Waterford mental health services welcomes wave of UCC medical students for placements

Waterford's mental health services have opened their doors to a group of University College Cork (UCC) medical students this month, giving future doctors hands-on experience in psychiatry.

The students are spending three weeks on placement across local services, including Aidan's Unit at the Waterford Residential Care Centre, the acute mental health inpatient facility at University Hospital Waterford, and with community teams in Ferrybank, Tramore and John's Hill.

Dr Vwoke Akpubi, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director of the HSE's Waterford/Wexford mental health services, said the initiative will benefit both the students and the local service.

READ MORE | Waterford man named Farm Safety Community Champion in new national programme

"Staff at all levels of the HSE locally are looking forward to this cooperative venture with UCC and I appreciate how generous my colleagues are with their time in doing so," he said.

"Being a UCC graduate myself, it is especially meaningful for me to see its School of Medicine and the HSE Dublin and South East region's mental health services in Waterford working together in this way.

"We are delighted to welcome the students and to provide them with a stimulating and supportive learning environment, rich clinical exposure and excellent training facilities.

READ MORE | Waterford dancer brings her talent to Guinness Storehouse's new street art spectacle

"I hope this experience will be both rewarding and inspiring, and perhaps even spark an interest in a future career in psychiatry."

The placements form part of UCC's medical programme, where students gain real-world clinical experience in different specialities before graduating.

Dr Akpubi said he hopes this will be the start of a long-term partnership between UCC and the HSE's Waterford/Wexford mental health services in education, training, research, and collaboration.