Australian Med schools for American students

[kozmo1994]

Good evening
I am an American citizen who just graduated with a BS in Health sciences and I am planning to apply for med schools in Australia. I want to live in Australia after graduating so I am not really concerned about practicing in the US. Med schools in the US are really expensive and financial-aid is not really helpful. My question is, can I attend Australian med schools and get loans? I know I will never be eligible for financial aid since I am not an Australian citizen
-I am 22 years American citizen
-Have an Excellent academic GPA (3.89 of 4.0)
-Have 502 MCAT score
-Excellent credit score to get loans.
I can't afford med school in either countries but in the US I can get loans. can I get loans in Australia or do I have to pay out of pocket.
Thanks!!

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[sean80439]

Unless you get citizenship in Australia you will be paying international tuition fees which is at least 4 times as much as domestic tuition. You can get US student loans for most med schools in Australia as well.

 

[kozmo1994]

Thank you for replying,
I got accepted in UOW and university of Monash. The tuition for both is between 64k-68k AUD so the total for 4 years is 280000$ AUD ( 184800$ USD) are those loans enough to cover the entire tuition?

 

[sean80439]

Thank you for replying,
I got accepted in UOW and university of Monash. The tuition for both is between 64k-68k AUD so the total for 4 years is 280000$ AUD ( 184800$ USD) are those loans enough to cover the entire tuition?

Yeah, you can get student loans (at least for UOW) that cover 100% of tuition + living expenses.

 

[kozmo1994]

Thank you!!!!!!
-One more question if you don't mind, is there a way to become a permanent resident in Australia while studying? and if not how hard it will be to stay in Australia after graduation?

 

[Domperidone]

It is getting increasingly hard to become a permanent resident in Australia either during or after graduation.
Generally, either you have to have had an Australian degree before or have worked in fields that are seen as needed to Australia. I.e. are an engineer.

Google the Skills occupation list for pathways to permanent residency if you're curious. They however, updating the list. Or email an Australian migration officer (google), plenty give free advice over email for general inquiries.

Have back-up plans as you go through school. Don't only count on finding work in Australia for instance.

 

[Zifish]

It is getting increasingly hard to become a permanent resident in Australia either during or after graduation.
Generally, either you have to have had an Australian degree before or have worked in fields that are seen as needed to Australia. I.e. are an engineer.

Google the Skills occupation list for pathways to permanent residency if you're curious. They however, updating the list. Or email an Australian migration officer (google), plenty give free advice over email for general inquiries.

Have back-up plans as you go through school. Don't only count on finding work in Australia for instance.

Hi, I have a question about this. I'm applying to Australian schools for my medical education, but my wife works as a director of an American based I.T. company with an office in Australia. Is there a way through her work or career in IT that we could gain permanent residency in Australia and we could stay after medical school?

 

[Domperidone]

Hi, I have a question about this. I'm applying to Australian schools for my medical education, but my wife works as a director of an American based I.T. company with an office in Australia. Is there a way through her work or career in IT that we could gain permanent residency in Australia and we could stay after medical school?

It's beyond my expertise unfortunately. or I'd love to help.
Australia's also in such a flux right now with the recent changes to the now defunct Skills & Occupation list and removal of the 457 work VISA that had PR path for many professions. Wherever it is you're located in Australia, seek advice from a migration agent in your area. Try a couple if the first one doesn't have answers or attempts to charge you. Many offer free advice and consultations (with these ones, the fees come into play if you need their assistance with putting in an application) If there is a way for her to apply - do it asap before any further changes take place. If she is eligible for PR either now or down the track, you can be a dependent and get PR that way.

 

[kozmo1994]

It is getting increasingly hard to become a permanent resident in Australia either during or after graduation.
Generally, either you have to have had an Australian degree before or have worked in fields that are seen as needed to Australia. I.e. are an engineer.

Google the Skills occupation list for pathways to permanent residency if you're curious. They however, updating the list. Or email an Australian migration officer (google), plenty give free advice over email for general inquiries.

Have back-up plans as you go through school. Don't only count on finding work in Australia for instance.

Thank you,
with me mcat and gpa I have no problem matching into DO schools but I want to experience studying in Australia. Lets say I attend university of Monash for my first year of med school ( considering that I want to stay in Aus and get int). In case if it's really that bad for IMG's can I transfer to UQ-ochsner in the second year? ( since I would have better chances of matching in the us).
University Monash
pros: Australian training, better chance of land int in Aus especially in Victoria, cheaper tuition
cons: as an international student nothing is guaranteed, harder to land a residency in the US without US rotations, doesn't prepare you for USMLE.
UQ-ochsner
pros: US rotations, USMLE preparation,thus easier to match in the US
cons: higher tuition, not an option to stay in Australia (designed for American students)
is it possible to transfer from Monash-->Uq-ochsner ? ( in case of I change my plan after the first year at monash)
Thank you again

 

[Domperidone]

It is impossible to transfer schools within Australia.
if you want UQ Ochsner, you would have to apply now and forget Monash.
Even UQ traditional students have been rejected on applying for a transfer to that program within their own medical school.

what do you mean by "land int"?

to clarify your cons with Monash:
cons - it is not only not guaranteed, but currently, with the VISA situation (unless that changes), you won't be able to get a VISA to finish your training even if you start it in Australia. Unless you are okay with being a rural family doctor, or want to be one (it is a great career, but I realize it's not for everyone and the majority of premeds do not consider this their top choice on graduation). with current visa policy, you could work 2-5 years tops in Australia after graduation, should you be able to get a job (this is insufficient to finish training in Australia, generally speaking - don't confuse it with residency in the US). Potentially if you found a rural position, there may be the possibility of staying longer to finish 'residency' in Australia. regardless, majority of international students will end up in rural positions anyway - so you have to be comfortable with this possibility.

with regards to USMLEs preparation:
if you drop buckets of money into programs like Kaplan etc. that should prep you for USMLEs. How do you think UQO prepares their students for the USMLEs the first two year when they're in Australia? mostly it's because included in their tuition is the purchase of UWORLD, or Kaplan or whatever board prep that you can actually buy on your own. they do offer tutorials weekly, but the tutors are upperclassman (i.e. Canadians doing 3rd year rotations in Australia, who happened to take the USMLEs and score very well). You could probably purchase your own tutorial or videos with USMLE Rx or Kaplan and it wouldn't be too far off. The UQ curriculum in first and 2nd year itself does not prepare you for the USMLEs, and it's taught by Australians to all students at UQ. UQOchsner differentiates itself from the rest of UQ by 3rd and 4th year - when you do all your rotations in New Orleans. This is the key advantage - guaranteed rotations, at one base hospital in the US with staff catered to your needs onsite. Also, that base hospital, likes to hire graduates from this program.

It's not really an ideal situation right now, given the current job climate, to study in Australia for the sake of the 'experience of studying'. Also..don't confuse a professional school like medical school with say undergraduate studies, try to take this more seriously beyond the idea of adventure and fun. it matters where you go for medical school, increasingly now. For instance, if you want to stay in the USA - stick to the USA, get your training by American doctors from start to finish. This stuff actually matters. I'm confused over why you wouldn't want to go DO.. There is a stigma towards all offshore students in general with regards to matching back to North America, you're much more valued as a candidate if you're locally trained. Always. for any given Western country. It's immensely valuable if you understand the cultural norms and healthcare systems, or particular patient populations - they don't have to teach it to you or wait for you to adjust.
have you applied to US MD or DO programs?

If you want to travel for work later, you can do after residency.
you can do that during fellowship, there's many North Americans that travel to Australia for that. But given the challenges with getting residency - honestly, if you can get DO at home, do that, match into a residency you want. travel for fellowship later. what you don't want to do is get trapped into a situation where you're unhappy with the career you're left with. as the options can be limiting for offshore students, not always, but there is that possibility, and it's higher for offshore than onshore.

whatever you do, don't consider this a decision that affects just 4 years. it's the rest of your life.

edited for clarity

 

[kozmo1994]

It is impossible to transfer schools within Australia.
if you want UQ Ochsner, you would have to apply now and forget Monash.
Even UQ traditional students have been rejected on applying for a transfer to that program within their own medical school.

what do you mean by "land int"?

to clarify your cons with Monash:
cons - it is not only not guaranteed, but currently, with the VISA situation (unless that changes), you won't be able to get a VISA to finish your training even if you start it in Australia. Unless you are okay with being a rural family doctor, or want to be one (it is a great career, but I realize it's not for everyone and the majority of premeds do not consider this their top choice on graduation). with current visa policy, you could work 2-5 years tops in Australia after graduation, should you be able to get a job (this is insufficient to finish training in Australia, generally speaking - don't confuse it with residency in the US). Potentially if you found a rural position, there may be the possibility of staying longer to finish 'residency' in Australia. regardless, majority of international students will end up in rural positions anyway - so you have to be comfortable with this possibility.

with regards to USMLEs preparation:
if you drop buckets of money into programs like Kaplan etc. that should prep you for USMLEs. How do you think UQO prepares their students for the USMLEs the first two year when they're in Australia? mostly it's because included in their tuition is the purchase of UWORLD, or Kaplan or whatever board prep that you can actually buy on your own. they do offer tutorials weekly, but the tutors are upperclassman (i.e. Canadians doing 3rd year rotations in Australia, who happened to take the USMLEs and score very well). You could probably purchase your own tutorial or videos with USMLE Rx or Kaplan and it wouldn't be too far off. The UQ curriculum in first and 2nd year itself does not prepare you for the USMLEs, and it's taught by Australians to all students at UQ. UQOchsner differentiates itself from the rest of UQ by 3rd and 4th year - when you do all your rotations in New Orleans. This is the key advantage - guaranteed rotations, at one base hospital in the US with staff catered to your needs onsite. Also, that base hospital, likes to hire graduates from this program.

It's not really an ideal situation right now, given the current job climate, to study in Australia for the sake of the 'experience of studying'. Also..don't confuse a professional school like medical school with say undergraduate studies, try to take this more seriously beyond the idea of adventure and fun. it matters where you go for medical school, increasingly now. For instance, if you want to stay in the USA - stick to the USA, get your training by American doctors from start to finish. This stuff actually matters. I'm confused over why you wouldn't want to go DO.. There is a stigma towards all offshore students in general with regards to matching back to North America, you're much more valued as a candidate if you're locally trained. Always. for any given Western country. It's immensely valuable if you understand the cultural norms and healthcare systems, or particular patient populations - they don't have to teach it to you or wait for you to adjust.
have you applied to US MD or DO programs?

If you want to travel for work later, you can do after residency.
you can do that during fellowship, there's many North Americans that travel to Australia for that. But given the challenges with getting residency - honestly, if you can get DO at home, do that, match into a residency you want. travel for fellowship later. what you don't want to do is get trapped into a situation where you're unhappy with the career you're left with. as the options can be limiting for offshore students, not always, but there is that possibility, and it's higher for offshore than onshore.

whatever you do, don't consider this a decision that affects just 4 years. it's the rest of your life.

edited for clarity

Thank you
If you don't mind me asking are you Australian or American? Did you study medicine in australia or America? Where do you practice now ?

 

[Med201821]

Yeah, you can get student loans (at least for UOW) that cover 100% of tuition + living expenses.

Hey Sean,

Could you share where these loan options might be found. As of now the only thing I have found are atrocious loans offered by Sallie Mae.

 

[sean80439]

Hey Sean,

Could you share where these loan options might be found. As of now the only thing I have found are atrocious loans offered by Sallie Mae.

Grad plus. It's what we have. Or unsubsidized if you have any left.

 

[Med201821]

Grad plus. It's what we have. Or unsubsidized if you have any left.

Thanks Sean80439,

I have never heard of grad plus. As far as unsubsidized goes is that something everyone has available? I paid for all of my undergrad. Two years community college two years at 4 year state state school. So I never had any experience until now trying to secure a loan. I suppose that is a good thing in that I have zero debt and a bad thing in that I am totally ignorant and inexperienced in regards to the process. All I keep finding are expensive private loans. I filed for FAFSA but I was told that UOW does not deal with US financial aide.

EDIT: So I just spent an hour or so exploring the FAFSA website and UOW financial aid webpage and found a lot of information and realized despite what a few admins told me that UOW is capable of receiving aid for US students attending their school. So I filled out and sent copies of all the requisite documents such as financial aid app, Student Aid Report, and Master Promissory Note. Hopefully I will be able to secure a decent loan and avoid a high interest one or having to ask family for money. I have the first year covered but the last three I do not.

 

[sean80439]

Thanks Sean80439,

I have never heard of grad plus. As far as unsubsidized goes is that something everyone has available? I paid for all of my undergrad. Two years community college two years at 4 year state state school. So I never had any experience until now trying to secure a loan. I suppose that is a good thing in that I have zero debt and a bad thing in that I am totally ignorant and inexperienced in regards to the process. All I keep finding are expensive private loans. I filed for FAFSA but I was told that UOW does not deal with US financial aide.

EDIT: So I just spent an hour or so exploring the FAFSA website and UOW financial aid webpage and found a lot of information and realized despite what a few admins told me that UOW is capable of receiving aid for US students attending their school. So I filled out and sent copies of all the requisite documents such as financial aid app, Student Aid Report, and Master Promissory Note. Hopefully I will be able to secure a decent loan and avoid a high interest one or having to ask family for money. I have the first year covered but the last three I do not.

So one of the UOW admins posts here periodically. I forget who but it might be helpful to talk to her. Student loans have capped interest rates each year. They're not great as in mid to high single digit percentages but you're guaranteed to get them as they are backed by the US. You can refinance and consolidate the loans at a later date and currently you can get large portions discharged after a certain amount of time if you work in the US in underserved areas. That may go away though. Who knows.

 

[Med201821]

So one of the UOW admins posts here periodically. I forget who but it might be helpful to talk to her. Student loans have capped interest rates each year. They're not great as in mid to high single digit percentages but you're guaranteed to get them as they are backed by the US. You can refinance and consolidate the loans at a later date and currently you can get large portions discharged after a certain amount of time if you work in the US in underserved areas. That may go away though. Who knows.

Well I heard back and the admin I initially spoke to was correct. Here is what I was told:

"Thank you for your email enquiry regarding US financial aid loans. Unfortunately UOW is not registered to administer loans for the Graduate School of Medicine and therefore we are unable to accept your application. Your other option is to investigate a private lender in the States. We are not permitted to recommend any particular institution however I can inform you that we are a registered loan provider for Sallie Mae and I have attached the link to our webpage for this.

Private Loans

If you do choose to apply for a loan with Sallie Mae, please advise us via email and we can then proceed with enrolment certification.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact the scholarships team via the financial-aid email."

So it looks like a high interest private loan will be my only option. Or asking family. And I was feeling so optimistic yesterday. Such is life though.

 

[EP-Boi]

Thank you,
with me mcat and gpa I have no problem matching into DO schools but I want to experience studying in Australia. Lets say I attend university of Monash for my first year of med school ( considering that I want to stay in Aus and get int). In case if it's really that bad for IMG's can I transfer to UQ-ochsner in the second year? ( since I would have better chances of matching in the us).
University Monash
pros: Australian training, better chance of land int in Aus especially in Victoria, cheaper tuition
cons: as an international student nothing is guaranteed, harder to land a residency in the US without US rotations, doesn't prepare you for USMLE.
UQ-ochsner
pros: US rotations, USMLE preparation,thus easier to match in the US
cons: higher tuition, not an option to stay in Australia (designed for American students)
is it possible to transfer from Monash-->Uq-ochsner ? ( in case of I change my plan after the first year at monash)
Thank you again

Hi there I may be able to offer some help.
It is not easier to land an internship by being Australian trained. You will be just as likely to miss out on internship opportunities if things progress as it has and the government continues to fling around the responsibility of internship sponsorship between federal and state. There is most definitely no guarantee of you becoming an intern especially with how competitive places like Victoria and NSW are. You will likely be thrown to Queensland, WA or Tassie if granted a place but it's more likely that you'll just be asked to leave the country if you can't get an internship in the state you went to med sch in. This applies to all schools. The only school that kinda "guarantees" a spot for you in its home state is ANU where rumour has it a spot in ACT will be catered for its graduates but only if they do not apply anywhere else (check up on it).

I don't qualify for Monash and it isn't recognized in my home country so I haven't done much research on it but I can safely say that there should be at least a couple of weeks (4-12) that you can do international electives. This allows you to apply for clerkship in the US schools for the much needed USCE (US clinical experience) which is a huge boost during your return application as an IMG. USMLE prep is also self-catered ie: no one's going to help you do it; you're going to have to do it yourself irrespective of institution.

Going to UQ-O actually disqualifies you from getting a residency spot in the entire state of NY (which is a pretty big deal seeing how many IMG friendly residency programs are in New York), as does doing more than 12weeks of clerkship outside of the country of your medical school (UQ-O is counted as having 2 years of clerkship in the US as the med school is in Australia). If I remember correctly, there is also no additional/special time allocated for you to study for the USMLE aside from the bare standard that most other schools give. To my knowledge, the only school that actually bothers to specially cater for American (or aspiring Americans like myself) students is USyd which gives you 2 months to prep for step 1 and even allows you to postpone a year 2 module to year 4 for even more time to prepare. That's on top of having the most elective time and allowing you to do a core rotation (med, surg, etc) at an American institution which really racks up your USCE. It's pretty obvious how USyd is the way to go (if you can make it in) if you intend to return to the US.

Transferring among medical schools require extreme circumstances usually relating to ill-health of a loved one where transferring to the institution will allow you to provide better care or stuff like getting threatened, raped, discriminated against in the previous medical school. Otherwise, it is extremely unlikely that such an application will succeed. Also pretty sure that UQ-O is a special program that will not allow students in after its start date. If you're talking about traditional UQ, there might still be a faint chance but if it's UQ-O, I would say you have 0 chance.

Regarding the comparison of tuition fees, we must really remember that it's not only limited to tuition but overall living expenses. A school may cost 3k more per year but may be based in a location with significantly lower living expenses. That's the case between UQ and Monash as the former is in a relatively cheap area (Brisbane) whereas the latter is in one of the most expensive cities in Australia (Melbourne). Of course there are also oddballs like ANU where the tuition is not only the most expensive in the country @79k, the living costs in Canberra are also second only to probably Sydney. Don't get me wrong though, it is still a solid program; just that the cost of studying there is astronomically high. Remember to compare such costs in context and don't pick a school simply because it is slightly cheaper. Pick a good school because the difference in tuition fees will be laughable once you start working

 

[mcat_taker]

Hi there I may be able to offer some help.
It is not easier to land an internship by being Australian trained. You will be just as likely to miss out on internship opportunities if things progress as it has and the government continues to fling around the responsibility of internship sponsorship between federal and state. There is most definitely no guarantee of you becoming an intern especially with how competitive places like Victoria and NSW are. You will likely be thrown to Queensland, WA or Tassie if granted a place but it's more likely that you'll just be asked to leave the country if you can't get an internship in the state you went to med sch in. This applies to all schools. The only school that kinda "guarantees" a spot for you in its home state is ANU where rumour has it a spot in ACT will be catered for its graduates but only if they do not apply anywhere else (check up on it).

I don't qualify for Monash and it isn't recognized in my home country so I haven't done much research on it but I can safely say that there should be at least a couple of weeks (4-12) that you can do international electives. This allows you to apply for clerkship in the US schools for the much needed USCE (US clinical experience) which is a huge boost during your return application as an IMG. USMLE prep is also self-catered ie: no one's going to help you do it; you're going to have to do it yourself irrespective of institution.

Going to UQ-O actually disqualifies you from getting a residency spot in the entire state of NY (which is a pretty big deal seeing how many IMG friendly residency programs are in New York), as does doing more than 12weeks of clerkship outside of the country of your medical school (UQ-O is counted as having 2 years of clerkship in the US as the med school is in Australia). If I remember correctly, there is also no additional/special time allocated for you to study for the USMLE aside from the bare standard that most other schools give. To my knowledge, the only school that actually bothers to specially cater for American (or aspiring Americans like myself) students is USyd which gives you 2 months to prep for step 1 and even allows you to postpone a year 2 module to year 4 for even more time to prepare. That's on top of having the most elective time and allowing you to do a core rotation (med, surg, etc) at an American institution which really racks up your USCE. It's pretty obvious how USyd is the way to go (if you can make it in) if you intend to return to the US.

Transferring among medical schools require extreme circumstances usually relating to ill-health of a loved one where transferring to the institution will allow you to provide better care or stuff like getting threatened, raped, discriminated against in the previous medical school. Otherwise, it is extremely unlikely that such an application will succeed. Also pretty sure that UQ-O is a special program that will not allow students in after its start date. If you're talking about traditional UQ, there might still be a faint chance but if it's UQ-O, I would say you have 0 chance.

Regarding the comparison of tuition fees, we must really remember that it's not only limited to tuition but overall living expenses. A school may cost 3k more per year but may be based in a location with significantly lower living expenses. That's the case between UQ and Monash as the former is in a relatively cheap area (Brisbane) whereas the latter is in one of the most expensive cities in Australia (Melbourne). Of course there are also oddballs like ANU where the tuition is not only the most expensive in the country @79k, the living costs in Canberra are also second only to probably Sydney. Don't get me wrong though, it is still a solid program; just that the cost of studying there is astronomically high. Remember to compare such costs in context and don't pick a school simply because it is slightly cheaper. Pick a good school because the difference in tuition fees will be laughable once you start working

I have to disagree with you on many many points here. If you want to return to the U.S., UQ-O is a MUCH better option than Usyd because we get 2 years of clinical experience and all our core clerkships done in the U.S which is necessary for those LORs for residency. UQ-O also does have NY approval now so you are wrong on that front. All 50 states approved. We actually had people match in NY this year. UQ-O also comes with the benefit of being surrounded by a sizable cohort of American students who are all there to support each other in getting back to the states, this includes tutorials from older students who have sat step 1, question groups w peers, study groups etc. UQ-O also provides several expensive USMLE resources to ochsner students for free, including Becker live tutorials, Becker ebook and question bank, copies of first aid to every student, the Uworld question bank, basic science tutorials from PhDs covering specific USMLE topics, and several free practice NBME exams held on campus under test conditions to help you gauge your study progress. It's completely absurd for you to believe Sydney is a better option to return to the states.

 

[EP-Boi]

I have to disagree with you on many many points here. If you want to return to the U.S., UQ-O is a MUCH better option than Usyd because we get 2 years of clinical experience and all our core clerkships done in the U.S which is necessary for those LORs for residency. UQ-O also does have NY approval now so you are wrong on that front. All 50 states approved. We actually had people match in NY this year. UQ-O also comes with the benefit of being surrounded by a sizable cohort of American students who are all there to support each other in getting back to the states, this includes tutorials from older students who have sat step 1, question groups w peers, study groups etc. UQ-O also provides several expensive USMLE resources to ochsner students for free, including Becker live tutorials, Becker ebook and question bank, copies of first aid to every student, the Uworld question bank, basic science tutorials from PhDs covering specific USMLE topics, and several free practice NBME exams held on campus under test conditions to help you gauge your study progress. It's completely absurd for you to believe Sydney is a better option to return to the states.

Hmm. If what you say is true, then I guess I'm no longer as up to date as I thought I was; though the rest of my points still stand.

LORs however are gotten pretty easily during the elective/core rotations for any non-American med student. It isn't exclusive to the 2 year clerkship there. That's basically how most if not all IMG get their US LORs.

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

 

[mcat_taker]

Hmm. If what you say is true, then I guess I'm no longer as up to date as I thought I was; though the rest of my points still stand.

LORs however are gotten pretty easily during the elective/core rotations for any non-American med student. It isn't exclusive to the 2 year clerkship there. That's basically how most if not all IMG get their US LORs.

Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

Sure. But having 2 years and multiple rotations in the U.S. simply provides you with more opportunities for good LORs and to network further. The time itself those 2 years provides is invaluable. The more time spent in the country you want to practice the better, simply because program directors want to know how capable you are in functioning in that country's health system.

 

[DoctorS84]

Uh UQ-O is definitely the best american program in Australia....like by far. How cares about New York residencies when you're chances in Louisiana are pretty phenomenal. Have you seen there latest match rates in 2017? They're awesome, very competitive matches, with a 60/40 split and a cumulative match rate of 95%. USyd doesn't even compare...at all. UQ-O should be your TOP priority if you are an American citizen and thinking about doing med school in Australia. The 2 year experience in the American system and network in the Oschner system is key, and way more than a couple terms can get you.

While USyd does give you the option to postpone your studies by taking, basically a rotation term to study for the USMLE, nobody does it. As you'll be delayed a whole year to graduate, it's definitely not worth it. You can find time to study and should be able to do it if you're serious about matching in the states. USyd does not cater to Americans specifically, they just have some flexible arrangements for all Internationals. You can do upto 20 weeks of rotations in 3rd and 4th year outside of Australia. Upto 8 weeks of Core or Speciality rotation in your country of origin, Upto 8 weeks of Elective term anywhere and 4 weeks of PRINT term in your country of origin. Most people who are serious of going home do an average of 12 weeks. There is definitely a much higher proportion of Canadians rather than any other internationals. Of the 80 international students in my cohort, half are Canadians. About 12 Singaporeans, maybe the same amount of Americans and the rest scattered around from China, India, etc.,

Internship is not the issue anymore, you can pretty much get internship even as an IMG in NSW/Queensland. They aren't going to be CBD Sydney/Melbourne etc., they'll most likely be all in regional/rural areas but the internship is there if you want it, could be state sponsored or CMI. But the huge issue here is gaining PR after your internship. There is another thread here detailing the issue of the 457 Visa removal. But to summarize, you need PR to do most if not all specialty training in Aus. Before people just got on the 457 Visa after internship and was eligible for PR after the year of internship and was smooth sailing after that. Now you basically cannot apply for PR with that route and need a much roundabout way using other visas (ie. 485) and basically need to spend at least an extra 2-3 years at the RMO level...not gaining any more accredited training while you wait for PR to even apply for specialty training which is a huge waste of time obviously.

 

[pitman]

I don't have the definitive list in front of me but it's about half the specialties that require PR to join their college -- surgery, ophth, pathology, most GP, and some others. GP however does have some exemptions -- by joining one of the two colleges via the RVTS route (rather than through the tradtional funder, the AGPT), or by being 'sponsored' by one of (currently) three regional training providers (basically, NT or QLD programs). At any rate, the changes to the visa system haven't happened yet, and lobbying is in its early stages to try to make exemptions/changes so that int'l students can continue training in a timely manner.

I'm flabbergasted that anyone would still think that USyd is a better option to returning to the States than UQ-O.

 

[EP-Boi]

I don't have the definitive list in front of me but it's about half the specialties that require PR to join their college -- surgery, ophth, pathology, most GP, and some others. GP however does have some exemptions -- by joining one of the two colleges via the RVTS route (rather than through the tradtional funder, the AGPT), or by being 'sponsored' by one of (currently) three regional training providers (basically, NT or QLD programs). At any rate, the changes to the visa system haven't happened yet, and lobbying is in its early stages to try to make exemptions/changes so that int'l students can continue training in a timely manner.

I'm flabbergasted that anyone would still think that USyd is a better option to returning to the States than UQ-O.

It was based on the belief that UQ-O students were unable to match in NY which is a sizable chunk of IMG friendly hospitals - last I checked, that was still true. Apparently it has changed while I wasn't paying attention (I'm not a UQ-O student nor am I even eligible based on my nationality so I'm definitely not the most updated about it). If UQ-O did truly disqualify you from a match in NY and all USCE+LORs can be gotten from the elective+core rotations, then USyd would be the "best" because of the access to the NY programs even though UQ-O would grant you significantly more American exposure. That's my train of thought anyway but since I've already been proven wrong (I reviewed the match rates for UQ-O and saw NY matches), then UQ-O would be the best program in Australia for returning to the US