Graduate Entry Medicine: General Questions and Discussion

[Crow]

I've worked for a health service that hires a number of IMGs who have completed "internship" in their home countries into PGY2 RMO roles (the service had a big shortage in junior doctors, but not interns), but they are then essentially treated like interns - only directly supervised practice, no rural rotations, no overnight ward call etc. They are mandated to do medicine, emergency and surgery rotations just as our domestic interns are despite completion of internship in their home country. The main difference between them and domestic interns is that they are paid slightly better and have different assessment processes. I believe a number of these (?all) were under the WBA program for accreditation.

 

[A1]

I've worked for a health service who hires a number of IMGs who have completed "internship" in their home countries into PGY2 RMO roles

This^ also depends on which country they did their degree & internship.

Post-intern docs from four countries UK, Ireland, US, Canada go through the Competent-Authority pathway rather than Standard. AMC gives them the same recognition as for post-intern Aus junior docs.

 

[Crow]

This^ also depends on which country they did their degree & internship.

Post-intern docs from four countries UK, Ireland, US, Canada go through the Competent-Authority pathway rather than Standard. AMC gives them the same recognition as for post-intern Aus junior docs.

That's true. The IMGs I refer to were not from any of those countries, and were all via the standard pathway.

Were their internships the uni final year, or a "proper" year after completing uni?

I didn't investigate/ask that far, sorry! I was under the impression they were postgraduate internships, but I couldn't be certain.

 

[DS17]

First thing first, you can't work a junior doc job in Aus until you obtain AHPRA *general* registration.
To get the general registration ...
__________
In the Aus system internship is the 1st year (on full pay as Health Dept's employee) *after* you complete the med degree.
Not 100% sure but I don't think a final-year internship, like in NZ, would be accepted as equivalent.

IOW despite completing such "internship" you'd then start in Aus as postgrad-year PGY1 not PGY2, I think.

Have a good read of the AMC Standard Pathway for overseas graduates
> https://www.amc.org.au/pathways/standard-pathway/

You first need to pass the AMC1 MCQ exam + the AMC2 Clinical exam
(the AMC2 can be replaced by a Workplace-based Assessment if you can find an employer accredited for this Assessment)

Having passed both parts you obtain an AMC Certificate allowing you to work as PGY1 Intern, or maybe PGY2/3 RMO if you have worked a few years overseas. This must be a 12-month supervised position by an accredited service i.e. hospitals are good but you cannot turn to any doctor friend and say you've done the 12 supervised months. After completing this you gain AHPRA general registration same as an Aus grad after their intern year.

Ahh I see…

But yeah thanks for going through the effort to type that, I really appreciate it

I’ll give the link a look and also see my options with GAMSAT

 

[Blueglacier]

I have a question. With a potential offer in medical school, I'm really grateful as it's something I've always wanted to do. I also recently graduated as an RN.
I love what doctors do but I also love what nurses do and I really enjoy reading the doctor's notes.
My problem with accepting the offer in medical school is that while I enjoy the work doctors do, I know in my heart of hearts that I don't necessarily enjoy learning about pharmacology, anatomy and physiology to the level medical students probably learn about. However, I'm not entirely intellectually satisfied from nursing either and want more detail than an RN learns. So in summary, medicine is too much and nursing is too little.
Does anyone have any advice, anything at all to help me make my decision? Should I try out medical school anyway?
I'm also 25 and have 2 degrees under my belt already and no full time employment, so I don't wanna study until 30 and then still not have money and constantly be stressed by how poor I am. The earnings of an MD is obviously significantly better than an RN but money isn't everything in life either.
Please help, any advice would help!

 

[DrDrLMG!]

I have a question. With a potential offer in medical school, I'm really grateful as it's something I've always wanted to do. I also recently graduated as an RN.
I love what doctors do but I also love what nurses do and I really enjoy reading the doctor's notes.
My problem with accepting the offer in medical school is that while I enjoy the work doctors do, I know in my heart of hearts that I don't necessarily enjoy learning about pharmacology, anatomy and physiology to the level medical students probably learn about. However, I'm not entirely intellectually satisfied from nursing either and want more detail than an RN learns. So in summary, medicine is too much and nursing is too little.
Does anyone have any advice, anything at all to help me make my decision? Should I try out medical school anyway?
I'm also 25 and have 2 degrees under my belt already and no full time employment, so I don't wanna study until 30 and then still not have money and constantly be stressed by how poor I am. The earnings of an MD is obviously significantly better than an RN but money isn't everything in life either.
Please help, any advice would help!

Have you looked into furthering your nursing training and the options that come with that if you wanted to extend yourself but maybe not do medicine? Nurse practitioner training, PhD opportunities, areas of nursing specialty including highly specialised roles like in NPICU or surgery or dialysis for just a few examples?

Considering the financial cost of studying full time for another 5-6 years is definitely important but you would likely be able to work in the casual pool or on a part time basis as a nurse while studying. I worked part time in allied health throughout my whole med degree.

 

[Crow]

I have a question. With a potential offer in medical school, I'm really grateful as it's something I've always wanted to do. I also recently graduated as an RN.
I love what doctors do but I also love what nurses do and I really enjoy reading the doctor's notes.
My problem with accepting the offer in medical school is that while I enjoy the work doctors do, I know in my heart of hearts that I don't necessarily enjoy learning about pharmacology, anatomy and physiology to the level medical students probably learn about. However, I'm not entirely intellectually satisfied from nursing either and want more detail than an RN learns. So in summary, medicine is too much and nursing is too little.
Does anyone have any advice, anything at all to help me make my decision? Should I try out medical school anyway?
I'm also 25 and have 2 degrees under my belt already and no full time employment, so I don't wanna study until 30 and then still not have money and constantly be stressed by how poor I am. The earnings of an MD is obviously significantly better than an RN but money isn't everything in life either.
Please help, any advice would help!

Agree with above. I think potentially the most reasonable course of action would be to start working in nursing casually while commencing your MD, see if the MD is for you or not, and if you’re enjoying your nursing work and not loving the MD, then you have a great and viable alternate career path to follow, and not too much of a sunken cost if you only did a year or so of medicine. Alternatively you might discover that it’s absolutely for you, in which case it’ll work out either way!

 

[DS17]

Hi guys,

I'm a student who took a gap year and didn't get into med. I got podiatric medicine at UWA. I'm currently weighing up doing UCAT and applying as a non-standard to unis such as JMP but at the same time I'm also considering doing GAMSAT and trying to get into UWA med.

If I do UCAT I think I'll have a higher chance of getting into med since the GPA of 4.7 is just a hurdle and the interview offer is based solely on UCAT and the final offer is based only on the interview mark alone no GPA no UCAT (Confirmed by JMP admissions a few days ago)

But if I do GAMSAT I can spend this year and next year preparing for for GAMSAT (my degree is an assured pathway, so I finish the biomedicine part in 3 years). And so if I do that I feel like I'll be very prepared to sit the GAMSAT when it comes which would allow me to stay in WA and have a better overall quality of life imo

Can someone give me some advice?

Thanks

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Hi guys,

I'm a student who took a gap year and didn't get into med. I got podiatric medicine at UWA. I'm currently weighing up doing UCAT and applying as a non-standard to unis such as JMP but at the same time I'm also considering doing GAMSAT and trying to get into UWA med.

If I do UCAT I think I'll have a higher chance of getting into med since the GPA of 4.7 is just a hurdle and the interview offer is based solely on UCAT and the final offer is based only on the interview mark alone no GPA no UCAT (Confirmed by JMP admissions a few days ago)

But if I do GAMSAT I can spend this year and next year preparing for for GAMSAT (my degree is an assured pathway, so I finish the biomedicine part in 3 years). And so if I do that I feel like I'll be very prepared to sit the GAMSAT when it comes which would allow me to stay in WA and have a better overall quality of life imo

Can someone give me some advice?

Thanks

Why not try both? You don't have to commit to one pathway at the exclusion of the other. If a move to NSW is doable, then give UCAT a go in years 1 and 2. Then GAMSAT in year 2 or 3 if you're still in the market at that stage. While the GPA hurdle for JMP is incredibly realistic, I think it's important not to get too carried away because the UCAT requirement is ever increasing. No need to limit your opportunities if the financial outlay for sitting the exams is within reach (which I assume it likely is if you are considering funding a move to the other side of the country).

 

[AspiringMedic25]

Hi All,
I just had a few questions regarding post-grad entry! I'm currently a 1st year rural student undertaking the health science pathway at ANU and i'm worried about my GPA (approx. 5.5) for the pathway option as WAM should be 75% to be considered for an offer. I want to take GAMSAT next year and I am wondering what I should be aiming for + what I should aim for GPA-wise as this is really worrying me. Thank You!

 

[A1]

Hi All,
I just had a few questions regarding post-grad entry! I'm currently a 1st year rural student undertaking the health science pathway at ANU and i'm worried about my GPA (approx. 5.5) for the pathway option as WAM should be 75% to be considered for an offer. I want to take GAMSAT next year and I am wondering what I should be aiming for + what I should aim for GPA-wise as this is really worrying me. Thank You!

Rule of thumb formula is (GPA/7 + GAMSAT/100) should be 1.62 minimum.

With say 68 GAMSAT = 90%ile you need 6.6 GPA.
With 6.0 GPA you need 76 GAMSAT = tough 98%ile.

By the way note that your GEMSAS GPA is *generally* 0.5 higher than NSW/Qld uni GPA, since GEMSAS is based on 60/70/80 for Cr/D/HD.

----
2xq says: please refer to the GEMSAS guides for more info regarding GEMSAS GPA calculations and the variations between universities on how they calculate them.

 

[fatfat100]

is there a place for GAMSAT interview invites data collection

 

[The1&Only]

is there a place for GAMSAT interview invites data collection

Yes, you can check here for more information. There is also a subreddit where you can find links to past years data collection.

 

[DavidDuffy]

Yes, you can check here for more information. There is also a subreddit where you can find links to past years data collection.

What could be the reason for rejection who is having like 7GPA and 82 GAMSAT score ?.

 

[The1&Only]

What could be the reason for rejection who is having like 7GPA and 82 GAMSAT score ?.

If they applied to a university that uses CASPER when determining interviews (Notre Dame & Wollongong) then it is possible as a score below 4th quartile significantly reduces an applicants chance at getting an interview. Also some unis have "bonus points" if you meet certain criteria like working in healthcare or volunteering at certain places so even with a high score other applicants that get more bonus points may get an interview instead.

 

[Sass#]

I'm 43 and I have a masters degree with a 6.8 GPA. I sat the UCAT and GAMSAT (sep) in 2025 and have just been offered a spot in a 6 year undergrad MBBS. My question relates to whether I can still apply for Grad entry in March if I accept the undergrad offer and complete first year of the MBBS? My reasons for this are purely logistical. I have two kids (11 and 14) and will have to move for the first two years of the undergrad. My ideal pathway is grad entry to Griffith next year. But I don't want to decline the undergrad offer as I'm obviously not guaranteed an offer to Griffith. I am rural and my overall Gamsat result was 56. I don't know what to do!!

 

[A1]

I'm 43 and I have a masters degree with a 6.8 GPA. I sat the UCAT and GAMSAT (sep) in 2025 and have just been offered a spot in a 6 year undergrad MBBS. My question relates to whether I can still apply for Grad entry in March if I accept the undergrad offer and complete first year of the MBBS? My reasons for this are purely logistical. I have two kids (11 and 14) and will have to move for the first two years of the undergrad. My ideal pathway is grad entry to Griffith next year. But I don't want to decline the undergrad offer as I'm obviously not guaranteed an offer to Griffith. I am rural and my overall Gamsat result was 56. I don't know what to do!!

I suggest your priority is to accept this MBBS offer. Then maybe consider asking them for a deferral.

Regarding GEMSAS schools > https://gemsas.edu.au/help/faq-eligibility
"Current or previous medical students can still apply through GEMSAS. However, some schools may have specific admission rules regarding previous medical study - please refer to the individual Medical Schools’ entries in the Medicine Admissions Guide for full details."

It's been a while since I last read the GEMSAS Guide in full, I don't recall seeing exclusions of current med students. If there are it'd be only a few schools.