Health Sciences

On this page

• Human Health and Disease
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Pharmacy
• Physiotherapy
• Nursing

Human Health and Disease

Starting university was an exciting prospect but I honestly really didn’t know what to expect from both college itself and my course, and having a condition that can severely limit my mobility this did not help ease my concerns. However it didn’t take long for me to settle into college or my course and soon Trinity became like a second home to me. Although half way through my first term I had some problems in the labs due to my condition, after a meeting with my disability officer these problems became less of a worry. The Disability Service was very helpful and approachable and they offered a lot of useful accommodations to help make college life easier, more manageable and a more enjoyable experience.

The Human Health and Disease(HH&D) course coordinator was also understanding of my condition and made sure everything was going well for me in the course . HH&D is a worthwhile and interesting course and offers a broad range of modules including psychology, physiology, biology, chemistry, a small amount of maths etc. Although during one or two weeks in the first term the timetable was quite hectic it was definitely manageable especially when bio and chem labs ended.

The best thing about HH&D apart from its versatility is the people in it, with a modest class size of about thirty I have genuinely made friends for life with many people in the course and everyone gets along really well.

Between class nights out, study groups, and having the “banter “at lunch I suppose we have formed a sort of support group. Now just into my second term, I find HH&D even more interesting especially the weekly tutorials in which we discuss various diseases in detail, even though I have to deal with my disability on a daily basis it has definitely been easier to deal with when you have the support Trinity College has to offer and when you’re in a course you honestly enjoy with people your happy to be around.

For anyone with a disability thinking of studying Human Health & Disease with restricted mobility the main concern would be the labs but this can be accommodated by the Disability Service and as for getting around the college it’s actually a lot easier than you might think. Other worries such as assignment deadlines and exam accommodations can also be discussed with your Disability Officer or your tutor or the course coordinator.

Medicinal Chemistry

Medicinal Chemistry after doing General Entry Science

The great thing about doing general entry science is you get to do lots of different things and you don't have to pick exactly what you're doing til third year. This means you can explore things you thought you may have never wanted to do.

For instance I didn't do chemistry for the leaving cert, but now I've specialised in it. I would have never found out how much I love it if I hadn't have tried it out. There are around 30 different subjects you could possibly end up doing.

You do take alot of hours in the lab though, which can be difficult, and theres many lecture hours compared to other courses. The classes in the first two years are very large (up to 300 people) which can be daunting at times, but they get smaller the more you specialise.

In general all the lectures I feel have been very understanding with my learning disability, and the disability service are always there to advocate for you.

You never know what you'll end up discovering in science!

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I am a JF in Medicinal Chemistry. I love my course but was surprised at how hard it was at first. I love being in college and the independance it's given me. Medicinal chem is a good course but first year is general science so be prepared for a lot of maths and in depth biology and chemistry!! Unlike general science you have to do chemistry, biology and maths. I didnt do biology for my LC so I am struggling a bit now with it. Other than that I love it. You have labs every week for all three subjects and tutorials so you end up with a very long week....around 30 hours! Other than that I love it. College life is great.

Pharmacy

As a final year pharmacy student I can say that anyone with a disability or learning difficulty can achieve any degree course. The only stipulation is you actually have to want it. I really struggled throughout the first year of my course. College life is very different from school and no one told me it would be difficult. It is. College is hard work, for everyone. Disability or no disability everyone struggles with some aspect of college at some stage. It took me a long time to realise that I wasn't using the college and the services it provides effectively. Now I have a good grasp of how to tackle college work how to manage my time and what exactly I need to be getting on with. I love my course and career I will be starting very soon.

If I were to start again most of the things I would change would not be disability related. I was lucky enough to tap into the disability service as a resources early on and they couldn't have helped me more between repeats and super-suplementals (there is nothing super about them) the disability service really stood by and helped me communicate with my tutor and the exam board. Instead I would organise myself better and be more awear of how different college is to school.

Fiona McCarthy SS

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I'm doing Pharmacy and although I love the course it's really hard work. The points are 550 and though I didn't get those full points I got all the course requirements. Some aspects are hard and I struggle with it, the points are high for a reason!

But if you put the work in you'll get results and that's what you need to do if you want to do well in the chosen course. There aren't any barriers with my disability that affects my course that I know of but if you were to apply to the course remember that you cant't sit back and do nothing, which is difficult when you want to go out and have fun but even a little bit of work helps! It's brilliant doing pharmacy though as the class is so small you feel so close to everyone and there's a nice atmosphere there too! If I'm stuck with aspects of the course help is always there.

Hope this helps!

Physiotherapy

In the course I enjoy the practical time that we get to do and practice new techniques and also just find the information interesting.

Barriers/difficulties is that like other courses, there is a lot of reading needed which personally is tiring and time consuming. I think there is enough information for students already and I don't think I needed to know anything different before I started.

Adrian Canny JS

Nursing

I do general nursing and I am in second year. We are in the same lecture hall for ALL lectures so think 4 days a week for at least 5 lectures a day in second year. This hall is also very big, in a basement with no windows so if you find it hard to concentrate it really takes a while to get used to it!

Placement... I love placements exactly what I imagined when I decided I wanted to do nursing.. everyone is so good to the students there and the CPC (clinical placement coordinators - basically people who mind the students) were so nice to me and spoke to me privately about my learning difficulty and they helped me to find ways to overcome this.

The general lectures are all interesting apart from a few... which is always the case. its hard if all your friends end up doing Arts as their hours are a lot less and because we have so many hours it can be difficult to really feel like a college student, but if you make a effort in first year this is easily fixed!

If you choose nursing you will love it... I was very unsure if I wanted to do it at first, basically if I could cope with all the bodily fluids but having done a year and a half now I am sure this is the course that is perfect for me!

Senior Freshman General Nursing

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There are so many good things about nursing!!! The fact that the course is so big means you meet so many people and make lots of friends. The course content is very interesting and varied. However the jump from first year to second year is very high, it’s much tougher this year. Placement is also good because you get to see and do practical nursing as well as getting the theory from college. In 2nd and 3rd year you get to do specialised placement which means you see a lot more and it can also help you decided what area in nursing you would like to do when you are qualified. Nursing is a brilliant career as you can go anywhere in the world with it and there are so many different areas of practice you can go into. It is also very rewarding and varied every day is different.

However there are some very hard aspects and difficulties with the course. The course work especially this year, is much harder than I anticipated. The pass mark is also higher than other courses. Placement can also be very hard, as you could be working 13 hour shifts and be on your feet all day. It is particularly difficult when you have to travel a long distance as a lot of hospitals etc. start at 7.30. I think nursing would be very difficult for anyone with severe physical disabilities as it is a very physical job. It is much more demanding than other courses as you have much more pressure and responsibility. The course is more formal and a lot is expected from you especially placement. It is also extremely tiring.

That being said, I think it is a brilliant course! And I would recommend it to anyone interested in the caring profession and anyone who is interested in helping people and someone who is looking for a varied career. A nursing degree also gives you so many opportunities to travel and you can work in so many fields.

Rachel O Connell, Senior Freshman.