Top TY Work Experience Programmes - Tips for Third Years

TY Work Experience Programmes

RCSI TY Mini Med, Pharmacy and Physiotherapy Programme

The RCSI TY programme took place from the 22nd - 26th February 2021 with over 4,000 students attending via Zoom. The first three days were based around a career in medicine. We listened to talks from doctors in over twenty different professions within medicine including paediatrics, surgery, rheumatology, critical care, anesthesia, pathology, general practice and many more. We also listened to talks with patients to get a different perspective into the career and see how doctors’ work affects their patients lives long term. One of the most interesting aspects of this programme was getting to watch four live surgeries including a caesarean section, keyhole surgery of the oesophagus, tonsillectomy and laparoscopic surgery. Although it was a virtual programme it was also quite interactive as we could ask questions through the chat feature, many of which were answered by RCSI students. They shared their experiences of getting into medicine, gave tips and told us all about college life at RCSI. Following this we had a day dedicated to pharmacy. We listened to talks about the different career paths available including community, hospital and industry pharmacy. There was also a presentation from an RCSI student currently studying pharmacy on what we can expect. The final day was focused on physiotherapy. We listened to talks about physiotherapy as a career, sports injuries, how we can improve our own physical and mental health as well as a students perspective on studying physiotherapy. Overall the RCSI TY programme was a very interesting and exciting work experience programme covering a wide range of professions that can be studied there. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend this programme to all TY students. ~ Nikolet Serbezova 

Science Gallery TY Programme

Contrary to what the name might suggest the basis of the Science Gallery TY Programme was art; more specifically art shown through scientific mediums. The theme of our week was Cheat, we were looking at cheating, plagiarising and the blurry areas through the lenses of both art and science. It took place on Zoom and was a small group of just 25 students. We started off with some ice breaker games. After that, we went on to the content, studying a number of topics; fast fashion, artificial intelligence, living art, communication, space colonies and animal testing. The aim of all this was to have all the knowledge we needed to create our own exhibitions in groups come the last day of the course. My group created an exhibition called ‘Elude’. Its aim was to display the controversy over whether or not art created by artificial intelligence counts as real art. The programme included plenty of group work and interactive elements which made it really engaging for all the students involved. ~ Lily Anderson

Irish Guide Dogs For The Blind TY Programme

The Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind TY Programme ran for four days and was around an hour and a half long. The whole programme was very informative giving a good insight into the association and the logistics involved not only for fundraising but also for training the dogs. Each day, different people with different jobs in the Irish Guide Dogs Association talked and gave a presentation on their respective roles and responsibilities. We saw a run through of a typical day in a guide dog trainer's life, involving the schedule of when the dogs train, their meal times, time for play and vet checkups. On the second day, we got to hear a person with a visual impairment talk about her life with a guide dog and how they go about each day. We even got to watch a trainer with an assistant dog walk through a town and see their dedicated work in action! All the speakers were eager and open to any questions and even told some funny stories about working with the dogs. The next day was about puppy raising and what it consists of. We were told that it's important that when the dogs are puppies, that they get exposed to different textures and environments so they can adapt easily. The last day was a presentation and discussion about fundraising from the corporate team. It costs 5 million euro to run the organisation each year and 85% comes from the donations of the generous public. They rely a lot on these donations. It was an enjoyable programme and was engaging for everyone there.  ~ Isabella Watts

Concern Worldwide TY Academy

Concern’s TY Academy was an online work experience programme where we learned about non-governmental organisations, activism and the different sustainable goals. We had many different guest speakers such as the Head of Concern’s Active Citizenship, Micheal Doorly, who gave us an amazing insight on what it takes to improve our earth and tackle heavy issues. The programme was very interactive and cooperative as we were often put into groups to do projects or tackle challenges. Lastly, all students taking part were challenged to create a project or campaign targeting at least one of the sustainable development goals. There is a follow up event for all students who took part in the Academy to showcase different projects which we are all looking forward to. I feel that this work experience has broadened my horizons and taught me sustainable ways to make a difference in my life. ~ Zara Stafford

Walk In My Shoes TY Programme

The Walk In My Shoes TY Programme was an online work experience programme focused on mental healthcare and held by St. Patrick’s University Hospital. It took place over Microsoft teams and twenty five students from all around Ireland attended. We got a virtual tour of the hospital, listened to talks about various professions within mental healthcare, watched a mock multidisciplinary team meeting, learned about the Willow Grove Adolescent Unit, spoke to past service users, discussed human rights and learned how to communicate with people experiencing mental health difficulties. It was a very interactive programme filled with many different activities. Around the middle of the week, we were split into groups and had to create an idea for a resource that could be used to expand young people’s knowledge of mental health issues then on the last day we had to present our idea to the entire group. This was a very fun activity as we got to speak with other students in the programme and make friends. I would really recommend this programme to anyone interested in medicine or mental health as it was really fun, interesting and insightful. After completing this programme I am now a mental health ambassador for Walk In My Shoes. ~ Nikolet Serbezova 

UNICEF TY Programme

UNICEF is an organization known for humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide. I was lucky enough to take part in their TY Youth Activism Programme. This was a week-long programme with many other students around Ireland. Each day there was a different topic in which we would set our focus. This included Children’s Rights, LGBTQI+ Rights, Gender Equality, Climate Change, Disabilities and Social Inequalities. Not only did we learn about these topics, we also discussed, debated and created solutions that are actionable. Lots of group work was involved in this course which I enjoyed immensely, it is so fascinating to hear everyone’s different opinions, views and ideas. On the last day, we participated in activism training and learned about different ways we can make a difference to become better citizens. These were small changes such as mindful purchasing or reducing your carbon footprint. The most important thing we learned is to use your voice and speak out about things you care about, as that makes all the difference. ~ Zara Stafford

Pinsent Masons TY Law Programme

It was the first time this year that Pinsent Masons had work experience for TY students and the programme managed to give a great insight into what life and working in a law firm is like through presentations, tasks and games. When I was on the programme I found it to be beneficial in many ways as it not only taught you about law firms but about things that will be beneficial in life. This was done through engaging tasks- one which was of an online cyber escape room where we all learned the principles of cyber safety. I also learned of the different sectors included in the law firm, such as corporate law, GDPR, property law and environmental law. We were assigned to different sections each day and would participate in various activities, while completing a certain task at the end of the day. A few people were also able to attend two different court cases and it was nothing like what you may see on tv. The presentations on the different types of law were fascinating and gave many of us  an idea of how broad and specific law can be. I did enjoy doing this programme and I would recommend it even if you may not be interested in law it won't just benefit you in that sense. ~ Josica Vintem

By Nikolet Serbezova