Thanks, Rayjay. I just received the letter today. OMG! It's so EXPENSIVE this year. I don't think I'll be able to afford a car anymore. 🙁 And, the tuition fee is no longer fixed for four years! It's subject to an increase of 9% inflation each year. And the tuition fee will be about $70,000 for our final year! If the MD title is not granted, I should seriously consider whether or not I should go to Flinders now. The tuition fee is killing me.
holy **** indeed! This school, finally like the rest, succumb to being too greedy. It's only selling point was that it's significantly cheaper than the next closest , UQ by 40K over 4 years prior to 2013. That difference isn't so great now. ( 10K) I'll rather go to UQ for the slightly better recognition and great lifestyle, but that's me.
The MD is approved already. No doubts about it, unless the goverment pulls a fast one on this, which is not likely, since western aus, syd are all moving to MD as well. BUT, essentially, there isn't any difference in the course. infact, in aus, the clinicans are more likely to snigger at a MD earned through coursework, since most of them earn theirs through research.
Addition info is that, well, the clinical years will see big changes . I'm rising 3rd ( if i pass my exams which just ended yesterday) and there is a shift away from specialist rotations.
About half our batch will do some sort of community based learning in our clinical years;
1. rural -> being attached to a small country hospital for your entire year and learning from GP surgeons, GP anesthetist, GP obs/gyn etc) and any visiting specialist. Typically only 1 spot per international per rural area ( about 5 areas)
2. half rural, half specialist rotation -> at a not so small hospital some 40KM from FMC , half the year specilaist rotation, half a year community based learning from GP.
3. The other half of the cohort is based at FMC and that is where the changes are going to be. In my year, they are experimenting with the so call LIFT program ( longitudinal parallel learning something) for 10 of us copied from Harvard medical school. Instead of being assigned to department for specialist rotations, u are assigned to patients and u follow their course of treatment, surgery, medical, consults etc. If there is good result in our year, from the presentation, they are saying that they will extend this program to all FMC students ( essentially doing away with specialist rotations it seems)
If u google and read around, the results in harvard is exceptionally good , but face it, there is significant difference between the quality of students at harvard and flinders as well as the level of execution between these 2 schools which are at quite extreme ends of the spectrum. They also do it for different reason at harvard ( about putting the human touch back into learning medicine, rather than , oh, that gallstone in operating theatre 5). How it goes is anyone guess,
( personally, i really like some of the community learning they have, esp the half community, half specialist rotation, but i got to work to earn my keep and hence can't relocate to somewhere 50+km from city or take up the rural program)
Just some extra info, not trying to sway your views or anything.
And something to keep in mind, so far ( but things might change), flinders is the only school that doesn't have exams in the 4th year. If you pass the 3rd year final exams, u have essentially graduated. There's a nice 3 mths block at the end of the second year called transition to clinical practice without any exams, 5 mths if u add in the holidays. All this means is that if u want to attempt the USMLEs, second year last 3-5 months is a good period to study for ur step 1 and smash it. Slog for your 3rd year, ace it, do your step 2 part 1, couple of mths after your 3 year final exams where everything is still fresh. And for forth year, u can do ur 6 mths away rotations in the US without the worry of final exams behind ur head and do ur step 2 practical while there ( only 5 examination venus in the US for ur step2 CK )
