Biomed and "Breadth" ?

[thetimeis]

Hey, i'm extremely new to this.
How do "breadth" subjects work? What is their benefits? Say if I did a bachelor of Biomedicine at Melb.Uni and did a breadth subject like Accounting, does this mean i'll be able to practise accounting at the completion of my Biomed degree (im guessing probably not), if not then does the breadth subjects actually help in ANY way?

Thanks.

[thushan]

Hey, i'm extremely new to this.
How do "breadth" subjects work? What is their benefits? Say if I did a bachelor of Biomedicine at Melb.Uni and did a breadth subject like Accounting, does this mean i'll be able to practise accounting at the completion of my Biomed degree (im guessing probably not), if not then does the breadth subjects actually help in ANY way?

Thanks.

In terms of learning the content required for a job, I don't really think so - that's what the Melbourne graduate professional courses (like Master in Accounting) are for, but the breadths help you in learning and broadening your knowledge and thinking skills that you can apply to your main degree.

[Tomw2]

does the breadth subjects actually help in ANY way?

Very subjective question, different people will reap the benefits of units outside their main discipline in different ways depending on their goals and aptitudes.
The benefits can be substantial, but  at the same time not necessarily directly related to jobs/money.

Several of my peers in grad medicine and dentistry said breadth units in humanities disciplines improved their academic writing, general prose and SII GAMSAT performance. I also met people who have changed their career aspirations completely because they discovered they were more interested in the breadth unit discipline.

The idea of breadth is largely informed by the United State's undergrad system where degrees tend to be markedly more generalist, even in science-heavy pre-med programs. 

The actual benefits of forcing people to do units outside their degree discipline as a matter of course is, in my opinion, questionable but probably positive overall.

[golden]

Depending on the person and choice it can really change your perspective on things, whether it be the world or how you approach your career etc. I would say this is a good thing, especially if you were previously too afraid to go into particular fields.