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Mature Student Medicine Entry Questions

frost12

Lurker
I'm a 24 year old New Zealander who has completed a first-class Bachelor of Arts degree in London- so internationally. Before moving to London I started part of a degree in Wellington at Victoria Unviersity so this won't be my first foray into tertiary education within NZ...
I'm pretty sure this excludes me from applying for graduate entry as degrees taken abroad must be in the sciences to qualify?
So, I'm trying to figure out if FY BSc/BHSc at Auckland or HSFY at Otago is a viable option for me. I've read somewhere that HSFY can only be taken at Otago if it's your first tertiary course so does this exclude me full stop from Otago?

Medicine is a career that I previously hadn't considered but after a lot of thought and a discovering of new passions etc it has become my goal to go through medical school. As a result of my previous career path I have close to no Biology/Chemistry or Physics under my belt. I understand that this is going to make the first year considerably harder- are there any courses/books etc that you would reccomend before starting to even the playing field somewhat?

If anyone else has changed paths later in life to medicine, I'd love to hear how you tackled it.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Thanks so much!
 

Kiwiology

MSO Lawyer
Hi there,

Auckland would require you to complete a minimum of one-year post-graduate study in New Zealand, however, in practical reality, they might ask for two (e.g. some combination of PGCerts/PGDips or a Masters)

I don't know about Otago, best to ask them directly, however, yes, they seem to be more strict. I was not allowed to do HSFY because a) I have a degree, and b) it included like one general anatomy and physiology paper from years ago, so I was considered to have an "advantage" over other students.

Have you considered studying medicine in the UK? The UK medical programs appear to be somewhat kinder to mature applicants and the UK is recognised as a comparable nation for registration in New Zealand meaning you do not have to sit NZREX. Having said that, you may have to complete at least one, or both, years of being a Foundation Doctor (essentially our House Surgeon and SHO years) before you can work here, I am not sure. You could also consider Australia.

Hope that helps.
 

frost12

Lurker
Thanks for getting back to me!

I've contacted Otago and awaiting a response- forgetting graduate entry do you think the FY route (BHSc/BSc) in Auckland would still be open to me?

Definitely considered the UK medical programmes, however a lack of A-levels is proving a thorn in my side so I would have to spend quite a long time studying AS level Chem and Bio followed by A levels in them to apply for the majority of places here.
I'm right in saying that Australia offers a large amount of Commonwealth Supported Places but we don't have access to loans there?
Sorry if some of this has been extensively covered in other forums!
 

travellingspaceman

Regular Member
There is the possibility of the "other" pathway at Otago - A few people in med did their degrees overseas so they had to enter through this category. Otago is pretty on to it with regards to answering questions.

I think you'd be fine doing the first year at Auckland. My degree isn't from Auckland uni but they said that if I wanted to get into Med I'd have to do their first year even though I just finished a biomedical degree.
 

Facebook

Regular Member
You wouldn't be able to enrol in HSFY because you've already spend time in tertiary education. You could do another degree in... say anatomy, and still sit the seven health sciences papers. Then, after 3-4 years you could apply as a graduate.

As noted above, you could apply to the Alternative category, based on meeting the criteria "have completed a degree at an overseas university at a standard of at least NZQF Level 7". (http://www.otago.ac.nz/courses/qualifications/mbchb.html).

Look at this thread for further information about this entry path and applicant profiles to find out if you are likely to be successful if you go down this avenue (keeping in mind that you can only apply once per category).
 

Eddy1993

Member
Thanks for getting back to me!

I've contacted Otago and awaiting a response- forgetting graduate entry do you think the FY route (BHSc/BSc) in Auckland would still be open to me?

Definitely considered the UK medical programmes, however a lack of A-levels is proving a thorn in my side so I would have to spend quite a long time studying AS level Chem and Bio followed by A levels in them to apply for the majority of places here.
I'm right in saying that Australia offers a large amount of Commonwealth Supported Places but we don't have access to loans there?
Sorry if some of this has been extensively covered in other forums!
Hey, Just wondering... Did you manage to get into Auckland's 1st year Health Science or Biomed?
 

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