Medicine FAQ / So You Want To Be A Doctor

[Hancock]

That's actually quite interesting. This ban on FFP will change the dynamic that Monash Med and Melbourne MD currently has I reckon. I know numerous people that are turned off by the change of getting a FFP and didn't strive for Med after Year 12.

[Russ]

What dynamic are you referring to here?

And I'm not sure whether they're removing them completely or preventing other schools reintroducing them, the wording is vague

[Hancock]

I'm referring to the AMA article that pi just linked. I comprehended "Equity of access to medical education has been assured with the Federal Government recently announcing that universities with medical schools won't be allowed to enrol any domestic full fee paying students as part of any future Doctor of Medicine (MD) program." as all FF places for domestics being revoked for CSP ones.

Yeah it is a tad vague. The dynamic I'm referring to is the massive cost disparity that Year 12 leavers have to decide between. Currently Monash Med is a better deal in my opinion due to the lower years and the lower overall cost since it is a guaranteed CSP. If Melbourne's FFP get moved to CSPs I believe that students who missed out on straight med, or want to get an MD degree for other reasons will not be turned off as much since, if they get into the MD, they are guaranteed a CSP place. If a student is confident in their ability to gain access to both programs, it doesn't really become a question of monetary costs as much anymore, but more about the opportunity cost of their time.

[pi]

Update on intern crisis (2013 interns) -> http://interncrisis.org/inthenews/update-allocation-of-the-116-jobs-and-is-the-interncrisis-solved/

[Edward21]

But I don't want to go bush!

Suck it up, princess.
That said, there is a way out for people who sign a contract for a BMP, which is to pay the value of the contract to the government, rather than actually fulfilling the obligation. Myself (and some others) consider this a little unethical but it's a definite option that has been deliberately left in there by the government. If you sign an MRBS you CANNOT break it and if you do, you'll have your license to practice pulled.

This is actually the funniest thing I have ever read on AN 

[Russ]

Cleaned a few things up, added a couple of things etc.

[pi]

Interesting read this http://www.premedlife.com/1/post/2013/06/going-deep-getting-past-im-good-at-science-and-i-want-to-help-people.html

[Stick]

What an awesome read. Thanks for the link. I think it has further reaffirmed that heading up the Biomedicine pathway and really exploring the whole area more before I make any (potentially close-minded) decisions. The more I think about it, the more I think I want to head into biological research than medicine anyway.

[pi]

Worth reading

http://mrigankwarrier.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/to-being-doctors-to-be/

Cheers.

[spectroscopy]

With Monashs gippsland campus becoming a part of federation uni, does that mean monashs post graduate med will happen at clayton from like 2018 onwards

[pi]

With Monashs gippsland campus becoming a part of federation uni, does that mean monashs post graduate med will happen at clayton from like 2018 onwards

As far as I know, nope. Monash keeps it's medical degree there.

[excal]

It is still a Monash course - Monash is leasing the space back from Fed Uni.

Hope that helps.

[Russ]

Updated a few things. Added some questions. Put the recent data on gap fees in.

[LiquidPaperz]

Hey Guys, i was interested in doing dentistry after vce, or immunologist or just medicine in general, and i know you need to do the umat, but what is the minimum ATAR i should be aiming for/ getting to even be considered by the university? or something that would compliment my umat score.

And anyone who knows anything about these two jobs or medicine, e.g.  how many years in uni, working conditions, fun or not? that would be great.

Thanks

[Russ]

If you're still unsure about what pathway you want to go down, the best thing is probably to do some googling and read about careers/training/jobs etc. and see what appeals to you.
Other people can talk about UMAT scores and ATAR scores. I also know nothing about dentistry.

If by 'immunologist' you mean someone who does research/teaches in the field of immunology then the job is similar to a lot of other jobs in academia. You'd need to study science after high school (preferably majoring in immunology or microbiology etc.) and then do an honours year (or masters, technically) to introduce you to research. You'll ultimately need a PhD before you can really hold down a job by yourself as a researcher/lecturer/academic etc. The career progression depends a lot on what you want specifically out of your life but it's fairly flexible in terms of work/life balance, moving overseas to do postdoc work.

If you meant a doctor who has specialised in treated immunological conditions then it's basically the same story as becoming a doctor (just add a few years extra to the pathway for the sub-specialty into immunology). Medicine is also a fairly long pathway. I outlined much of it in the first post of this thread ie. the medical school -> working -> training pathway. The working conditions in medicine are worse than in research but you get the upside of more money, better job security etc.

Whether they're 'fun' is up to you. Some people would hate them, some people don't want to do anything else. You can combine the two and work as a doctor for some time before moving into immunology/academia, since there's a fair bit of overlap.