The six-year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery has welcomed its first intake of 30 students this semester.

The University of Limerick (UL) has launched a “historic” new direct entry medicine programme, the first new direct entry undergraduate medicine programme developed in Ireland since 1854.

The six-year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery programme has welcomed its first intake of 30 students this semester and aims to underscore the university’s role in advancing education and healthcare in the country.

The programme will include problem-based learning and the use of electronic cadavers, simulation technologies and advanced models to support anatomy and clinical skills, and will be structured in three stages across six years.

The first stage focuses on building a foundation in medicine; the second stage will involve students learning how to apply science to clinical practice with an exposure to patient care; the final stage prepares students for future practice, focusing on clinical placements and developing skills to improve patient and population health.

The course was launched by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, TD, who said, “Today’s launch is a landmark moment for medical education in Ireland. 

“As the first new direct entry undergraduate medicine programme established in this country since 1854, it reflects both the ambition of University of Limerick and our commitment to building the healthcare workforce Ireland needs for the future.

“For the students starting this journey, it is the beginning of an exciting and rewarding career path. This programme creates a new opportunity for talented young people to pursue medicine while helping to strengthen healthcare services for future generations.”

UL president Prof Shane Kilcommins added, “Innovation in education has been at the heart of University of Limerick since our earliest days, and this new direct entry medicine programme is a powerful expression of that tradition. The establishment of Ireland’s first new direct entry medical degree in well over a century and a half demonstrates UL’s capacity to lead, innovate and deliver in areas of strategic national importance.

“Together with our graduate entry medicine programme and our broad ecosystem of health sciences programmes, this initiative further cements UL’s position as a centre of excellence in health professional education.”

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