moment I'm doing physics, chemistry and biology, but I'll drop one for the Leaving. Eventually, I'd like to go into pharmaceuticals."

Stanley Cooling of Ard Scoil Éanna in Crumlin, Dublin, is particularly keen on the virtual-reality training. "We'll be looking at 3D models of the intestines, which should be interesting," he says. "I'm also looking forward to the clinical-skills labs, where we get to do procedures on dummies, just like the medical students use. The talk on forensics should also be cool."

Forensic science is one of the more glamorous areas of medicine. Many of the students taking part in the week are looking forward to one talk more than others.

Prof Marie Cassidy, the State Pathologist, will explain how she uses forensics and pathology to help solve murders.

"A lot of students in my school, including myself, plan on putting forensic science down as one of our top CAO choices," says Zara McGrath of Presentation Secondary School in Warrenmount, Dublin. "It is quite popular at the moment. It must have something to do with the Crime Scene Investigation TV programme. "I like the idea of solving a problem that other people can't, especially crimes. It is an area where you can make a real difference to people's lives."

The students will also learn about tropical medicine, with a focus on the stages of malaria, what countries it is found in and how to treat people with it.

Even though the course, which is free, was not widely advertised, it was oversubscribed. Dr Cathal Kelly and the team behind the pilot are not averse to enlarging the school's scope in the future. "It is just a pilot this year, so we have a lot to learn," says Dr Kelly, dean of the RCSI's faculty of medicine. "We would consider increasing it to two weeks next year."

"We're dependent on the generosity of the various doctors and specialists who have given their time to the programme," says

Dr Kate Johnston, one of the chief organisers of the school. "The week is packed with interesting talks and lab practice, but it doesn't end there. We also have a website for participants, who can give us feedback on the courses, look at diagrams and do online quizzes. There are also surveys, like whether or not animals should be used in medical research, which we hope the students will fill out before and after their week with us."

For more details, e-mail Dr Kate Johnston at outreach@rcsi.ie

Studying medicine

If you'd like to become one of Ireland's 16,500 doctors, you'll need to score between 560 and 580 points in your Leaving Certificate. You can choose from five medical schools: Trinity College in Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork, National University of Ireland Galway and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

To become one of Ireland's 80,000 nurses, you'll need to apply for one of the 1,880 places on 44 nursing programmes. The main areas that nurses work in are general nursing, children's nursing, intellectual-disability nursing, midwifery and psychiatric nursing.Points requirements vary; general nursing needs about 350.

Next week: Tackling homophobia