Category: Medicine

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Do you want to study medicine in WA?

Medicine student

In Western Australia, three universities offer medical degrees.

Post Graduate Medicine at UWA and Notre Dame

The University of WA and University of Notre Dame offer postgraduate medicine. You have to do one degree and get outstanding results in order to qualify to apply.

The advantage of postgraduate medicine is that you have two degrees, and these can enhance your career prospects. For example, if you studied pharmacy or physiotherapy before undertaking medicine, you would have additional skills and knowledge when both studying medicine, and later when practicing medicine. With the huge competition for places for medicine, it’s critical to think about your first degree being an area you would want to pursue. For example, if you were genuinely interested in pharmacy or physiotherapy, and did not gain entry to medicine, you’d have a career path that you were already qualified and interested in.

To be competitive for postgraduate medicine, you need to choose an undergraduate degree where you can achieve top grades. Most postgraduate medical programs list the ‘grade point average’ (GPA) you need for entry. For example, UNDA requires an overall GPA of 5.4 or higher. Postgraduate entrants come from a broad range of discipline areas, not just science-based programs.Medicine studentUndergraduate Medicine at Curtin

Curtin is the only uni in Western Australia to offer undergraduate medicine. You apply to go into Curtin medicine straight from school. 

Both post graduate or undergraduate pathways have additional testing and interview processes to narrow down the field to those who are accepted as outstanding candidates. Getting into medicine is competitive, in 2022 Curtin had 2700 applicants for 100 places. 

In Australia, most applicants for medicine apply across the country to attempt to gain a place, often relocating to undertake their studies.

There are significant cost advantages to an undergraduate entry to medicine. You finish your degree in five years, and have a student debt for five years (not 7 or 8 years). Overall, that cost difference is in the vicinity of $20000 (5 years vs 7 years). You are also working two years earlier, so have an income sooner.

Find out more about medicine at UWA HERE.

Find out more about medicine at Notre Dame HERE. 

Find out more about medicine at Curtin HERE. 

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So you want to be a doctor, but you live in the bush

If you want to be a doctor but you live in the bush, your chances of winning a place in a medicine degree are improving. The Curtin Medical School Ambassador Alumni scheme engages current Curtin medical students to help students in rural, regional and remote schools who would like to apply to Curtin Medical School.

To find out more go to to Curtin Medical School.

Schools that want to engage with the program should contact the Curtin Medical School Rural Academic Lead, Professor Keith McNaught.

Curtin Medical School support for future RRR students

Curtin Medical School (CMS)  has a deep commitment to produce doctors to work in rural locations.   CMS fully appreciates that the lack of doctors in many rural areas, a particular issue in Western Australia, results in poor health outcomes for rural residents.   CMS is also acutely aware that there are real and significant challenges for rural young people, wanting to study Medicine, and being educated in rural areas, often with significantly less opportunities than city-educated students.   Rural students often have less Career Guidance advice, and may not realise that Curtin offers a rural entry pathway to Medicine with additional ATAR score weightings for rural students.

Curtin Medical School at Bunbury Careers Expo

In 2021, Professor Keith McNaught, the CMS Rural Academic Lead, worked closely with the President of the Curtin Rural Health Club, Jarrad Burgess, to develop and pilot the Alumni Ambassador program.   The program was designed to have current Medical students, with a rural background, volunteer to promote studying medicine, in their home towns, or in towns and locations where they had connections.

Keith had generated a list of target rural schools across WA, and then Jarrad and Keith matched student volunteers to those schools and beyond.  There were 26 volunteers, who will be visiting 35 secondary schools in 2021.   The volunteers all do their school visits whilst they are at home on breaks, so there are no costs associated with running the program, except to visit those locations where an Alumni Ambassador is not available.

When the partner secondary schools agreed to be involved, they nominated a school contact person, who is the liaison person for each Alumni Ambassador.   The school visits have commenced, and feedback has been resoundingly positive.  Second-Year student, Ipsita, was involved in a school visit where she connected with an outstanding Year 11 Indigenous student, who is now linked to the Medical School’s Admission Officer, as she charts her personalised pathway to Medicine at Curtin. 

Alumni Ambassador visits are most often to Year 10 and 11 classes, with schools usually aligning this to a science class.   With Year 10 classes, the Alumni Ambassadors talk about the benefits of the rural entry pathway, and the subject selections recommended for Medicine.   Year 11 presentations also focus on UCAT testing, so rural students are aware of the process and timeline, which will occur during Year 12, and also of the scholarships to assist with the costs of completing the UCAT testing in Perth.   Importantly, secondary school students are referred to the website, where they are can obtain up-to-date information about Curtin’s Medical and Health Science programs and have links to access further information.

Whilst it will be some years before the impacts of the CMS Alumni Ambassador program are fully known, there have been immediate benefits noted.   Secondary school partners have had increased contact with CMS staff, and applications for UCAT scholarships tripled from 2020 to 2021.  There are few things as motivating for a rural student as seeing their peers, who they know from their school and community, studying Medicine, and being aware that it’s a real study and career option for them too.

This report has been supplied by Curtin University.

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Your pathway to medicine in WA

Getting into medicine is a job. The competition is fierce and the pathway is rigorous. Many potential doctors fall by the wayside due to the strain of the application process.

This presentation was given to potential applicants for medicine courses in WA. Scitech Pathways to Medicine 2020

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During the summer holidays 30 students who were going into year 11 and 12 this year did a week long, hands on and theory course at the Harry Perkins Centre. The program is run by Scitech to help students to find out more about health careers in WA.

You can find a cut down version of the presentation HERE. Scitech Pathways to Medicine 2020

If you would like to develop your personal plan for getting into medicine, or an alternate health career, please contact me. 

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The Curtin Pathway to Becoming a Doctor

Apply in Year 12

Curtin Medical School offers the only West Australian Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery program that students can enter directly from school. Both UWA and Notre Dame offer medicine courses but they require applicants to have done a degree as part of the application process.

(Go HERE for information about UWA Direct Pathway program.)

Curtin’s Focus

CaptureCurtin is focusing on providing medical services in rural, regional and remote (RRR) Western Australia so are using their Curtin’s Step Up criteria  to help RRR applicants and students from outer metropolitan schools to apply. This Set Up list will be finalised for 2019 in July. You may qualify for an Equity Bonus even if your school isn’t on the list so keep an eye on the Curtin updates.

You can only get 5 bonus points even if you qualify on the Set Up list and for the Equity Bonus.

They are aiming to have 25% of students from RRR areas.

The Curtin course is only in its second year and there were 1511 applicants for the 70 places offered this year so even with the additional support it is a very competitive program to get into.

Most of the places were given to school leavers and only 6 places were given to course switchers or mature age students.

There will be 80 places in 2019.

 

Applying for Medicine at Curtin

Use the normal TISC process to apply. Aboriginal Flag

Curtin is providing support to enable Aboriginal students to gain a place. Aboriginal students should apply through the Aboriginal Studies Indigenous Pathway.

 

Course Length

The Curtin Degree is 5 years long after which students do a an 47 week internship before becoming a doctor.

See this document on Internships put out by the AMA.

Studying medicine is just your first step in your medical academic career. After completing your internship you will take on further study to be a GP, surgeon, obstetrician or some other specialisation.

While most university courses have short academic contact years, the Curtin Medical School requires students to have 40+ contact weeks.

ATAR Requirements

Applicants must have a minimum ATAR of 95. The lowest ATAR score for 2018 was 96.15.

RRR students who can show they are eligible  according to Curtin criteria will get 5 bonus points added to their ATAR score.

Chemistry is an essential prerequisite for applicants.

Human biology is not a prerequisite as it is taught in first year, however those students who have already done human biol at school will find it easier to get good grades in this subject at uni.

Applicants who pass the UMAT must provide a predicted ATAR score from their school on the form that Curtin provides before the end of November so that Curtin can use that mark to shortlist applicants for interviews.

The ATAR is worth 40% of the application score.

UMAT Requirements

UMATStudents must undertake the UMAT exam and score at least 50 in each of the 3 exams.

Students who qualify on Curtin’s disadvantaged criteria must achieve a TOTAL of 150 across the 3 exams.

There are practice UMAT tests on the site and students need to do those in order to know what to expect.

There are private training organisations that provide UMAT coaching. ACER, which runs the UMAT says not to bother. Some students do…. You need to make up your own mind about whether to do the additional coaching or not.

The UMAT is held on 25 July. You must apply by 1 June.

TIP: If you have put Medicine at Curtin as your first TISC preference and you don’t achieve the requirements in the UMAT, change your preference with TISC. You can do that after the closing date by paying a fee.

The UMAT is worth 20% of the application score. 

Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)

These sound like torture.

All applicants who are shortlisted based on their ATAR and UMAT results are invited to undertake interviews.

That sounds harmless enough….

The MMIs are 8 consecutive interviews of 10 minutes each.

  • Students go to a room.
  • There is a scenario written on a page on the door of the room.
  • You have 2 minutes to read the scenario.
  • You are invited into the room and you have 8 minutes to talk about the scenario.
  • You leave and go to the next room.
  • Repeat.

This routine can vary slightly from year to year. Last year they were 6 minute interviews.  Again, Curtin will let you know the drill if you qualify for an interview.

For the 2018 intake there were 350 interviews offered. As many of the applicants were from the eastern states and got offers from their local universities, 200 undertook interviews at Curtin.

YouTube videos and sites like MedStudents Online and Whirlpool will give you some ideas about what to expect BUT your experienced interviewers are not looking for rehearsed answers, they want to know about you and your suitability for the profession.

The MMIs are worth 40% of your application.

Teaching and Learning Approach

Curtin takes a problem based learning and evidence based teaching approach that is supported by clinical skills tutorials. Students learn to work as part of health care teams by problem solving in consultation with students in other health care courses.

Once students have developed skills in a classroom setting they take up full time placement in hospitals. Medical student - Copy

The academic demands of the course are high. Students need to be resilient to cope with the study demands and they need to be resilient to deal with the adversity that often faces doctors.

Check out the Inherent Requirements of Curtin Medical students to see the sort of attributes they are looking for in the interview.

Presentation Video

You can watch a video of  the Curtin Getting Into Medicine presentation HERE.

More Information

If you have any further questions about studying medicine at Curtin, please give the Future Students team a call on 1300 222 888.

You can find other blog posts about getting into medicine at:

Getting Into Medicine Presentation

 

If you would like a presentation on Getting Into Medicine at your school contact me at Bev.J@infocus-careers.com.au or ring me on 0434 056 412.

 

 

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Designing the Best Pathway to Medicine

The path to medicine is the starting point in your career.

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You can choose to do any course for the undergraduate degree which is a prerequisite for medicine at UWA, Notre Dame and many other Australian universities.

To increase the range of undergraduate degrees that you can take make sure you take English (or English Lit), Chemistry and Physics (or Human Biol) as ATAR subjects.

If you are interested in medicine it follows that you might be interested in a health science course for you first degree.

University of Western Australia Health Campus

The Universtity of Western Australia Health Campus Open Day showcased some fantastic undergraduate health science degrees that you could choose as your pathway to medicine.

Speakers talked about their careers in pharmacology, microbiology, genetics, and audiology.

Some speakers had chosen to specialise by doing a PhD, some were doing research in hospitals, while others had gone into management or were working on international committees.

One had used his science PhD as a pathway to found Exodus Space Systems which is developing systems for settling the solar system!!

There were presentations on biomedical science and biomedical engineering with some exciting and crazy talk about mechatronics and 3D printing of organs.  The future for engineers in the health industries is changing at a dizzying pace.

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Speakers in the various presentations across the Open Day made a few key points:

Go Broad

In order to get a broad understanding of the health industry speakers recommended that you choose a broad range of subjects in your first year which maximise your choices for specialisation.  They suggested that you maximise your flexibility through a strong focus on maths and sciences that give depth as well as breadth.

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Communication Skills

One of the key underpinning skills mentioned by one speaker was the development of strong communication skills. She said that her capacity to formulate a reasoned argument quickly was a direct outcome of her science degree.

The need for communications skills was reinforced by others who mentioned the need to negotiate for clinical or resource priorities as well as the need to explain your decisions to patients, politicians and the public.

The message was that good communication skills would be your gateway to a range of opportunities across many industries. They said that is was easy to turn a health scientist with good communication skills into a business person in many interesting fields.

Network

It is possible to do your degree online, from the comfort of your own home.

Don’t do this.

Uni life can be so much more than study. Use the campus. Join social clubs. Go on camps. Do sport. Through these opportunities you can make lifelong friendships.

A self proclaimed introvert on one of the panels said it took her significant effort to force herself out of her home and onto the bus to the campus so that she could meet and mix with people.

In addition to networking with other students it was advised that students take opportunities to volunteer and get experience through contacts at the university. All of the speakers had stories about how they had been encouraged to apply for scholarships, or present papers at conferences or had found part time jobs which led to other jobs.

Finally

This was a day of UWA selling its health science courses… and they did it well. It seemed that a strong, broad health science degree was your gateway to a million opportunities.

People on the panel didn’t know where their careers would take them and all praised UWA for providing the first step on the heath industry career.

If you are serious about a career in medicine you should also check out the range of undergraduate courses at West Australian universities:

See A Day in the Life of a Med Student at UWA HERE

Getting Into Medicine Presentation

If you would like a presentation on Getting Into Medicine at your school contact me at Bev.J@infocus-careers.com.au or ring me on 0434 056 412.

 

 

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To stay up to date with West Australian careers news subscribe to the In Focus Careers Newsletter.

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Tips for Getting into Medicine for International Students

Outstanding international year 12 students can apply for an assured place to study medicine or dentistry at UWA. To apply for this direct pathway international students must apply through the UWA International Centre by 31st May.

Successful applicants will need to:

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Students who succeed will have an assured place in the post graduate program as long as they have an undergraduate Grade Point Average of 5.5.

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The process for getting a place in any medicine course in Australia is rigorous. The Australian Council for Education Research that manages the ISAT test and interview process provides a lot of information to guide you along the way.

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Getting into Medicine in WA

There are three universities that offer medicine in WA.

Curtin University

CurtinThis is a 5 year degree. It is the only medicine degree in Western Australia that takes student directly from school.

Students must be Australian or New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

An ATAR minimum of 95 is required. Students must undertake the UMAT examination and an interview.

The course is for school leavers with special consideration being given to rural and remote students and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

 Notre Dame University

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This is a 4 year degree.

Successful applicants will already have a degree with a minimum Grade Point Average of 5.

Applicants must undertake the Graduate Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT). Applicants are also required to undertake an interview and Notre Dame also requires a Student of Medicine Application Folio which demonstrates more about the students personal attributes and suitability for acceptance.

International students are not currently eligible to apply.

UWA

 

UWA – This is a 4 year degree.

Only UWA provides dentistry in Western Australia.

Successful applicants for either course will already have a degree in another field and a minimum Grade Point Average of 5.5.

Applicants must undertake the GAMSAT. International applicants may undertake the Medical College Admissions Test. (MCAT)

Students must also undertake an interview.

ASSURED PATHWAY Outstanding WACE students with an ATAR of 99 can apply for an Assured Pathway. Applicants will have the confidence that they have a place within the medicine or dentistry program as long as they achieve a 5.5 Grade Point Average.

Applicants for an Assured Pathway must undertake the UMAT and international students can apply via the International Student Application Test.

Applicants for an Assured Pathway place must also undertake an interview.

Curtin University Undergraduate Degree 5 Years
Notre Dame Graduate Degree 4 Years
UWA Graduate Degree 4 Years

UMAT

Applicants for Curtin, for the UWA Assured Pathway offers or for places at undergraduate programs in other states will need to apply for the UMAT selection process.

Registrations Close on 2 June and the test is conducted on 26 July.

Register for UMAT online.

The test takes 3 hours.

It is possible to enrol in UMAT training programs. The Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) recommends that applicants to NOT bother to do these courses.

ACER provides sample tests, tutorials and extensive information to prepare applicants for the test.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADMISSION TEST

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International students wishing to apply for the UWA Assured Pathway should undertake the ISAT test.

GRADUATE ENTRY

Applications for graduate entry are made in the final year of the first degree.

Domestic students should do the the GAMSAT Fullscreen capture 13032017 94709 AM.bmp

International students should a undertake the Medical College Admissions Test

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

The average grade result over three years is taken into account for graduate entry scores. Universities give these scores different weightings for different years.

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INTERVIEWS

All admission processes include interviews. These are structured as multiple mini interviews.

There are 7 x 6 minute interviews.

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WHIRLPOOL

Social media provides chat on different medical courses. You can join the chat at Whirlpool.

In Focus Careers delivers Getting Into Medicine presentations at high schools in Western Australia.