RUMC students are endowed with a distinct Irish experience during their Pre-Clinical Years in Dublin, Ireland, at either RCSI or UCD, for the first two-and-a-half years.
IN light of the current Covid-19 situation across the world, it is no surprise that health is a major concern for many countries.
The disease’s ability to mutate and spread indiscriminately has been closely monitored by health officials and specialists everywhere, leading to a sort of cat-and-mouse game where people and governments strive to be one step ahead of the infection.
It also comes as no surprise that medical care stands out as the most important of professions, making medicine still the top career that most students aspire to pursue.
As the branch campus of leading Irish medical schools, the RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC) has been providing top-notch medical education to students all over the world.
Irish foreign university branch campus in Penang, Malaysia
In 1996, the collaboration between Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and University College Dublin (UCD), two world-leading universities in Ireland, led to the establishment of Penang Medical College (PMC), which is now known as RCSI and UCD Malaysia Campus (RUMC).
It has been rebranded as RUMC after being conferred the status of Foreign University Branch Campus (FUBC) in 2018.
Wholly-owned by RCSI and UCD, RUMC is also the first accredited private medical institution in Malaysia which fulfilled the need of having a medical school in the region back then. The university now remains as the only Irish institution in the region.
The high-quality Irish medical education provided by RUMC is backed by centuries of experience and expertise in delivering medical knowledge at RCSI and UCD.
Established in 1784, RCSI is a unique academic and research institution that solely focuses on healthcare. It is ranked within the top 2% by the Times Higher World University Rankings. RCSI is Ireland’s largest medical school with campuses in Dublin, Bahrain, and the RUMC programme in Malaysia.
University College Dublin (UCD) School of Medicine was founded in 1855 and is well-known as one of Ireland’s leading medical schools. It offers medical education delivered by specialist staff across an extensive network of academic and clinical locations.
The high-quality Irish medical education provided by RUMC is backed by centuries of experience and expertise in delivering medical knowledge at RCSI and UCD.
Invaluable Irish experience
At RUMC, it is all about nurturing future healthcare professionals with the best of both worlds’ experience - in Ireland and Malaysia.
RUMC students are endowed with a distinct Irish experience during their Pre-Clinical Years in Dublin, Ireland, at either RCSI or UCD, for the first two-and-a-half years.
Along with exceptional pre-clinical training from acclaimed academics around the world, students also receive early exposure to clinical skills and patient-centred learning.
This improves their communication skills and instils in them the soft skills needed, especially when dealing with patients later on.
Students continue their Clinical Years in Penang, Malaysia for the remaining two-and-a-half years at RUMC and its hospital teaching sites. Thanks to the hands-on pre-clinical training in Dublin, students return more prepared to practise over rotations in the hospital and deal with their patients.
Besides, they receive unrivalled access to clinical training in hospitals too. RUMC medical students are the only group utilising the Penang General Hospital and Seberang Jaya Hospital as part of their core medical programme. This allows RUMC to have the privilege of maintaining an exceptionally high ratio of patient beds to student numbers.
Upon graduation, students receive the internationally recognised Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Obstetrics (MB BCh BAO) degree, which is conferred to them by the National University of Ireland (NUI) – making them competent and clinically distinguished graduates.
Dublin in Ireland, where RUMC medical students for the first two-and-a-half years will show their true mettle.
Solid grounding in Basic Science
Probably the best way for students to start their foray into medicine and healthcare studies is to enrol in a foundation course.
RUMC’s Foundation in Science (FIS) provides an early introduction into its medical degree programme and provides the opportunity for students to interact with their seniors and clinicians.
Students with O-Level and Malaysia’s Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) qualifications are welcomed to apply for the FIS programme that commences every May.
FIS students get access to exclusive accommodation at an affordable rate, complete with transportation to and from the campus.
Having obtained the FIS qualification, students can take the direct route into RUMC’s five-year medical degree programme, so long as they fulfil the entry requirements.
FIS graduates who achieve a CGPA score of 3.5 to 4.0 can directly pursue their five-year medical degree programme at RUMC.
Students who obtained a CGPA score of 3.0 to 3.49, however, can proceed to a one-year Pre-Medical (Pre-Med) Foundation programme at RUMC before pursuing their medical degree.
Also open to students with A-Level or the Malaysian Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) qualifications, the Pre-Med programme at RUMC provides a solid foundation in biomedical sciences and is delivered as a series of stand-alone and integrated modules with a modularised assessment.
An immersive learning experience
The journey in Medicine at RUMC is beyond an ordinary quest for medical education.
It provides a holistic learning avenue that enables students to be fully immersed with Irish and international students throughout their duration of study in RCSI or UCD.
The unique course structure of RUMC Medicine programme promotes a cost-effective option for students to study for an Irish medical degree while gaining enriching experience in Ireland.
Once they have completed the entirety, they will receive their degrees from the National University of Ireland, which is similar to the ones received by those who complete their five-year Medicine programme in Ireland.
RUMC medical degree is recognised by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) and the Irish Medical Council (IMC) as graduating high-performing doctors.
Students are open to opportunities to practise Medicine not just within the Malaysian healthcare setting, but also overseas such as the US, the UK and Ireland.
Malaysian students who have the qualification but may require financial assistance can look into RUMC Scholarships or funding options, such as PTPTN, EPF and more.
For more information, visit www.rcsiucd.edu.my, or call 04-217 1888 for programme-related enquiries.
