funding for aus med school, work hours for a physician in aus?

[3Xhelix]

Hello,

i was wondering if some people who had been to medical school in australia would mind sharing some details as far as funding goes.

Were you able to take out US student loans (assuming you are a US citizen?)

if not, how did you pay for school, living, etc?

I am aware of immigratin restrictions, etc, but do you have any idea what the average workweek is like for a physician in australia compared to a physician in the US?

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

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[Winged Scapula]

Hello,

i was wondering if some people who had been to medical school in australia would mind sharing some details as far as funding goes.

Were you able to take out US student loans (assuming you are a US citizen?)

if not, how did you pay for school, living, etc?

I am aware of immigratin restrictions, etc, but do you have any idea what the average workweek is like for a physician in australia compared to a physician in the US?

Any info is appreciated.

Thanks

Yes, most of us took out US student government loans and private loans to fund our education.

TRhe pay for physicians in Australia is lower than in the US but they work less hours; I couldn't say what the current average was, but when I was there (many years ago) it was around $100,000 AUD per year. (with the chance to make up to $400,00 in rural places as a GP or specialist).

 

[3Xhelix]

Yes, most of us took out US student government loans and private loans to fund our education.

TRhe pay for physicians in Australia is lower than in the US but they work less hours; I couldn't say what the current average was, but when I was there (many years ago) it was around $100,000 AUD per year. (with the chance to make up to $400,00 in rural places as a GP or specialist).

Thanks a lot Kimberli.

Do you remember if the workweek (as far as hours) was substantially less than the US? I value your insights since you have presumably experienced both countries firsthand.

Thanks

 

[DrIng]

There are a few caveats to the 'pay is less' statement- pay in residency is much more- average working hours are probably around 45-50 hours but can go up to around 70 (never seen higher than that) and you get paid for a 40 hour week and get overtime for hours over that (to give you an idea I earned about A$70,000 as an intern for an average of around 50 hours.)
But once 'qualified' as a specialist you earn less.... but medicolegal stuff is less and there's a lot less administrative hassles in a socialised health care system.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thanks a lot Kimberli.

Do you remember if the workweek (as far as hours) was substantially less than the US? I value your insights since you have presumably experienced both countries firsthand.

Thanks

As noted above by DrIng, the hours are less. Most consultants and residents don't work more than 54 hrs per week; I believe there has been priposed a restriction on House Officers working more than 54 hrs per week. There are no such restrictions for Consultants and those in rural areas may work more than the average, just as in the US.

There is generally not a push to get things done as rapidly as there is in the US; nor are things are readily available (in some communities) in the US. For example, here I (and most physicians) would have no second thoughts about calling CT and pushing them to scan my patient ASAP because they are in my office and I want to save them another trip. In Oz you would be looked askance at (ie, the "pushy American") if you tried to get the work done faster. It just isn't done that way, especially if the patient doesn't have any private insurance on top of the national health scheme.

When I trained there, while it was true that you got overtime as a resident, many residents were discouraged from doing so, due to departmental funding. You were expected to come in and leave on time and get the work done, or leave it to the next day. This was very frustrating for me, beccause I saw things held over until the next day because of the desire to "finish" on time.
The salary has gone up, equivalent to about $57,000 USD now (assuming $70,000 AUD per year)