The School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin was founded in 1711 and has played a central role in the golden age of Irish medicine. Today it is an international leader in biomedical research and education. Students from many undergraduate courses in the School of Medicine spend a portion of their time on placement at TUH including Medicine. Undergraduate Medicine students on the undergraduate medicine programme at Trinity, follow a five-year programme leading to the degrees of Bachelor in Medicine, Bachelor in Surgery and Bachelor in Obstetrics. Following graduation, there is a further year as an intern in an approved hospital before becoming a fully registered medical practitioner. TUH is one of the School’s main teaching hospitals and we work closely together to ensure high quality clinical and research training for our students.
Undergraduate Medicine students on the undergraduate medicine programme at Trinity, follow a five-year programme leading to the degrees of Bachelor in Medicine, Bachelor in Surgery and Bachelor in Obstetrics. Following graduation, there is a further year as an intern in an approved hospital before becoming a fully registered medical practitioner. Tallaght University Hospital is one of the School’s main teaching hospitals and we work closely together to ensure high quality clinical and research training for our students.
The curriculum is organised into two broad phases: preclinical and clinical years. Instruction in preclinical years is through individual combinations of lectures, problem-based learning, evidence-based medicine and small-group seminars, tutorials, practicals, laboratories and computer-aided learning. In recent years, early patient contact has been integrated into the curriculum with more emphasis on problem-based learning which is very popular with the students.
In the clinical years, the student moves to the University’s teaching hospitals to learn on a case-by-case basis at the patient’s bedside. The School of Medicine at Trinity has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its “bedside” teaching, which is possible through co-operation and linkages with its teaching hospitals such as TUH.
The major characteristics of the undergraduate medical programme at Trinity are:
- Integration of scientific and clinical material and delivery in context
- Facilitation of active learning and a deep strategic approach
- Early and comprehensive development of technical and interpersonal skills
- Definition of the ideal programme of clinical rotation
- Continuous review and revision of the assessment programme to ensure alignment with the stated outcomes and course content
- Promotion of multiple assessment formats including continuous assessment and a reduction of reliance on annual high stakes assessments
- Recognition of the patient as an active partner
- Prioritisation of personal and professional development
The School of Medicine at Tallaght University Hospital
Tallaght University Hospital is one of the School of Medicine’s main teaching hospitals. The Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, which is at the far end of Tallaght University Hospital, houses the Disciplines of Clinical Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Public Health and Primary Care and Psychiatry. The teaching facilities consist of a large lecture theatre, seminar rooms and treatment rooms. There is also a dedicated Clinical Skills Laboratory.
There are two postgraduate taught courses delivered on our Tallaght campus, the Masters Programme in Clinical Chemistry and Postgraduate Certificate in Implementation Science. Postgraduate research courses are also run within each of the Disciplines.
