Becoming a Doctor in Australia
Many people dream of becoming a doctor, often inspired by a desire to help others or maybe by shows like House or ER.
The process of becoming a doctor is not easy and will vary from country to country.
Step 1: Get into Uni In Australia and the UK most medicine courses are at the graduate level, meaning that you first have to have a Bachelor level university degree.
It doesn't matter what area your undergraduate degree is in - it could be an arts degree majoring in creative writing or it could be a bio-medical science degree.
It is worth noting though, that those with a science background tend to find it easier when it coms to learning areas such as physiology and biochemistry that will be art of any medical degree.
Your grade point average for your undergraduate degree will be important when it comes to getting into med school.
In Australia, the minimum grade point average is that of a credit or a 5 (out of a 7 point scale).
In Australia, those eager to get into medicine as soon as possible have the option, to take a six year undergraduate medical instead of the graduate path.
This means eager students can save a year instead of having to do two separate degrees 7 or more years before they qualify as a doctor.
This option is open to students graduating year 12 of high school who have achieved sufficiently high academic results in their final year.
step 2: GAMSAT The next hurdle for would-be doctors is the medical schools admissions exam.
For high-schoolers who want to do undergraduate medicine, there is the UMAT (Undergraduate Medical Admissions Test).
The UMAT does not require any particular theoretical knowledge as resembles an IQ test and is designed to test critical reasoning.
Hopefuls with a Bachelor's Degree in Australia or the UK take the GAMSAT (Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test).
The GAMSAT exam takes a whole day to complete and is divided into 3 parts: humanities and sociology, written communication, and biological and physical sciences.
The GAMSAT tests reasoning in these areas as opposed to testing subject knowledge, although it is strongly advisable that students have a good understanding of biology, physics and chemistry (organic and inorganic).
step 3: Apply to Med School GAMSAT results take approximately 8 weeks to be released.
Students will receive a score out of 100 indicating their performance.
Results follow a bell curve with a score of 50 considered a pass and a score of 70 or higher considered exceptional.
When students have received their GAMSAT or UMAT result they then apply to medical school online via ACER (Australian Council for Education Research).
ACER handles all candidates application to the various medical schools.
The med schools then offer selected students interviews based on the criteria of GAMSAT (or UMAT) result and their grade point average.
It should be noted that some medical schools no longer interview, instead using GAMSAT scores to rank candidates.
step 4: Go to Med School Successful candidates then start med school and about 4 years later are qualified as doctors.
Next graduate doctors complete a year's supervised internship at a hospital.
After that Doctor's may take a residency in order to specialise.
The process of becoming a doctor is not easy and will vary from country to country.
Step 1: Get into Uni In Australia and the UK most medicine courses are at the graduate level, meaning that you first have to have a Bachelor level university degree.
It doesn't matter what area your undergraduate degree is in - it could be an arts degree majoring in creative writing or it could be a bio-medical science degree.
It is worth noting though, that those with a science background tend to find it easier when it coms to learning areas such as physiology and biochemistry that will be art of any medical degree.
Your grade point average for your undergraduate degree will be important when it comes to getting into med school.
In Australia, the minimum grade point average is that of a credit or a 5 (out of a 7 point scale).
In Australia, those eager to get into medicine as soon as possible have the option, to take a six year undergraduate medical instead of the graduate path.
This means eager students can save a year instead of having to do two separate degrees 7 or more years before they qualify as a doctor.
This option is open to students graduating year 12 of high school who have achieved sufficiently high academic results in their final year.
step 2: GAMSAT The next hurdle for would-be doctors is the medical schools admissions exam.
For high-schoolers who want to do undergraduate medicine, there is the UMAT (Undergraduate Medical Admissions Test).
The UMAT does not require any particular theoretical knowledge as resembles an IQ test and is designed to test critical reasoning.
Hopefuls with a Bachelor's Degree in Australia or the UK take the GAMSAT (Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test).
The GAMSAT exam takes a whole day to complete and is divided into 3 parts: humanities and sociology, written communication, and biological and physical sciences.
The GAMSAT tests reasoning in these areas as opposed to testing subject knowledge, although it is strongly advisable that students have a good understanding of biology, physics and chemistry (organic and inorganic).
step 3: Apply to Med School GAMSAT results take approximately 8 weeks to be released.
Students will receive a score out of 100 indicating their performance.
Results follow a bell curve with a score of 50 considered a pass and a score of 70 or higher considered exceptional.
When students have received their GAMSAT or UMAT result they then apply to medical school online via ACER (Australian Council for Education Research).
ACER handles all candidates application to the various medical schools.
The med schools then offer selected students interviews based on the criteria of GAMSAT (or UMAT) result and their grade point average.
It should be noted that some medical schools no longer interview, instead using GAMSAT scores to rank candidates.
step 4: Go to Med School Successful candidates then start med school and about 4 years later are qualified as doctors.
Next graduate doctors complete a year's supervised internship at a hospital.
After that Doctor's may take a residency in order to specialise.
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