Background Check

Students must complete a form of background check with the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU). UCD Admissions provides incoming students with a GCVU form following admission to any of Medicine, Radiography, Biomedical Health and Life Sciences programmes.

Registry and Admissions liaise with the School in order to ensure all students comply with this process, and once the forms are completed by students, UCD send them to the GCVU who then return information regarding the results to the School.

Overseas Students

Students from abroad, or those who have resided outside of Ireland for six months or longer since turning 14, will be required to submit Police Certificates from every country other than Ireland they have resided in since the age of 14. We would recommend that students begin obtaining these documents soon after accepting admission to one of our programmes. If you are unsure of how to obtain these documents from a particular country, please email healthscience@ucd.ie with the names of the countries for which you require details.

Some students may need to obtain an affidavit if their required Police Certificates have not been obtained by the time they commence hospital or GP Visits. Students who are required to do this will need to make arrangements for an affidavit with a solicitor, and will have to do so at their own cost. As a result of this, we strongly advise students to complete & obtain all documents relating to Garda Vetting and Police Certificates.

Protection from Infectious Diseases

Students and practitioners in the health care professions face the possibility of exposure to infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and TB. The School, its staff and its students have a collective responsibility to protect patients from exposure to infection. Equally, students must ensure that they are immunised against diseases such as Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis and common viral infections.

The School of Medicine & Medical Science has introduced procedures to offer both students and patients protection against infectious diseases. In order to facilitate the Health Screening requirements, UCD School of Medicine has an agreement with the Student Health Service to screen and vaccinate students. All screening follows national guidelines and protocols agreed with UCD School of Medicine & Medical Science.

Medicine, Graduate Entry Medicine & Radiography Students

A fee of approximately €225, payable at registration, is charged to all students upon entering the Medicine & Radiography programmes in order to cover costs associated with the Student Health Service screening arrangements. Prior to admission to the School of Medicine & Medical Science, Medicine & Radiography students must satisfy the School that:

• They agree to appropriate tests for Hepatitis B
• They agree to vaccination for Hepatitis B and follow-up testing, if deemed necessary
• They agree to screening for Tuberculosis if necessary
• They agree to screening for immunity to measles, mumps, rubella and chicken-pox and to subsequent vaccination for these if necessary
• They agree to the School of Medicine and Medical Science providing evidence of compliance with these procedures to affiliated clinical practice sites when requested
• Incoming students should obtain documentation regarding their vaccination records, including MMR and any other previous vaccinations obtained, and bring this with them upon the commencement of their programme at UCD

Biomedical, Health & Life Sciences Students

• All students entering this programme must demonstrate evidence of immunity to Hepatitis B and will be required to pay a healthcare screening cost of €170 to cover pre-entry bloods, Hepatitis B vaccines and checking of post-vaccination antibody levels.

Protecting & Respecting Patients

Students must understand that during their studies at University College Dublin they will be exposed to clinical encounters with real patients and real cases. Students must understand that information relating to patient health care history, diagnosis, condition, treatment, or evaluation shall be considered individually identifiable health information, and therefore should not be disclosed verbally, in writing or through any type of social media.

Students agree to respect the privacy of all patients and disclose information only when given written consent from the patient concerned.

Maintaining Standards

Medicine students must be familiar with the Guide to Ethical Conduct and Behaviour issued by the Irish Medical Council. The details of this Guide can be found on the Irish Medical Council website. 

The Dress Code has three basic principles:

1. Patients should feel confident that they are being treated by a team of professionals. Your appearance is one part of ensuring patients have confidence in their carers.
2. All patients should feel their beliefs are respected. Ethnic origin, religious conviction and age group can influence patients’ views on appropriate dress. Patients should be made to feel as comfortable as possible in a clinical setting and inappropriate dress can cause unnecessary offence and upset.
3. Dress must conform to health & safety requirements for your protection and the protection of patients.