Teenagers are doctors for a day at UCC’s Prep-for-Med day

Teenagers considering a career in medicine get hands on experience of being a medical student at UCC’s Prep-for-Med day,writes Ellie O’Byrne.

A PACKED lecture hall in Cork University Hospital watches via live video link as Matt Hewitt’s surgical team, in the adjoining maternity hospital, prepares a patient for surgery. As the first incision is made, Hewitt thanks the parents who have given their consent for this caesarean section to be live-streamed.

The operation is fast. Many of the onlookers, who are not medical students, wince as the surgical team tugs briskly down on layers of incised tissue to expose the uterine wall, which is veined and bulging. The registrar tells us that amniotic fluid will be ejected when the uterus is cut, but, despite the warning, there are still a few gasps and averted gazes.