radiography at monash

[aes_999]

Got back, got all your answers straight from my friend. She also said, if you have more questions, feel free to ask.

1. job: from wat the 4th yr students say: currently its a bit hard to find a job cos theres lots of radiograhers n nt enugh jobs. but monash ties very hard to find u a job, if ur hard working n put in lots of effort.

2. wat u learn= based on 1st yr, u hv 3 main subjects: radiograhic science, biology n physics.
Radigraphic sci is learning how to position the patient n etc.
biol is a bit of everything wh lots of human anatomy, eg biochem, pathology, a bit of evolution, bacteria, physiology, phycosocial, histology n lots more
physics: diff types of xrays, radiation dose,exposure, how the xray is produced, photons, electrons, etc
its more useful to do biol for VCE rather than physics cos VCE physics isnt rly related to radiograhic physics. VCE biol is useful for biochem, evolution, DNA n etc
contact hr is about 24 hr per week

3. scale= the theory is 9 (rly boring), but the practical, ie learning how to take the xray is fun

4.money: idk wat u get per yr, but apparently, u get good money once u start working n hv a few yrs of experience. but when u do ur clinical placements as a student, u dont get paid at all. u only get paid in ur 4th yr, but even then, its very little. u dont hv to work in hospitals. u can work in MIA. but its best to start working in hospitals bc u get more experience.

5. grad med: im pretty sure u cant apply for grad med bc most graduates go to work straight away or the specialise n do more studying, eg, ultrasound.

u cant slack n u hv to study to do well. u need to do well in all subjects, if u fail 1 subject, u hv to re-do the whole semester. biol is the worse subject cos theres lots of theory n u need to memorise a lot of stuff eg, wh human anatomy u learn about everything ie, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendon, veins, artery, nerves etc

Yeah, all answers are straight from her, not me.

[ninwa]

And the responses from my RMIT friend (posted here in respose to PM, in case anybody else was interested in this course)

- radiography in RMIT is divided into 3 streams, known as medical imaging (x-ray, CT + general stuff), radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine
- depending on what stream you study, some of the places people work at including obviously major hosp and priv clinics
- some go on to work for manufacturers, go into research, marketing etc
- (in response to whether he is happy) happy? yes and no, its not an easy profession, for the amount of study you do, youdon't get paid much to do it, you really must like it to stay around. so if someone thinks its good money, think again
- in saying that, its a small and competitive field, so jobs can be scarce (doesn't matter what lecturers or open days tell you), i've known some to not have found a job 2 years post graduation
- personally, i quite like my job, i like the challenge, but it is taxing (he is a radiographer or is it radiologist? whichever the non-doctor one is... at some hospital I forget, I think it's Frankston)
- (re: difference between RMIT's 3-year and Monash's 4-year course) the difference between rmit and monash used to be accreditation. now that i no longer have ties to academia, i cannot be sure as to what the main differences are...so it would be remiss of me to recommend one or the other
- rmit was always accredited. monash in certain streams didn't, but i think both are now.
- not being accredited can have issues because it means that whatever you learn are "not recognised" by the industry or, is not recognised
- (re: ATAR requirement because VTAC doesn't show it) i got in with a low 90 but i think it comes down to the form they fill in. i've seen as low as low 80 mid 70 though
- the first year can cull 30-50% of people. of 30 people in my class that started, only 6 of us finished in the same year as me. 80% fail rate, those people then have to repeat years (obviously). they eventually pass...

[ninwa]

re: high fail rate

- i think the reason for it is because people think that 1st year is a honeymoon year
- then they just get slammed with a whole stack of work, and then some just say its not worth it, and quit
- or if they want to stick with it, they repeat
- its not difficult, per se, just requires dedication

edit:
- remember, whilst not medicine, people's lives are still in your hand
- if you can't take the job, and the work seriously...then get the hell out
- go count beans or something

[HERculina]

wow...sounds a lot tougher than i expected.
please thank your friends for me for giving me great answers to my questions.

scale= the theory is 9 (rly boring), but the practical, ie learning how to take the xray is fun.

I'm actually ok with that, well probably more if the theory was 6-7 on the boring scale, but I'm more of a practical person.
The biol content you listed is ok as well. But I really enjoy doing chemistry atm, especially titrations and calculations- so there's no chem in radiography whatsoever?
Do you know if you learn anything like the nuclear physics chapter in unit 1 VCE physics , cause I liked learning that.

5. grad med: im pretty sure u cant apply for grad med bc most graduates go to work straight away or the specialise n do more studying, eg, ultrasound.

Couldn't you still apply for grad med at monash though cause it doesn't require those sciencey prerequisites like for melbourne? Or is that way unrealistic cause why would you want to do 3/4 years learning something and not applying it afterwards?

the first year can cull 30-50% of people. of 30 people in my class that started, only 6 of us finished in the same year as me. 80% fail rate, those people then have to repeat years (obviously). they eventually pass...

BIG concern for me. 6 out of 30?! not sure how this stands with other uni courses, but it looks like a pretty high fail rate to me. I wouldn't really want to repeat a year tbh.

- (re: difference between RMIT's 3-year and Monash's 4-year course) the difference between rmit and monash used to be accreditation. now that i no longer have ties to academia, i cannot be sure as to what the main differences are...so it would be remiss of me to recommend one or the other

rmit looks like the better uni for radiography for me now.

- (in response to whether he is happy) happy? yes and no, its not an easy profession, for the amount of study you do, youdon't get paid much to do it, you really must like it to stay around. so if someone thinks its good money, think again

but do they get paid more than jobs like high school teachers after graduation. or research people.

personally, i quite like my job, i like the challenge, but it is taxing

I like a challenge too you get to play a part in diagnosing people who are sick. 
btw, what does it being taxing mean?
basically, if you top the radiography cohort with your marks, would it be easy to get a job then, and not have to go through two years of unemployment? Or is it all about how much experience you have, where you did placement etc.

[paulsterio]

but do they get paid more than jobs like high school teachers after graduation. or research people.

You do know high school teachers probably get paid more than you think they do - they also get paid higher than many other professions as well, so don't spread rumours which are untrue.

I have a friend who basically gives me shit (I'm considering a career in secondary education) because teachers supposedly get low pay - he's currently at uni doing accounting.

Well, the average salary for a High School teacher is around $75,000 per annum. It is higher if you teach in a top tier private school. Guess what, the average salary for an accountant is $80,000 per annum. I don't think that that $5,000 difference is enough for him to even think that there's a great difference in pay.

At least do some research and looking around before claiming that profession "X" has bad pay because as much as you might not mean it, others are influenced by what other people say and this is the reason why there are so many people who just believe hard-headedly that teaching is a low-paying profession - sure, it's tough work and more pay would be nice, but it's nowhere near what I'd call low.

[MJRomeo81]

Well, the average salary for a High School teacher is around $75,000 per annum. It is higher if you teach in a top tier private school. Guess what, the average salary for an accountant is $80,000 per annum. I don't think that that $5,000 difference is enough for him to even think that there's a great difference in pay.

At least do some research and looking around before claiming that profession "X" has bad pay because as much as you might not mean it, others are influenced by what other people say and this is the reason why there are so many people who just believe hard-headedly that teaching is a low-paying profession - sure, it's tough work and more pay would be nice, but it's nowhere near what I'd call low.

This. And seriously what other job has that many holidays? Sure you have to do work but it isn't cut-throat stuff like the corporate world.

[claireb]

the first year can cull 30-50% of people. of 30 people in my class that started, only 6 of us finished in the same year as me. 80% fail rate, those people then have to repeat years (obviously). they eventually pass...

BIG concern for me. 6 out of 30?! not sure how this stands with other uni courses, but it looks like a pretty high fail rate to me. I wouldn't really want to repeat a year tbh.

At least you know this now so you'll try not to be slack next year. I don't know about radiography but it seems like a large portion of those who failed/just passed science subjects in my course didn't put the work in. Also, if you choose rmit, you will have less travel time and more study/realxing time.

[Russ]

Teaching remuneration is not great (especially in Victoria). 75k might be the average but how long does it actually take to get there?
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Documents/Teacher_salary_rates.pdf

[Soul_Khan]

but do they get paid more than jobs like high school teachers after graduation. or research people.

You do know high school teachers probably get paid more than you think they do - they also get paid higher than many other professions as well, so don't spread rumours which are untrue.

I have a friend who basically gives me shit (I'm considering a career in secondary education) because teachers supposedly get low pay - he's currently at uni doing accounting.

Well, the average salary for a High School teacher is around $75,000 per annum. It is higher if you teach in a top tier private school. Guess what, the average salary for an accountant is $80,000 per annum. I don't think that that $5,000 difference is enough for him to even think that there's a great difference in pay.

At least do some research and looking around before claiming that profession "X" has bad pay because as much as you might not mean it, others are influenced by what other people say and this is the reason why there are so many people who just believe hard-headedly that teaching is a low-paying profession - sure, it's tough work and more pay would be nice, but it's nowhere near what I'd call low.

Teaching is so awesome, I don't see how people downgrade it so much. I'm also considering teaching secondary-level Chemistry and Biology or Commerce. It's a great job in my opinion, with a decent salary and holiday time, especially if you're at a good school.

I don't care about the salary that much though.. so that's why I'm more attracted to it more than other people I guess.

...also it iz becuz i want to be like Walter 'Heisenberg' White.

[ninwa]

Hercules, "taxing" just means it takes a lot of energy sometimes, I assume because of difficult patients and whatnot

[ninwa]

And yeah - Monash is 4 years because it needed that extra year to make up for lack of accreditation. That was about 2 years ago though not sure what its like now

[slothpomba]

Well I live very very far from monash, would probably take me two hours to get there. damn should have went to that info lecture in open day to find out more. Is monash the best course for radiography? Any other unis that offer it?

Myself and a few other members live that far away as well (all on the west side).

I won't lie, probably just through simulating it in your head, you probably cant get a good grip on how semi-sucky it is until you have to do it on a daily basis.

It definitely is do-able. Especially if you organise your timetable so you can hopefully get a day or two off (by putting all your labs, which you must attend on one or two days and missing some lectures which are available online anyway).

2 hours up and 2 hours back is 4 hours. You're only awake 16 hours a day, 25% of your day blown away right there before even attending class or eating or doing work.

I'm not at all trying to discourage you though, i go to monash and i do that amount of travel myself. It is definitely something that needs thinking about though.

oh and if you get an atar of 92.25 or over will you defs be offered a place. What if you put it as second/third preference for VTAC?

You are offered the first thing you can get into. If you can get into your first preference, then, you'll get an offer for your first preference and lose the rest.

If you cant get into your first, cant get into your second but you can get into your 3rd, you get offered that.

Thats why its you absolutely should put your list in order of how much you want to get into it and not by any other order (atar, etc).

RMIT cops a lot of shit, quite unfairly sometimes in my opinion. While their straight degrees like BA or Bsc might leave something to be desired sometimes, they've been quite successful in carving out niches. I know a guy doing RMIT radiography and he seems to love it. Like Tom said, for a job like radiography, it won't matter all that much where you meant went. Both courses are accredited, so, employers are guaranteed they meet the standards they need. They have to cover certain things to gain accreditation so almost all of what you learn at monash will be taught at rmit and vice versa. 

Might want to a bit if research into the job market though. There seems to be a fair few radiographers constantly pumped out every year. Obviously, in almost any field, you won't have 100% of graduates working in what they studied but you still want to make sure theres a fair chance you will get a job.

[ninwa]

RMIT cops a lot of shit, quite unfairly sometimes in my opinion. While their straight degrees like BA or Bsc might leave something to be desired sometimes, they've been quite successful in carving out niches. I know a guy doing RMIT radiography and he seems to love it. Like Tom said, for a job like radiography, it won't matter all that much where you meant. Both courses are accredited, so, employers are guaranteed they meet the standards they need. They have to cover certain things to gain accreditation so almost all of what you learn at monash will be taught at rmit and vice versa. 

This! The RMIT course has been around for longer, so I honestly believe it is a BETTER option than Monash.

basically, if you top the radiography cohort with your marks, would it be easy to get a job then, and not have to go through two years of unemployment? Or is it all about how much experience you have, where you did placement etc.

I think if you top any cohort you will have a good chance of getting a job in the respective area

[HERculina]

ok so I went to the Open day for RMIT, and I got a lot out of it.
They had these proper radiography rooms with dummies and fake leg parts to work on and apparently they're upgrading all the equipment next year to brand new machines like the ones they have in hospitals. And it's the only uni that has this.
The people there were very helpful, the guy said what you guys have been saying. that rmit was the first radiography course and the lecturers at monash actually originated from rmit. the guide person was first year and he's already off doing placements as well. he showed me how to work the machine too, looked kinda simple

yep and sorry about the teaching thing. I wasn't downgrading it, just curious how radiography salary fits compared to other proffesions. my dad actually wants me to be a teacher but I already can't handle coming to school let alone teaching there 

Oh also, for anyone else interested in this course you actually have to fill in a supplementary form as part of the range of criteria thing. I didn't know that before.

[Tomw2]

he showed me how to work the machine too, looked kinda simple

Yeah I said that too until I had to take my first bitewing radiograph!