Pathways to Medicine?

**Sambam429** · 23 Jan 2018, 11:58 PM

Hi everyone!

I have been doing a lot of research lately and would like to become a doctor and commence my studies beginning of 2019. I will be 22 at the time and was wondering what is the best way to get into medicine?

Would my best bet be to study Biomedicine then study Medicine as a grad after completing GAMSAT?
Or is it possible for me to get into a Medicine Program such as Newcastle/Armidale joint Medicine Program?

Please note: my ATAR was only 78 or so. So I am not sure what to do to increase my chances?

Thanks

**BlueGas** · 24 Jan 2018, 5:37 AM

I don't think your ATAR matters. It's mainly about your GPA and GAMSAT results, as well as an interview + portfolio (depending on what uni) if you're successful.

**captainhelium** · 24 Jan 2018, 9:05 AM

I'm pretty sure ATAR doesn't matter at all if you're thinking of doing medicine as a postgraduate pathway.

For Melbourne Uni, the most common pathway would probably be to take a Bachelor of Biomedicine (or any other degree), get a high GPA then do well in the GAMSAT and interview to get into Medicine. Just remember that entry for Postgraduate Medicine at Melbourne Uni I think requires a prerequisite of 2nd year units on Physiology, Anatomy and Biochemistry (although I think you will cover them anyways if you do Biomedicine).

For Sydney Uni, you can similarly take any undergraduate degree and then do well in the GAMSAT and interview to get into Medicine. Only difference is that for Sydney you don't have any prerequisites I think. Also, I think you have to just meet the minimum GPA to be considered. Once you get over the GPA they only look at your GAMSAT and interview results to be given entry into Medicine.

I think the Newcastle JMP doesn't include ATAR if you commence/finish an undergraduate degree. However, I think you will need to do the UMAT which is different from the GAMSAT and if successful you participate in their MSA (like an interview) and you will given an offer to study Medicine there if you did well in it.

Anyways, hope that helped. Hopefully my information was all correct!

**Sambam429** · 24 Jan 2018, 8:20 PM

Thanks! Does anyone know if a Doctor of Medicine is covered under HECS-HELP?

**laloola** · 24 Jan 2018, 9:38 PM

^thinkso
Forr 2018, the FEE‑HELP limit is $102,392 for most students. For students undertaking medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses (as defined in the Higher Education Support Act 2003) the FEE‑HELP limit is $127,992.
http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/stud...yfees/fee-help

**Sambam429** · 24 Jan 2018, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by laloola

^thinkso
Forr 2018, the FEE‑HELP limit is $102,392 for most students. For students undertaking medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses (as defined in the Higher Education Support Act 2003) the FEE‑HELP limit is $127,992.
http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/stud...yfees/fee-help

Is FEE-HELP the same as HECS-HELP?

**Annie657** · 24 Jan 2018, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by Sambam429

Is FEE-HELP the same as HECS-HELP?

Nope! Fee help is only required for full fee places, at some unis like Notre dame or bond, otherwise all other unis are covered with hecs!

**RAY RAY 20** · 27 Jan 2018, 7:13 PM

so does that mean that undergrad and postgrad are paid for by hecs.

**A1P** · 28 Jan 2018, 2:26 AM

Originally Posted by RAY RAY 20

so does that mean that undergrad and postgrad are paid for by hecs.

For general courses, most postgrad at public unis and undergrad+postgrad at private unis are full-fee and get no subsidy from the gov. That means you incur the full tuition fees but can use FEE-HELP to pay for now (up to the 100ish-K limit) and pay it back in extra taxes when you start working.

For medicine in particular, there are a small number of full-fee places at Bond, UMelb, Notre Dame, MQ that work like above with FEE-HELP. The majority like 90% of the places, whether undergrad or postgrad, are CSP i.e. the gov subsidises approx two-thirds of the tuition fees and you incur only one-third, around 11k/year, and you can use HECS-HELP to pay for it.

So HECS means two things: you get tuition fees reduced from ~35k/year to 11k/year, and it provides a loan to cover this 11k/year until you start earning.

**Kat92** · 2 Feb 2018, 2:01 PM

Originally Posted by Sambam429

Hi everyone!

I have been doing a lot of research lately and would like to become a doctor and commence my studies beginning of 2019. I will be 22 at the time and was wondering what is the best way to get into medicine?

Would my best bet be to study Biomedicine then study Medicine as a grad after completing GAMSAT?
Or is it possible for me to get into a Medicine Program such as Newcastle/Armidale joint Medicine Program?

Please note: my ATAR was only 78 or so. So I am not sure what to do to increase my chances?

Thanks

You can study any degree for entry into JMP Med so long as you get better than a pass grade avergae GPA or above (for completed studies) or GPA of 4.7- close to a credit grade average or above (for incomplete studies). Plus, it wouldn't be GAMSAT it would be the UMAT that you undertake as it is an Undergraduate program. They also take into consideration performance in PQA, MSA.

As for your third question yes the course is covered by HECS-HELP.

You may want to look at: https://www.newcastle.edu.au/joint-m...ic-eligibility

**R_Childs** · 4 Feb 2018, 4:36 PM

Biomedicine might not be the best option. Whatever undergraduate degree you study doesn’t make a difference to the entrance process to medicine. Do a degree that will give you a definite carreer in an area you are interested in. If you want to do medicine, a degree like nursing or paramedicine might be better, in that even if you don’t gain entrance to medicine, you will still be working in the health industry.