Bachelor of Medicine (MB) of Surgery (BCh) and of Obstetrics (BAO)

at National University of Ireland Galway

Medicine has been taught at NUI Galway for 175 years and we have a long tradition of clinical education. We have pioneered hospital-based and bedside teaching and our medical graduates are highly sought-after doctors, practicing medicine in healthcare facilities across the globe. 

We offer both a five year and a six-year undergraduate medicine programme.  

As a medicine student you will acquire a range of qualities and skills during your time in the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.  

You will be: 

• A safe practitioner  
• An effective communicator 
• A constructive collaborator 
• A curious learner who develops continuously both professionally and personally 
• A caring, patient centred physician 

The professional attributes we value most highly as a medical school will equip our medical graduates with the tools required to provide excellent care to their patients in any healthcare system and to make a positive contribution to the development of medical knowledge.

As professionals, our medical graduates will always put their patients' needs and welfare first. You will apply your theoretical knowledge and practical clinical skills in a safe manner and subscribe to the time-honoured principle of primum, non nocere (first, do no harm). You will be exemplars of effective and compassionate verbal and written communication, with patients, their families and colleagues. You will work well with others in multidisciplinary healthcare teams and you will never cease to learn and you will embrace a healthy pattern of life-long learning throughout their careers. You will be generous with this knowledge and support the education of students and junior trainees.  

Our undergraduate medical programme aims to foster the development of these graduate attributes by providing authentic patient contact in a safe learning environment and by encouraging civic engagement and participation in campus-based extracurricular activities which promote leadership and teamwork.  

Our simulation based education activities, support you in these activities and give you exciting opportunities for clinical learning that were previously unavailable. You can now communicate with, diagnose and manage a simulated patient, perform procedures on them and work within a multidisciplinary team to manage their care, all in a safe supportive simulated clinical environment. You will receive encouragement and support from faculty and even from the simulated patient.  

Our special study module programme allows students to focus on areas of particular interest to them and their career objectives and benefit from working closely with expert role models. Participation in our summer research programme will cultivate curiosity and a passion for inquiry. Our multi-ethnic student body will expose students to the benefits of learning about other cultures and will promote respect for diversity and tolerance. As a medical graduate you will exemplify the attributes valued by our university. These attributes are also closely aligned to the Medical Council Guide to Professional Conduct and Ethics. 

Our campus is based adjacent to the Galway University Hospital. As you gain experience you will assume greater responsibility and undertake clinical placement rotations in a network of affiliated hospitals in as part of the Saolta Hospital Group. In addition you will be involved in the delivery of primary care in a variety of community settings.