High demand for medical courses prompts revamp

MORE than 9,000 applications were made for just 600 places on medicine, dentistry and pharmacy courses in Irish universities last year.

The figures revealed in the Central Applications Office (CAO) 2002 directors’ report give an indication of why these courses command the highest Leaving Certificate points requirements.

The Government is now considering changes to the third level system that would allow students to take a common science degree, with the chance to go on to the more prestigious courses.

Such a move should give more students access to these top health careers, rather than just those who score best in the State exams.

Of this year’s 62,800 CAO applicants up to March, 2,335 listed a human or veterinary medicine degree as their first preference.

More than 4,000 others had a medicine degree somewhere on their list of degree choices, up around 700 on last year.

Last year, 324 places were accepted on human medicine courses, which were the first preference of more than 1,600 CAO applicants.

Another 903 students applying this year had a dentistry course and almost 2,100 had pharmacy on their list of preferences. There were just 63 and 118 places on these degrees offered through the application system last year.

Medicine, veterinary and pharmacy courses usually require more points than any other - up to 550 points out of a maximum of 600 - meaning only the highest-performing Leaving Certificate candidates get the places.

The proposal to address this situation was first suggested by the Points Commission report four years ago and featured in the Programme for Government published by Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats a year ago.

“We will seek to address the distortion of the points system which comes about through certain high points courses and, in particular, support the move towards a common science

degree as the principal means of entry into medical, veterinary and other related degree courses,” the education section of the programme said.

However, the huge changes that would be required in the universities without impinging on their medical schools mean this year’s college entrants will not benefit from any such changes.

A report on ways of overhauling the system is being prepared for Education Minister Noel Dempsey by the Higher Education Authority but is not expected to be completed until later in the summer.