Questions to ask Australian & Oceania Medical Schools?

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Clarus

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What are some questions that I should be asking Australian & Oceania Medical Schools if I am applying as a US Citizen (who wishes to come back to the US for residency) ?

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What are some questions that I should be asking Australian & Oceania Medical Schools if I am applying as a US Citizen (who wishes to come back to the US for residency) ?
You could ask for stuff like if and what kind of help they provide for the USMLEs since some Aussie schools actually advertise this fact (not that Aussie med schools have an absolute obligation to provide it), where students go for electives since you'll likely need that for USCE and LORs, a match list after med school, not just for the US but also for internships for international students in Australia in case things change for you and you stay in Australia for whatever reason, etc.
 
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What % of initially enrolled students matched in the prior years? Make sure to mention the bolded.
What is the attrition rate? How many students get held back a year?
Wait times between rotations?
How does the school help if you don't match?
Approximately how much does the tuition increase by every year?
 
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Copied from another poster with edition:
What % of initially enrolled students matched in the prior years? Make sure to mention the bolded.
What is the attrition rate? How many students get held back a year?
Wait times between rotations?
How does the school help if you don't match?
Approximately how much does the tuition increase by every year?

The bolded is key. Many overseas students start off hoping to match back home. Doesn't happen. The get sucked into staying or potentially not having a job. (Though staying can be pretty nice, to be honest.) The match stats usually only reflect those who worked their butts off to do well on Step 1, secure overseas rotations, rock those rotations, get LoRs, do well on Step 2CK, pass Step 2CS, etc. Every hurdle drops another few students from even considering the Match, so you get a very self-selected pool applying. If only 60% of those students match... well, that's a problem.
 
I don't know where the 60% comes from, but it doesn't ring true. First, as far as I know there are still no reliable stats indicating how many of those from Australia who have wanted to match in the US have matched in the end, given that options and opportunities change/mould desire and thus the outcome. Few if any end up "not having a job" -- some return early on as students when they get into a N. American med school, virtually all others graduate. Of those that graduate, at least until last year virtually all who have wanted to stay in Australia have been able to (several states' Health depts routinely reporting not knowing of any grads who wanted an internship job not getting one, for example). Some unkown percent of these are those whose first preference was to do internship here (it is not uncommon to finish internship here and then do residency in N. America) versus those whose first preference was to return 'home' (while many have started internship here only to bail when they get a residency spot home). In other words, those who didn't match back home (many months after internship starts here) almost universally have had the opportunity to stay in Australia.

I am not saying that this will continue to be the case, or that the prospects won't get worse (it may, depending on state, but then again, the number of grads has peaked, and the CMI program continues, and the politics of int'l student money is such that states are pressured to take their grads). The one caveat here is that I don't know what happened this past year aside from anecdote, as I haven't seen any aggregated data from last year.
 
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I don't know where the 60% comes from, but it doesn't ring true. First, as far as I know there are still no reliable stats indicating how many of those from Australia who have wanted to match in the US have matched in the end, given that options and opportunities change/mould desire and thus the outcome. Few if any end up "not having a job" -- some return early on as students when they get into a N. American med school, virtually all others graduate. Of those that graduate, at least until last year virtually all who have wanted to stay in Australia have been able to (several states' Health depts routinely reporting not knowing of any grads who wanted an internship job not getting one, for example). Some unkown percent of these are those whose first preference was to do internship here (it is not uncommon to finish internship here and then do residency in N. America) versus those whose first preference was to return 'home' (while many have started internship here only to bail when they get a residency spot home). In other words, those who didn't match back home (many months after internship starts here) almost universally have had the opportunity to stay in Australia.

I am not saying that this will continue to be the case, or that the prospects won't get worse (it may, depending on state, but then again, the number of grads has peaked, and the CMI program continues, and the politics of int'l student money is such that states are pressured to take their grads). The one caveat here is that I don't know what happened this past year aside from anecdote, as I haven't seen any aggregated data from last year.

Sorry @pitman, it was only meant as an illustrative example (if only X). I just want to emphasis, anecdotally, everyone who wanted a job from my school got a job. It's really not the doom and gloom that people make it out to be (as I've pointed out in my past posts). The tsunami crested, and Australia stepped up to the plate with the CMI in typically pragmatic Aussie fashion.

However, few who wanted to return initially actually ended up returning. Lots of reasons why. Not least of all was the fact that Australia is actually a pretty nice place to practice medicine. But also because of the hurdles I mentioned.
 
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Agreed. Cheers.
 
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Hey guys, I asked this in a different thread as well but is there evidence that the CMI program will be extended past 2018? I haven't been able to find anything that says it will be funded past the initial four years, so I'd be thrilled to hear otherwise.
 
What exactly is a CMI program and what is the benefit of that?
 
Hey guys, I asked this in a different thread as well but is there evidence that the CMI program will be extended past 2018? I haven't been able to find anything that says it will be funded past the initial four years, so I'd be thrilled to hear otherwise.
The extent of the evidence is the political pressure to maintain a program that from all measures is succeeding at doing what it was intended for (in part, shutting up the groups who lobbied for it). The program began in 2013 (for 2014 internship) as a trial, with federal funding reaffirmed the next year at COAG for ?4 after that (budget outlooks and thus commitments are typically for four years). I wouldn't imagine COAG to return to the topic until the last year of promised funding, unless pressured by, say, the AMA and AMSA to give prospective students reassurance (but past behaviour of state Health depts., and CMI itself, suggests that nothing will be done until the last minute, when the potential of losing int'l student $ and hordes of junior docs is back in the media as part of a scare campaign like that seen in the lead-up to CMI).

In other words, no, there is no assurance this will be around when current applicants graduate, but a betting man would put favourable odds on it.
 
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The extent of the evidence is the political pressure to maintain a program that from all measures is succeeding at doing what it was intended for (in part, shutting up the groups who lobbied for it). The program began in 2013 (for 2014 internship) as a trial, with federal funding reaffirmed the next year at COAG for ?4 after that (budget outlooks and thus commitments are typically for four years). I wouldn't imagine COAG to return to the topic until the last year of promised funding, unless pressured by, say, the AMA and AMSA to give prospective students reassurance (but past behaviour of state Health depts., and CMI itself, suggests that nothing will be done until the last minute, when the potential of losing int'l student $ and hordes of junior docs is back in the media as part of a scare campaign like that seen in the lead-up to CMI).

In other words, no, there's no assurance this will be around when current applicants graduate, but a betting man would put favourable odds on it.

Spot on. It's a good deal for the private hospitals (who get cheap labour). It's a good deal for the medical schools (who continue to entice lucrative international students). It's arguably a good deal for Australia (who get to keep Australian-trained doctors in Australia). And all the medical groups are in favour. Nobody can say with certainty--like with anything when you go overseas--but there's a strong case to keep things going.
 
So there's a trend that suggests that a program such as the CMI will be continued. That's good to hear. Thanks for the insight!
 
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