Awards, Prizes, and Funding
Don’t fret – there’s lots of funding opportunities out there. There are lots of prizes, awards and bursaries – all you need to do is have a good look for them, pick a few and throw yourself in the hat!
Funding Yourself During your Undergraduate Studies
Degrees are expensive, medical degrees and health science degrees involve travel costs, placement costs, accommodation costs, and material costs (coats, stethoscopes etc.) that other degrees don’t. We would heavily encourage students to contact their Universities which often have funding opportunities for students of low income means, or those struggling, to help them out. Most student unions are also helpful, and there may be hardship funds there to provide emergency dig outs. Some alumni have left money specifically to support students in medical and health science degrees, so don’t let them not be used – that’s what they are there for! Positive energy passed on from previous generations to help you out if you need it, just ask and you might just find.
Funding Research and Clinical Electives
If you’re lucky enough to have sourced a research elective, and you’re needing to suss out how to get some extra financial support – it’s good to appreciate first that funding is like gold dust. But that doesn’t mean it’s not there if you look hard enough.
Also, if you really want something, sometimes Principle Investigators know of little pots of money that aren’t advertised or are internal department funds etc. so always ask!
In the event that you need more support financially, most Universities have funding opportunities, often in the form of grants, scholarships and studentships that generous alumni have left as bequests in their estates and wills. Trinity College Dublin publish their studentships, scholarships and grants in the University Calendar and application deadlines are worth contacting your school administrator about. Notably the Henry Cooke Drury Research Fellowship in the School of Medicine in Trinity College Dublin is a good shout for TCD students! RCSI’s summer research programme is well funded and they have money at their discretion should you need it to support research, ask in the right places and you shall find.
Also, if you really want something, sometimes Principle Investigators know of little pots of money that aren’t advertised or are internal department funds etc. so always ask!
Awards and Prizes
Don’t be afraid to go for prizes that are out there. Some prizes are awarded anyway (often based on end of year exams) others require you to write an essay, submit case reports, submit audits, project reports, or elective reports.
Some elective awards are awarded *after* the elective has taken place, others you need to apply for *before* you go on the elective.
Some prizes are annual, other every 2 years, some are eligible for only Irish Medical students (i.e. Irish citizens), some only for those attending an Irish Medical School, some of the UK colleges have some of their prizes open to medical students attending UK or Irish medical schools – summary: check the eligibility criteria!
Prizes are a great way to get a line on the CV, a great way to push yourself in an area of interest, a great way to demonstrate your skills and commitment to an area, and a great way to get a monetary prize (if there is one!).
Always check out what your University has, there are often, prizes, bursaries and medals going every year of degrees and it’s no harm challenging yourself and going for it. Even if you don’t get it you’ll have learned lots from the experience and the journey of putting yourself out there.
Beyond funding in your own university for prizes and awards other prizes, bursaries and awards can come from institutions like medical societies and colleges, some of which are listed below. Often you need to submit applications and funding opportunities are competitive. For colleges in the UK, you need to double check if students from Irish Medical schools are eligible, but often they are! (Not all of these have awards going, but most do, it’s a pretty comprehensive list of collegiate bodies for medical students though!)
The Royal Society of Medicine – Student Prizes and Elective Awards
The Royal College of Physicians of London, UK
The Royal College of Surgeons of England, UK
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow, UK
The Royal College of Anaesthetists, UK
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, UK
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, UK
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, UK
The Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK
The Royal College of General Practitioners, UK
The Royal College of Radiologists, UK
The Royal College of Pathology, UK
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, UK
The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, UK
The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, UK
The Faculty of Occupational Medicine, UK
The Faculty of Public Health, UK
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, UK
The Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine, UK
The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine, UK
The Faculty of Dental Surgery, UK
British Association of Dermatology, UK
The Royal College of Physicians, Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
The College of Anaesthetists, Ireland
The College of Ophthalmologists, Ireland
Irish College of General Practitioners
Other Essays, Bursaries, Prizes and Elective Supports and Competitions
You need to submit something to be in the running for them – so whip it together and submit it. Check out the above list, and the ones below are a couple more!
The Royal Society of Medicine – Student Prizes and Essay Competitions
British Association of Dermatology, UK
Association of Palliative Medicine, UK
Association of Anaesthetists of Britain and Ireland
British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery
British Society for Haematology
British Association of Forensic Medicine
If you think we’re missing something and have any suggestions to add to the list contact us at tsmj@tcd.ie or editor@tsmj.ie and we’ll add it!
