Royal College Of Surgeons In Ireland Research Articles

Use of a Novel Measure of Nontechnical Skills in Surgical Trainees: Is There an Association With Technical Skills Performance?

To investigate whether scores on a psychological measure of concentration and interpersonal characteristics, The Attentional and Interpersonal Style Inventory (TAIS), are associated with performance of surgical skills. Postgraduate surgical trainees completed an operative surgical skills assessment in the simulation laboratory and the psychological measure (TAIS). The surgical skills assessment consisted of 6 tasks (3 per trainee): laceration suturing; lipoma excision; incisionand closure of a laparotomy wound; bowel anastomosis; saphenofemoral junction ligation and basic laparoscopic skills. The association between operative surgical skill performance and TAIS factors was investigated. The TAIS assessments and surgical skills assessments were conducted at the National Surgical Training Centre at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). One hundred and two surgical trainees in years one and two (PGY 2-3 equivalent) participated in the study. Performance on 2 of the 6 tasks assessed (bowel anastomosis and lipoma excision) were positively associated with multiple TAIS factors (energy, confidence, competitiveness, extroversion, self-criticism and performing under pressure). Another factor, focus over time, was significantly associated with scores on the lipoma excision task. Trainees with high levels of energy, confidence, competitiveness, extroversion, and focus over time and low levels of self-criticism demonstrated better performance on specific technical skills tasks.

NCPS Urology Integrated Care E-referral & Nurse-Led Clinics

Introduction: Urology referrals have increased 80% in recent years. With an aging population referrals are likely to increase further in future. There are a very limited number of experienced Urology Consultants available to deal with this increased workload. There are 34 fewer Consultants currently working in Ireland than the international standard of 1 per 1,000. There is also a diagnostic bottleneck around access to ultrasound and radiology services. There are large numbers of patients on waiting lists for urology outpatient services. Description of Changes: This project relates to the development of primary care referral pathways for benign urological symptoms and haematuria utilising an e-referral system. The project will also develop a secondary care nurse-led urology clinical procedure for benign urological symptoms. Aim & Theory: The aim is to deliver an increasing volume of urological care in the primary care setting, and improve Urology Outpatient Waiting times to meet the target of 18 months wait or less for all patients on the waitlist. The project will result in a more streamlined system for secondary care referrals and development of shared care with GPs, a reduction in Number of Outpatient visits per patient in Urology, greater cost efficiencies for hospitals & HSE and improved access to services for non-urgent patients. The study will include an analysis of resourcing necessary to deliver increased volumes of care in the primary care setting, as a pre requisite for conducting and scaling the study. Targeted Populations: This project is aimed at Urological Outpatients, Consultants, GPs, Registrars and Nurses. Other Stakeholders include hospital clerical staff, together with institutional stakeholders including the partner hospitals (Letterkenny General Hospital, University Hospital Waterford and Tallaght Hospital), The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), The Irish Society of Urology (ISU), National Clinical Programme in Surgery (NCPS), National Cancer Care Programme (NCCP), Outpatient Services Process Improvement Programme (OSPIP). Timeline: Project inception and design began in August 2016. The e-referral form was prepared in December 2016, is for piloting for January 2017. The nurse-led clinics will start in January 2017 with review in May 2017. Highlights: Predicted outcomes include an agreed and universal GP e-referral form for Urology, advice and guidance agreed by Urology Specialty Consultants and GPs, in order to enable GPs to treat patients in primary care, creation of rapid access haematuria clinics and haematuria referral pathway, decreased OPD waiting times in Urology, creating cohorts of patients to allow distribution amongst primary care, model 3 and model 4 hospitals, and a clearer picture of referral to be dealt with for 1st appointment. Detail regarding necessary levels of resourcing for delivery of these services in the primary care setting will also be elaborated as part of the study. An increase in secondary-care nurse-led clinics under urological specialty consultant supervision. Sustainability & transferability: In order to facilitate sustainability and transferability an SOP will be developed to ensure consistent application is possible across the country. The e-referral form can be used as a template for any other specialities. It will require to be approved by GPIT, a working group comprising the ICGP, The HSE-OSPIP and the OFCIO. Conclusion: A pilot secondary care nurse led clinic run in Letterkenny has been able to reduce outpatient attendances, using a “Hub and Spoke” model where urgent and elective routine patients are treated at the HUB hospital – University Hospital Galway. Discussion: Following planned implementation in Tallaght and University Hospital Waterford, this outpatient integrated care initiative is anticipated to avoid long wait times and provide timely access and treatment for Urological patients across three hospital groups Saolta, South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) and the Dublin Midland Hospital Group (DML) in the initial phase, including transfer of care into primary care, together with a more efficient process at OPDs in the secondary care setting. Lessons learned: Integrated care across Primary and Secondary Care can work by working collaboratively with GPs, HSE Outpatient Services and Urology Specialties in Acute Hospitals.

Medical students’ understanding of oral and maxillofacial surgery: an Irish perspective

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) remains an enigmatic specialty in Irish medicine and many students are unaware of its scope and the unique career pathway involved. We completed a multicentre cross-sectional study to identify their ability to identify the requirements for entry to specialty training year 3 (ST3) in OMFS, to assess their awareness of OMFS surgeons, and their general awareness of, and exposure to, the specialty. Data were collected through an electronic questionnaire. Participants were asked to select the most suitable surgical specialty to treat a number of common conditions in the head and neck, and to choose the requirements they deemed essential for specialist training. Knowledge was measured by the number of correct responses. A total of 443 medical students participated (University College Cork (UCC) n=328, 74%; Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) n=113, 26%). A total of 318/374 (85%) had had no previous experience of OMFS, 38/374 (10%) had had theoretical teaching only, and 18/374 (5%) had had clinical experience. A total of 212/329 (64%) wished for greater exposure as a student, but only 34/329 (9%) would consider a career in the specialty. The median (IQR) number of correct responses for OMFS procedures was 3.0/10 (2.0), with women, direct entrants, and RCSI students scoring highest. Only 11/367 (3%) could identify the minimum entry requirements for a post of specialist registrar. This study has identified a potential gap in the undergraduate curriculum. Although medical students are rarely taught about OMFS, they show an interest in learning more.

Colorectal tumour simulation using agent based modelling and high performance computing

450,000 European citizens are diagnosed every year with colorectal cancer (CRC) and more than 230,000 succumb to the disease annually. For this reason, significant resources are dedicated to the identification of more effective therapies for this disease. However, classical assessment techniques for these treatments are slow and costly. Consequently, systems biology researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) are developing computational agent-based models simulating tumour growth and treatment responses with the objective of speeding up the therapeutic development process while, at the same time, producing a tool for adapting treatments to patient-specific characteristics. However, the model complexity and the high number of agents to be simulated require a thorough optimisation of the process in order to execute realistic simulations of tumour growth on currently available platforms. We propose to apply the most advanced HPC techniques to achieve the efficient and realistic simulation of a virtual tissue model that mimics tumour growth or regression in space and time. These techniques combine extensions of the previously developed agent-based simulation software platform (FLAME) with autotuning capabilities and optimisation strategies for the current tumour model. Development of such a platform could advance the development of novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of CRC which can also be applied other solid tumours.

Assessment of final year medical students knowledge of basic head and neck clinical anatomy

Background At the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) anatomy teaching is carried out during the preclinical years by using various modalities to maximize students learning. The purpose of this study is to assess how much did final year student retain from the basic clinical anatomy of the head and neck and to determine if reinforcement of anatomy is required throughout the medical school curriculum.

The digital age: is this the future of medical education? A cross-sectional study to assess medical students’ opinions about e-learning in psychiatry undergraduate medical education

The main objectives were to assess medical students' opinions about e-learning in psychiatry undergraduate medical education, and to investigate a possible relationship between learning styles and preferences for learning modalities. During the academic year 2009/2010, all 231 senior Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) medical students in their penultimate year of study were invited to answer a questionnaire that was posted online on Moodle, the RCSI virtual learning environment. In all, 186 students responded to the questionnaire, a response rate of 80%. Significantly more students stated a preference for live psychiatry tutorials over e-learning lectures. Students considered flexible learning, having the option of viewing material again and the ability to learn at one's own pace with e-learning lectures, to be more valuable than having faster and easier information retrieval. Students prefer traditional in-class studying, even when they are offered a rich e-learning environment. Understanding students' learning styles has been identified as an important element for e-learning development, delivery and instruction, which can lead to improved student performance.

Cognition and Emotional Processing in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Event Abstract Back to Event Cognition and Emotional Processing in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Tom Burke1, 2*, Marwa Elamin2, Orla Hardiman2, 3 and Niall Pender1, 2, 4 1 Beaumont Hospital, Department of Psychology, Ireland 2 Trinity College Dublin, Academic Unit of Neurology, School of Medicine, Ireland 3 Beaumont Hospital, Department of Neurology, Ireland 4 Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), Ireland Background: Executive dysfunction is known to occur in early stages of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Social cognitive processes are considered by some to be subsumed by executive functions and brain atrophy is known to occur in cortical and subcortical regions involving cognitive functions in ALS, congruent with the neuroanatomical basis for social cognitive processes. Objectives The aims of this research were to investigate social-cognitive decline, relative to auxiliary cognitive decline. Methodology Participants were recruited as part of an ongoing population based study investigating cognitive heterogeneity in ALS. After removing patients whom were C9orf72 positive, participants were grouped based on whether patients had bulbar (n=20) or spinal onset (n=39) ALS. Gender, age, IQ and education matched healthy controls were used to generate culturally specific comparative data for within-patient analyses (N=59). Results On affective ToM, there was a significant difference between bulbar and spinal onset patients on this task (p= .001). Comparing bulbar and spinal patients standardized scores of executive function yielded no significant differences. Discussion and Conclusions Results indicate the presence of social-affective deficits within ALS, prior to characteristic executive and language dysfunction, for bulbar onset patients without comorbid deficits. These findings shall be discussed in relation to current research and cognitive theory, as well as ongoing population based ALS research. Acknowledgements Acknowledgements: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no (259867);the JPND SOPHIA project; Irish Health Research Board CSA2012/11 and the Irish Institute of Clinical Neuroscience (12549. 201616). The authors would like to kindly thank and acknowledge the participants of this research. Keywords: Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Ireland, neuropsychological assessment, Executive Function Conference: Neuroscience Ireland Young Neuroscientists Symposium 2014 , Dublin, Ireland, 20 Sep - 20 Sep, 2014. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Early Career Neuroscience Citation: Burke T, Elamin M, Hardiman O and Pender N (2014). Cognition and Emotional Processing in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: Neuroscience Ireland Young Neuroscientists Symposium 2014 . doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2014.87.00005 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 04 Sep 2014; Published Online: 05 Sep 2014. * Correspondence: Mr. Tom Burke, Beaumont Hospital, Department of Psychology, Dublin 9, Ireland, tom.m.burke@ucd.ie Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Tom Burke Marwa Elamin Orla Hardiman Niall Pender Google Tom Burke Marwa Elamin Orla Hardiman Niall Pender Google Scholar Tom Burke Marwa Elamin Orla Hardiman Niall Pender PubMed Tom Burke Marwa Elamin Orla Hardiman Niall Pender Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Medical Student Experiences in Clinical Reproductive Medicine: Dual-Cohort Assessment of a New Learning Module at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Aims: Exposure to a structured curriculum in reproductive medicine during medical school is helpful given the high frequency of fertility and pregnancy-related issues that future physicians will encounter. This study sought to evaluate a new reproductive medicine module for medical students. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Place and Duration of Study: Dublin, Ireland; 2008-2010. Methodology: A new educational module in reproductive medicine for upper-level medical students was initiated in 2008 at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The module included reproductive endocrinology lectures, laboratory sessions, and direct observation of clinical consultations as a required component of an obstetrics and gynaecology rotation. Students were assigned to this module on the basis of random allocation by departmental administration. The current investigation used an anonymous questionnaire and a MCQ exam to measure academic performance and student acceptance of this module, at launch and again two years later. The first sampling was from the pilot class in 2008 and a second group was evaluated in 2010. No student was in both groups. Results: 42 of 66 students completed the evaluation in 2008, and 71 of 98 did so in 2010. Mean±SD medical student age and average examination scores were comparable for the two groups. In both samples, most students (95.5%) had no prior lectures on reproductive endocrinology, and most indicated improvement in their level of understanding after the module. Both laboratory and clinical features were scored highly by students. Conclusion: At present, there is no standardised medical student curriculum for reproductive medicine in Ireland. This report is the first to describe a structured learning experience in this subspecialty area for medical students in Ireland. Additional studies are planned to track knowledge acquisition and career impact specific to reproductive medicine based on this module.

Medical Student Experiences in Clinical Reproductive Medicine: Dual-Cohort Assessment of a New Learning Module at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Aims: Exposure to a structured curriculum in reproductive medicine during medical school is helpful given the high frequency of fertility and pregnancy-related issues that future physicians will encounter. This study sought to evaluate a new reproductive medicine module for medical students. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Place and Duration of Study: Dublin, Ireland; 2008-2010. Methodology: A new educational module in reproductive medicine for upper-level medical students was initiated in 2008 at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The module included reproductive endocrinology lectures, laboratory sessions, and direct observation of clinical consultations as a required component of an obstetrics and gynaecology rotation. Students were assigned to this module on the basis of random allocation by departmental administration. The current investigation used an anonymous questionnaire and a MCQ exam to measure academic performance and student acceptance of this module, at launch and again two years later. The first sampling was from the pilot class in 2008 and a second group was evaluated in 2010. No student was in both groups. Results: 42 of 66 students completed the evaluation in 2008, and 71 of 98 did so in 2010. Mean±SD medical student age and average examination scores were comparable for the two groups. In both samples, most students (95.5%) had no prior lectures on reproductive endocrinology, and most indicated improvement in their level of understanding after the module. Both laboratory and clinical features were scored highly by students. Conclusion: At present, there is no standardised medical student curriculum for reproductive medicine in Ireland. This report is the first to describe a structured learning experience in this subspecialty area for medical students in Ireland. Additional studies are planned to track knowledge acquisition and career impact specific to reproductive medicine based on this module.

Mobile Surgical Skills Education Unit

Basic surgical skills are an integral part of surgical training. Simulation-based surgical training offers an opportunity both to trainees and trainers to learn and teach surgical skills outside the operating room in a nonpatient, nonstressed environment. However, widespread adoption of simulation technology especially in medical education is prohibited by its inherent higher cost, limited space, and interruptions to clinical duties. Mobile skills laboratory has been proposed as a means to address some of these limitations. A new program is designed by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), in an approach to teach its postgraduate basic surgical trainees the necessary surgical skills, by making the use of mobile innovative simulation technology in their own hospital settings. In this article, authors describe the program and students response to the mobile surgical skills being delivered in the region of their training hospitals and by their own regional consultant trainers.

Factors Influencing Career Choice After Initial Training in Surgery

Irish general surgery faces a recruitment crisis with only 87 of 145 (60%) basic surgical training (BST) places filled in 2009. We assessed basic surgical trainees to identify objective, and potentially modifiable, factors that influence ultimate recruitment into a general surgical career. Candidates commencing BST training during a 5-year period between 2004 and 2008 were included in a quantitative study. In addition a total of 2,536 candidates, representing all those who commenced surgical training in Ireland since 1960 were identified through the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) database and invited to complete an online survey. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 15, with p < 0.05 considered significant. During the 5-year quantitative study period there were 381 BST trainees. Gender was a significant predictor of career choice with women more likely to ultimately choose a nonsurgical career after initial surgical training (p = 0.049). Passing surgical membership examinations (MRCS) also was predictive of remaining in surgery (p = 0.005). Training region was not a significant predictor of ultimate career choice. There were 418 survey respondents. The influence of role models was most commonly cited as influencing candidates in choosing to commence surgical training. Candidates who rated "academic opportunity" (p = 0.023) and "intellectual challenge" (p = 0.047) as factors that influenced their decision to commence surgical training were more likely to ultimately continue their careers in a surgical speciality. This study describes the career pathway of surgical trainees and confirms the importance of academic achievement in discriminating between candidates applying for surgical training schemes.

Preparing for an institutional self review using the WFME standards – An International Medical School case study

Background: Curriculum reform poses significant challenges for medical schools across the globe. This paper describes the reforms that took place at the medical school of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) between 2005 and 2008 and the institutional self review process that accompanied these reforms.Results: Although fully accredited with the Irish Medical Council the RCSI sought additional detailed review of all aspects of its undergraduate medical program. Five medical educationalists were invited to visit the College in 2005 and again in 2008 to act as ‘critical friends’ and guide the self review using the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) standards which had recently been adopted in Ireland.Conclusion: The process of institutional self review (as opposed to more high stakes accreditation) can bring about significant reform, especially when supported by a panel of ‘critical friends’ working alongside faculty to help guide and support sustained curriculum reform. The WFME standards continue to provide a useful framework to consider all medical education activities within a medical school engaged in continuous renewal. Adequate preparation for such reviews is critical to the success of such an undertaking and should be supported by a comprehensive communication strategy and project plan.

'Suing the Pope' and Scandalising the People: Irish Attitudes to Sexual Abuse by Clergy Pre- and Post-Screening of a Critical Documentary

THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF children became a significant public issue in Ireland in the s, with frequent media reports about the issue. In the main these focused on the issue of abuse of children by members of the clergy and religious orders. Headline cases included the abuse perpetrated by Fr Brendan Smyth, a priest of a religious order who was convicted of multiple counts of sexual abuse of children and subsequently died in prison, and Fr Sean Fortune, a diocesan priest, who committed suicide before his court trial for abuse. While child sexual abuse by clergy was widely exposed in the early s, a subsequent additional scandal was the failure of the institutional Catholic Church to respond adequately to earlier complaints of abuse, and, in particular, to respond adequately to those who experienced abuse. As part of its response to the problem, the Irish Catholic bishops commissioned an independent research agency – the Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) at the Department of Psychology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) – to undertake a programme of research on its behalf. Part of the remit to the research group was to examine the effects on the general public of child sex abuse by clergy. This was done by means of a national telephone survey (N=,), full details of which are reported elsewhere (Goode, McGee & O’Boyle, ). The survey itself took four months to complete. About half-way through the data collection period in , the main UK public service television channel (BBC) screened a documentary entitled ‘Suing the Pope’ which dealt in detail with complaints made to Church authorities about Sean Fortune and the alleged subsequent mishandling of those complaints. This programme was reported in some detail in the Irish media before its showing, and had a high number of Irish viewers since UK channels are accessible in Ireland. The documentary was also reported extensively in other media after screening and was subsequently re-shown on Irish public service channel RTE. The first TV screening provided a point of differentiation within the survey, with some  participants having responded before the screening and  afterwards. It

Student-selected components in surgery: providing practical experience and increasing student confidence

Reviews of the medical school curriculum in the UK and Ireland have recommended the introduction of student-selected components (SSCs). The Department of Surgery in The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has introduced a 6-week surgical SSC, which aims to develop practical clinical skills, provide mentorship and prepare students for internship. Emphasis was placed on exposure to surgical specialities, teaching practical skills and student integration into surgical teams. Students completed an online survey pre- and post-SSC, assessing attitudes towards the course and confidence in performing ward-based and surgical skills. The mean Likert scale scores increased for all the skills assessed. Students felt that the SSC prepared them for their first day of work and strengthened their desire to pursue surgical careers. A surgical SSC has been successful in increasing student confidence in performing practical skills required for commencing work as a doctor. Provision of dedicated SSCs is likely to influence the career choice of students.

Objective assessment of surgical performance and its impact on a national selection programme of candidates for higher surgical training in plastic surgery

The objective of this study was to develop and validate a transparent, fair and objective assessment programme for the selection of surgical trainees into higher surgical training (HST) in plastic surgery in the Republic of Ireland. Thirty-four individuals applied for HST in plastic surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in the academic years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. Eighteen were short-listed for interview and further assessment. All applicants were required to report on their undergraduate educational performance and their postgraduate professional development. Short-listed applicants completed validated objective assessment simulations of surgical skills, an interview and assessment of their suitability for a career in surgery. When applicants' short-listing scores were combined with their interview scores and assessment of their suitability for a career in surgery, individuals who were selected for HST in plastic surgery performed significantly better than those who were not (P<0.002). However, when the assessment of technical skills scores were added the significance level of this difference increased further (P<0.0001) as did the statistical power of the difference to 99.9%, thus increasing the robustness of the selection package. The results from this study suggest that the assessment protocol we used to select individuals for HST in plastic surgery reliably and statistically significantly discriminated between the performances of candidates.

NOVEL METHOD FOR ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION OF TRAINEES FOR HIGHER SURGICAL TRAINING IN GENERAL SURGERY

The aim of the study was to select surgeons for a higher surgical training in general surgery programme at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) using an objective, transparent and fair assessment programme. Thirty-two individuals applied for higher surgical training in general surgery in Ireland in 2006. Sixteen applicants were short-listed for interview and further assessment. All applicants were required to report on their education performance at undergraduate level and their postgraduate professional development. Applicants were scored on their training record during basic surgical training, structures references, clinical experience, approved technical skills courses, validated logbook and consolidation sheet. Assessments of their research and academic surgery included, the award of a higher degree by thesis, and other surgically relevant degree's or diplomas that had been obtained through part-time studies and were awarded by educational establishments recognized by RCSI or the Irish Medical Council. Short-listed applicants completed validated objective assessment simulations of surgical skills, an interview and assessment of their suitability for a career in surgery. The nine individuals who were selected for higher surgical training in general surgery consistently scored higher than those candidates who were not, in post-graduate development (P < 0.001), surgical skills (P < 0.002), interview scores (P < 0.007) and suitability for a career in surgery (P < 0.002). All performance assessment elements except undergraduate education showed high internal reliability alpha = 0.89 and good statistical power (range 0.95-0.99). The statistical power of undergraduate education was 0.7. The objective assessment programme introduced by RCSI for selection of candidates for the programme in higher surgical training in general surgery reliably and consistently distinguished between candidates. Candidates selected for further training consistently outperformed those who were not in good concordance between measures. This common selection process for higher surgical training is now being rolled out for selection into higher surgical training across all surgical specialties in Ireland.

Graduate medical education in Ireland: a profile of the first cohort of students

The first graduate-entry programmes to Irish medicine were established at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the University of Limerick (UL) in 2007. There were over 400 applications across both institutions and 306 people sat a special aptitude test (GAMSAT) in Ireland in 2007. Ultimately, 61 Irish/EU students were admitted to one or other programme. We describe the demographic profile, academic background and aggregated GAMSAT performance of 306 people who sat GAMSAT in Ireland in 2007 and of the 61 people admitted to the RCSI/UL programmes. While more females than males sat GAMSAT, slightly more males were admitted. Over 90% of those admitted were aged in their 20s, almost 20% had a higher degree and they came from a wide range of academic backgrounds. Among others, this information should be of interest to prospective students and to government policy makers.