More Related Content Similar to How to Become a Doctor in Australia (20) More from GradReady-Gamsatprep (6) 2. © GradReady 2018
How to Become a Doctor in Australia
• The UCAT and the GAMSAT routes are the main pathways
for getting into medical school.
• The UCAT route involves applying directly out of high school,
and the GAMSAT route involves applying after completion of
an undergraduate degree.
• Note that the subjects that you take in high school and/or
major you study in university does not affect your chances of
getting in- as long as you meet the prerequisites for the
medical school you wish to attend, you have the flexibility to
choose whichever subjects you would like.
3. © GradReady 2018
UCAT
• First, we will look at the UCAT, which is short for the
University Clinical Aptitude Test.
• The UCAT is a 2-hour computer-based test, which
consists of five separately timed subtests addressing:
Verbal Reasoning; Decision Making; Quantitative
Reasoning; Abstract Reasoning; and Situational
Judgement Test.
• Typically, students with very high marks in high school
can apply along this route, and it offers a more ‘direct’
entry into medical school. There are nine registered
medical schools in Australia that accept the UCAT score.
4. © GradReady 2018
GAMSAT
• The other route of how to become a doctor in Australia is through taking
the Graduate Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT).
• This is a mammoth test that you can take as a post-graduate student
(i.e. you have completed, or are about to complete, a Bachelor’s degree
at university).
• There is a treasure trove of information on the GradReady website
about GAMSAT, where the test is thoroughly dissected and explained.
• Usually a Bachelor’s degree (completed or nearly completed) will be
enough to sit the GAMSAT, but keep in mind that some graduate
programs require completion of second year subjects in anatomy,
physiology and/or biochemistry.
• Note that while you need an undergraduate degree to apply through the
GAMSAT pathway, you do not necessarily need to have completed
high school.
5. © GradReady 2018
Medical Degrees Available in Australia
• Depending on the way you enter medical school, there are two types
of medical degrees available in Australia: Five-year or six-year
undergraduate Bachelor degrees, and equivalent professional
practice Masters level degree (usually called ‘MDs’ – though the
undergraduate version may also be called this in some situations).
• The Masters qualification is, practically, not any different to a
Bachelor equivalent in medicine, in that both allow you to practice
medicine in Australia.
• The Masters version is arguably a marketing ploy of most Australia
medical schools to allow them to market to international students
and also charge international and domestic students Masters level
costs.
6. © GradReady 2018
Medical School Interview
• Typically, an interview with the medical school is part of the
selection process. Candidates who do well in the UCAT/GAMSAT,
and have good high school or university grades, will be invited to
participate in an interview.
• You may be asked questions about your motivation to study
medicine, your understanding of the course, your study at school,
hobbies, personal interests and current medical topics in the news.
• Each medical school has a slightly different interview format, with
different topics and styles of questions, so if you are fortunate
enough to be offered an interview, be sure to read the information
that you are given carefully so you know what to expect on the day.
7. © GradReady 2018
Medical School
• Now, once you are in medical school, after many months
of tests and interviews, you now have a very tough time
of between four and six years of hard study to finally
start working as an intern doctor!
• All Australian medical graduates must complete one year
of internship, usually in a public hospital, before they can
obtain full medical registration.
• Unlike in some other countries, such as the United
States, interns in Australia do not specialise- they remain
undifferentiated, rotating through different areas to gain
more experience.
8. © GradReady 2018
Medical School
• During the final year of medical school, med students
can choose their preferred hospital in which they would
like to do their internship.
• After the internship, you are then FINALLY qualified to
be a fully registered doctor!
• You can then continue to work as an undifferentiated
Resident Medical Officer (RMO) within the hospital, or
you can consider applying for specialty training.
9. © GradReady 2018
Further Materials
• Free GAMSAT Practice Questions
• What is the GAMSAT?
• GAMSAT Section 1: How to prepare
• GAMSAT Section 2 Essays: How to Prepare
• GAMSAT Section 3 Essays: How to Prepare
• We’ve also prepared a guide that will provide you with a rough idea
of the medical school entry requirements for different Graduate
Medical Schools around Australia:
https://gradready.com.au/medical-school-entry-requirements
