Medical Research?

[slothpomba]

Hey guys, i need to think about long and hard about my list of uni preferences before i submit them to VTAC. There are so many things im interested in, monash mbbs will obviously be my number 1 preference but im not sure if its the smartest idea to try get in via graduate entry and possibly be left with a science degree and no entry into graduate med.

Anyway, i like sciences but at the same time i like my humanities and such as well so im having a really hard time working out my VTAC preferences.

I was also thinking about medical research, which also very much so interests me but im not sure exactly how to go about it.

What degree would i have to undertake to be a researcher or something similar to that (like work at a university or an organisation like the walter and eliza hall institute or something akin to that.)

As far as i can see Monash has pharmaceutical science which may serve me well i guess.... or should i just take a science degree.... what after that... what postgrad options should i be looking at? I'm sure medical research isnt exclusively the domain of doctors or is it?


Also, how would the money be and what would the job prospects be? (i know this shouldn't be the sole factor for choosing any career and it isn't for me but its still important to consider)

Thanks for all the help, knowledge and insight guys and i doubt someone will be able to answer all my questions but even a little bit will help me out. Even opinions on it are welcome really.

~cheers, kingpomba

(sorry if this isnt very coherent im pretty tired, ill try fix it up later)

[Glockmeister]

In general, researchers all have PhDs, especially in the medical sciences - I've never a researcher without one.

Med research not isn't exclusively the domain for doctors.

[happyhappyland]

Hey guys, i need to think about long and hard about my list of uni preferences before i submit them to VTAC. There are so many things im interested in, monash mbbs will obviously be my number 1 preference but im not sure if its the smartest idea to try get in via graduate entry and possibly be left with a science degree and no entry into graduate med.

Anyway, i like sciences but at the same time i like my humanities and such as well so im having a really hard time working out my VTAC preferences.

I was also thinking about medical research, which also very much so interests me but im not sure exactly how to go about it.

What degree would i have to undertake to be a researcher or something similar to that (like work at a university or an organisation like the walter and eliza hall institute or something akin to that.)

As far as i can see Monash has pharmaceutical science which may serve me well i guess.... or should i just take a science degree.... what after that... what postgrad options should i be looking at? I'm sure medical research isnt exclusively the domain of doctors or is it?


Also, how would the money be and what would the job prospects be? (i know this shouldn't be the sole factor for choosing any career and it isn't for me but its still important to consider)

Thanks for all the help, knowledge and insight guys and i doubt someone will be able to answer all my questions but even a little bit will help me out. Even opinions on it are welcome really.

~cheers, kingpomba

(sorry if this isnt very coherent im pretty tired, ill try fix it up later)

Basically being a researcher is really shit. Im just taking it out there. Firstly, the pay isnt that high say for if you were to work for Melb Uni as a senior lecturer and researcher, you would probably get around 90k a year (in which by that time you will be around 40). You have to take lectures as well as do research and take honours students. You have to go find grants to fund your research, otherwise, you wont be able to research. You have to have a genuine interest in researching in your field (im guessing biology sciency stuff). Theres alot of fields in research but their all involve trying to get money and getting good students and etc. It really is getting grants to fund your research which is difficult and stressful.

If you still want to do medicine, you can
Do Melb science:
yr1  - do the umat and attempt non-standard entry
yr2 - do umat and the gamsat - attempt non standard entry
yr3 - do the gamsat if ur 2nd year was bad - go for graduate entry
if that fails
do an honours year - take the gamsat again - some unis give bonus marks for honours year
if that fails
do a Master of Science or PhD

I would consider stop attemping if you fail at honours year because it just means you arent up to the standard of a medical student anyhow.

[vexx]

For medical research you'd do a more general science degree and major in something of interest then do post-grad research/honours in that field of study, for example, i majored in neuroscience and then did a honours in neuroscience (not sure exactly about the research degrees) before getting a job working at the royal melbourne hospital's neuroscience faculty, i would work there for a few years and then apply for a PhD program while working (money is quite poor while studying apparently).
medical research does seem quite interesting, and i can imagine it being especially good once you get into it, but the job (did work experience) was not for me, some people there were saying they have been there for many years and still love what they do, but i would get bored with writing up papers and repeating experiments to find results. though, i may actually really enjoy it, if i was able to do my own research (very expensive to do).

[TrueLight]

Bachelor of science would get allow you to get a job as a researcher.. and basically they kinda push you into this pathway
biomed would also allow this

pharmaceutical science is more like drug companies and development of drugs and research in that type of area

if you do science... you do can do honours and then phd or masters

money i've heard that its not really great

0k for honours
20k/year for phd

and then after phd not sure but it won't be great i would say around 50-70k
job prospects for researcher would be good if you have the marks and motivation. highly recommended you do honours to do research so you need 70 avg in third year major. if you don't then you would probably just be technical assistant, doing all the crappy jobs like cleaning equipment and fixing them and maintenance...but yeah you gotta be proactive finding a job, talking to lab heads... taking those vacation scholarships etc..

[vexx]

Bachelor of science would get allow you to get a job as a researcher.. and basically they kinda push you into this pathway
biomed would also allow this

pharmaceutical science is more like drug companies and development of drugs and research in that type of area

if you do science... you do can do honours and then phd or masters

money i've heard that its not really great

0k for honours
20k/year for phd

and then afterwards not sure but it won't be great i would say around 40k or 50k
job prospects for researcher would be good if you have the marks and motivation. highly recommended you do honours to do research so you need 70 avg in third year major. if you don't then you would probably just be technical assistant, doing all the crappy jobs like cleaning equipment and fixing them and maintenance...but yeah you gotta be proactive finding a job, talking to lab heads... taking those vacation scholarships etc..

the people i spoke all worked for at least 5 years before applying for PhD, and a lot were trying to get scholarships as otherwise it may be difficult to even pay the bills
haha nah im sure you can survive on little amounts, just not preferable as honours graduate..

[TrueLight]

yes you can do that
the people i talked to said that after you come to the end of honours.. their supervisors would actually push them to do phd and continue to do research for them...
some do work before they do phd like my demonstrator for virology worked at pfizer and csl before her phd
yep those scholarships are 20k/yr which is crap... thats why she is a demonstrator to get more money lol desperate...
and ive heard that you should do honours after your 3 years because you if you wait until the next year it is harder for you to get into honours because then the next crop of students are trying to apply

but yeah if you want to do research you gotta enjoy what your doing and the factors that influence that is probably the lab and the environment and then your supervisor (because if you have a shit supervisor, it doesn't matter if you enjoy it you will always come in to work feeling crap) and then the topic your researching. but yeah working in research is very flexible... just as long as you get results

but yeah put medicine first and hopefully you get into that if that is what you wish

[vexx]

yes you can do that
the people i talked to said that after you come to the end of honours.. their supervisors would actually push them to do phd and continue to do research for them...
some do work before they do phd like my demonstrator for virology worked at pfizer and csl before her phd
yep those scholarships are 20k/yr which is crap... thats why she is a demonstrator to get more money lol desperate...

haha yeah that's what they were saying, some had been working for 10 years and not gotten PhD as they felt they were earning enough. they had a pretty tight social group in the research faculty and most in their 30's and had other projects, like some guy was in a band on the side. where the PhD students were struggling for money and working hard! so it's so understandable why you wouldn't want your PhD just yet;)

[TrueLight]

lol yeah phd students usually get the all the hard work! ... writing up the research papers... helping the honours student...getting your experiments to work etc...

[slothpomba]

Bachelor of science would get allow you to get a job as a researcher.. and basically they kinda push you into this pathway
biomed would also allow this

pharmaceutical science is more like drug companies and development of drugs and research in that type of area

if you do science... you do can do honours and then phd or masters

money i've heard that its not really great

0k for honours
20k/year for phd

and then afterwards not sure but it won't be great i would say around 40k or 50k
job prospects for researcher would be good if you have the marks and motivation. highly recommended you do honours to do research so you need 70 avg in third year major. if you don't then you would probably just be technical assistant, doing all the crappy jobs like cleaning equipment and fixing them and maintenance...but yeah you gotta be proactive finding a job, talking to lab heads... taking those vacation scholarships etc..

Would i be able to do something similar to pharmaceutical science if i wanted to through bachelor of science? Just making sure i've got all my bases covered for when i make up my mind later down the track.

[TrueLight]

i think they are slightly different and focus on different aspects like in pharmeutical science you do medicinal chem or formulation science ... and in pharmacology in science you do drug development, neuro and endocrine pharmacology and drugs in health and disease

look here
http://www.pharm.monash.edu.au/courses/pharmsc/index.html
http://www.med.monash.edu.au/pharmacology/research/index.html

but yeah you could apply to work for pharmaceutical companies in both degrees or work as a pharm rep

[vexx]

also, if you don't get into med, doing research is a good thing, i met a few people who missed out on med and did the same and they found they liked temporarily doing research and will apply later.
you don't alway want to jump into a career straight out of school and then never get a chance to experience something else (some do though) perhaps some variety will be good, you may find you love it more than you would ever love med and getting into med can be done later, you can have an amazing interview especially from all the life experience you've had, and having an honours behind you can be favourable too.
don't be put down by money, there's always ways to make it even it research!

[slothpomba]

i think they are slightly different and focus on different aspects like in pharmeutical science you do medicinal chem or formulation science ... and in pharmacology in science you do drug development, neuro and endocrine pharmacology and drugs in health and disease

look here
http://www.pharm.monash.edu.au/courses/pharmsc/index.html
http://www.med.monash.edu.au/pharmacology/research/index.html

but yeah you could apply to work for pharmaceutical companies in both degrees or work as a pharm rep

Yeah, i managed to find pharmacology inside the master of science and i think its inside Bsc too. Thanks for the help.

[TrueLight]

np . well hope you get into what you want. im sure you will do very well. probably atar of 90+ like 90% of vnnotes members do. lol.. so you have a good chance at medicine (and medicine mind you is very difficult too lots of work as well) and then you got the interview

[Mulan]

couldnt you go for another graduate degree if you didnt get into MD?