UoM General Chat

[Hehetymen]

Guys who are applying for med, I keep reading about bottlenecks in internships and eventually specializations. Doesn't affect domestic yet but might by the time newer students graduate. Am I right in thinking if you apply for med now there's a good chance somewhere down the line you'll be in limbo for a couple of years?

Gratz to anyone who gets in though. Hnnggghhhh CSP.

[Russ]

Define "in limbo". It's certainly a major contemporary issue in the field though.

[Hehetymen]

Graduate med school but not able to work because you can't get an internship. Or got an internship and done your residency etc but can't specialize because there are so many other people trying to get in too but there aren't enough training places so you gotta spend a few years boosting your CV to make yourself really competitive.

[hobbitle]

Too many people doing uni these days..... basically every single industry is oversaturated.

Yet yesterday on News Breakfast they were reporting that something like 25% of young people were either not studying or not in fulltime work, but I think that's skewed because casual work is really popular these days and that wasn't taken into account.

[charmanderp]

Too many people doing uni these days..... basically every single industry is oversaturated.

Yet yesterday on News Breakfast they were reporting that something like 25% of young people were either not studying or not in fulltime work, but I think that's skewed because casual work is really popular these days and that wasn't taken into account.

Either too many people doing uni, or not enough jobs in the right industries.

[Russ]

Graduate med school but not able to work because you can't get an internship. Or got an internship and done your residency etc but can't specialize because there are so many other people trying to get in too but there aren't enough training places so you gotta spend a few years boosting your CV to make yourself really competitive.

I basically expect this to happen to me but I don't think it's the end of the world if it does. It's substantially better than being in the situation of graduating medical school and not having an internship, which is slowly starting to happen to more and more people. Something will give over the next few years though, the trend is obviously unsustainable.

[jinny1]

Graduate med school but not able to work because you can't get an internship. Or got an internship and done your residency etc but can't specialize because there are so many other people trying to get in too but there aren't enough training places so you gotta spend a few years boosting your CV to make yourself really competitive.

Dude, i dont know a single job that isn't competitive to get into nowadays. All there is left now to do is to try your hardest for the dream job YOU want. You shouldn't be doing med because of your parents or for recognition. If you really want to be a doctor there are many ways to become one after graduating like going to Singapore

My friend is doing medicine, and is super smart. He is already writing thesis and has been invited to study at Harvard over the coming summer. But you know what??? HE probably can't even get an internship because he is an international student... C'est la vie

[Muuru]

there are so many other people trying to get in too but there aren't enough training places so you gotta spend a few years boosting your CV to make yourself really competitive.

I hate to say it, but if you wait until the end of your degree to start boosting your CV, you probably do not deserve an internship off the bat anyway. Making yourself competitive for the future is something you should be doing right now.

I landed an ongoing teaching position in a primary school despite the fact that the profession has a serious glut of primary school teachers, particularly in metropolitan areas. So what did I do? I volunteered in school holiday programs, I tutored, and I involved myself in every single extra-curricular activity that each of my placement schools offered me. On top of that, I have one of the highest WAMs (if not the highest) in the course. Basically, I worked my ass off within and outside of my degree.

The expectation that a university degree leads to a guaranteed job implies that no personal effort beyond the walls of your degree is actually needed to land your dream job. Nothing could be further from the truth, no matter which degree you are doing.

[Hehetymen]

I hate to say it, but if you wait until the end of your degree to start boosting your CV, you probably do not deserve an internship off the bat anyway. Making yourself competitive for the future is something you should be doing right now.

I landed an ongoing teaching position in a primary school despite the fact that the profession has a serious glut of primary school teachers, particularly in metropolitan areas. So what did I do? I volunteered in school holiday programs, I tutored, and I involved myself in every single extra-curricular activity that each of my placement schools offered me. On top of that, I have one of the highest WAMs (if not the highest) in the course. Basically, I worked my ass off within and outside of my degree.

The expectation that a university degree leads to a guaranteed job implies that no personal effort beyond the walls of your degree is actually needed to land your dream job. Nothing could be further from the truth, no matter which degree you are doing.

For a specialization, not an internship. A med degree is useless without an internship so internships are currently guaranteed for CSP but not internationals (due to a lack of places). It's essentially the final year of a med degree. Without it you can't do jack with your degree. I do agree that competition for specialization is to be expected but this competition is going to rise dramatically afaik as there are so many new med grads each year, which is why I'm asking what others think about it. 500 people competing for 400 places is one thing but 1000 people competing for 400 places is another matter entirely (made these up). Apparently med school graduate numbers are gonna double in the next few years. If they don't increase training places then there's gonna be a dramatic increase in competition which may make the med path not worth it. Passion is one thing but you gotta be realistic about the path itself. Afaik internships aren't given based on merit so it doesn't matter how good your CV is.

[jinny1]

I do agree that competition for specialization is to be expected but this competition is going to rise dramatically afaik as there are so many new med grads each year, which is why I'm asking what others think about it. 500 people competing for 400 places is one thing but 1000 people competing for 400 places is another matter entirely (made these up). Apparently med school graduate numbers are gonna double in the next few years. If they don't increase training places then there's gonna be a dramatic increase in competition which may make the med path not worth it. Passion is one thing but you gotta be realistic about the path itself. Afaik internships aren't given based on merit so it doesn't matter how good your CV is.

Well competition is going to increase in every other sector too....Everybody has to face to prospect of steep competition, although for some, it doesn't stop them from pursuing their dream.

At least you are guaranteed a paid internship, that's better than most other industries.

[LeviLamp]

Stepping away from the serious topic of future careers, Rick Wetherbee's voice at 1.5x speed is absolutely hilarious.

[Russ]

At least you are guaranteed a paid internship, that's better than most other industries.

I don't really find this to be the best point (especially not for the internationals/domestic spots that aren't guaranteed). I find that a lot of people like to point to other competitive industries as examples of where graduates need to fight for X places without really appreciating the differences. The government deliberately increased the amount of medical school places specifically because there was (is) a shortage of doctors, so it's not about the best candidates being chosen - it's about increasing the number overall to actually address the problem. It was oversight on their part 10 years ago and it's only just being appreciated now that numbers have increased so significantly.

[MelonBar]

Afaik internships aren't given based on merit so it doesn't matter how good your CV is.

How are they given out? Wut can I do as undergrad student to be best considered for internship some years later?

[Hehetymen]

How are they given out? Wut can I do as undergrad student to be best considered for internship some years later?

Afaik it's given out based on a lottery (or something similar) so it's just chance. CSP students atm are guaranteed an internship in whatever state they did their med degree in. International students do not have guaranteed internship as there is a shortage of places. If you do your degree in say WA and wanna do your internship in Vic then your internship is not guaranteed and you're in the same place as internationals. Due to the increasing number of graduates this will probably start affecting domestic students in a few years.

[Russ]

Oh I missed that. States allocate internships differently, some do it with a ballot and some don't (there are merits to both systems). Victoria doesn't, so your marks and CV are taken into consideration