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JCU JCU Medicine: General Entry Discussion

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Perhaps a combined med & dent total of 4500?
I’m wondering if the 700-800 interviews is just for med and there is a separate number for dent or if that number is med only. Any ideas?
There are no Dent interviews. It’s Med only. Though I’m actually not sure about Vet.
 

IttyKitty

Member
It’s for Med, JCU Dent don’t hold interviews 😊

Does anybody know if JCU/ or QTAC still determine rurality on the RA model or have they moved to the modified Monash model which took over the RA model in 2019?
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Does anybody know if JCU/ or QTAC still determine rurality on the RA model or have they moved to the modified Monash model which took over the RA model in 2019?
I don’t believe they use a specific model, rather they make a determination of your likely rural focus based on your background, but this has never really been confirmed, more just widely assumed. There’s definitely been conversations about this previously. You might find something with some strategic key word searching.
 

IttyKitty

Member
I’m curious because they ask for your schooling in the written application so I assumed they put the name of your schools into a data base or website like the Monash model and it tells you the rurality score based on that location 🤔, it’s interesting!
 

IttyKitty

Member
Thank you for that info! Is RA2 onwards considered rural for JCU or only RA3-5?

It’s interesting how for this years intake they put in the brochure
RURAL AND REMOTE RESIDENTS
“The College of Medicine and Dentistry is focused on meeting the needs of Northern Australia. JCU encourages applications from prospective students from a regional, rural, remote background or who have a passion for working in these regions. JCU is committed to graduating dentists who are more likely to stay in or to return to regional, rural and remote communities where they received their training”
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
Thank you for that info! Is RA2 onwards considered rural for JCU or only RA3-5?
I heard from JCU-veteran Benjamin applicants are given a Rurality index based on assessments of their schooling, written application & interview. This index is then multiplied with ATAR/GPA thus skews offers towards higher Rurality.

However how JCU determines each applicant's index is not necessarily tied to the RA classifications. The RA1 vs RA2-5 ratios shown above were the *outcome* of this index, JCU doesn't delineate rural vs non-rural to have preset quotas/ratios for them.

EtA: What I meant above is for most schools you are either rural or non-rural, 4.5yr RA2 is as good as non-rural and a 5.5yr RA2 is as good as 15yr RA4. For JCU it's a gradual scale rather than a yes/no delineation.
 

IttyKitty

Member
I heard from JCU-veteran Benjamin applicants are given a Rurality index based on assessments of their schooling, written application & interview. This index is then multiplied with ATAR/GPA thus skews offers towards higher Rurality.

However how JCU determines each applicant's index is not necessarily tied to the RA classifications. The RA1 vs RA2-5 ratios shown above were the *outcome* of this index, JCU doesn't delineate rural vs non-rural to have preset quotas/ratios for them.

EtA: What I meant above is for most schools you are either rural or non-rural, 4.5yr RA2 is as good as non-rural and a 5.5yr RA2 is as good as 15yr RA4. For JCU it's a gradual scale rather than a yes/no delineation.
Thank you! 😊
 

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StevenStrange

JCU MBBS3
Dear All, I have just completed my second year at JCU med and just wanted to let anyone with any questions about application, interviews, the actual course, accommodation etc feel free to pm me or reply to this message. I am currently on rural placement so should see your messages by the end of the day but have a good amount of time free to answer questions. I wish all those taking interviews all the best.

Regards
Steven

Edit: When applying I was interstate (NSW) non-rural
 

DrDrLMG!

Resident Medical Officer
Administrator
Thanks, StevenStrange, that’s great if you!
For those with questions to ask, it would be even more great if you could please post them here so they can be viewed by all (and save a Steven from having to answer the same questions repeatedly).
 
Does anyone recommend any interview prep in terms of what to do ?

Dear All, I have just completed my second year at JCU med and just wanted to let anyone with any questions about application, interviews, the actual course, accommodation etc feel free to pm me or reply to this message. I am currently on rural placement so should see your messages by the end of the day but have a good amount of time free to answer questions. I wish all those taking interviews all the best.

Regards
Steven

Edit: When applying I was interstate (NSW) non-rural
Hi Steven, would love to know your experience and what you think I the best thing to focus on? Finding it difficult to prepare as im unsure what to expect. Any advice would be appreciated :)
 

StevenStrange

JCU MBBS3
Hi SleepyHallows

Preparation: I presume this is mainly about my interview experience and preparation. I found the most useful preparation was Benjamin's thread on past interview questions on this forum. Nearly all the questions I was asked were identical to the ones on the thread. I suggest going through every single one with a family member and work on building a 'strong' response. Nerves will always be a factor, but trust me, if you go through all those questions, you will be very well prepared.

For me personally, I liked the technique of 'building stories' - I wrote down and thought about all the extracurricular and leadership experiences I had. I extracted the qualities I had learnt or shown through those experiences or activities and used these to answer the questions I was posed. I believe the interview is very much around showing what you have learnt and the skills you have that you can apply to medicine.

The one question you will always be asked is why you want to be a doctor - so make sure that you really dig inside of yourself to find the experiences and values that shape your answer.

My actual interview experience: My interview was on the 10th of December 2019. I generally recommend flying/driving/train day before to avoid additional stress on the morning of. My father and I booked a hotel in the CBD, but the actual university on the outskirts of Townsville, so we drove to the campus on the day before as well so we knew the route. The next day, I was very nervous and had a light breakfast. I arrived at the building at the appropriate time and was guided into a waiting room with other nervous students and 2 current medical students. They helped calm us down, did some icebreaker games and helped us settle in which was nice. My actual interview was a 3 person panel of 1 GP, 1 academic (I think), and 1 community person. I believe panel members are told to remain impassive and I certainly found mine to be except the community member who was quite encouraging. The actual interview was a relaxed formal environment but obviously was still a bit nervous. They ask a mixture of general questions and some situation type questions. The interview was over sooner than I knew and I left a bit nervous but mostly relieved.

Accomodation & JCU tours:
I toured JCU, Unihall and John Flynn all of which have positives and benefits that can be discussed in another post (reply if you want this info)
Ironically I ended up at Saints, the one accommodation provider I didn't tour. I recommend taking all the tours to get a feel for each place to make the best informed decision about accommodation if your are offered a place.

I hope this answers your question, sorry for the delay had a busy few days in the ED :)

Regards
Steven
 
Dear All, I have just completed my second year at JCU med and just wanted to let anyone with any questions about application, interviews, the actual course, accommodation etc feel free to pm me or reply to this message. I am currently on rural placement so should see your messages by the end of the day but have a good amount of time free to answer questions. I wish all those taking interviews all the best.

Regards
Steven

Edit: When applying I was interstate (NSW) non-rural
Hi Stevenstrange,
I was wondering whether the interviewers give us dedicated time to formulate a response for the debating section, or are we expected to pretty much jump straight in? Also, do they show us a list of the topics, or say them verbally?
Thanks for your insights :)
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Hi Stevenstrange,
I was wondering whether the interviewers give us dedicated time to formulate a response for the debating section, or are we expected to pretty much jump straight in? Also, do they show us a list of the topics, or say them verbally?
Thanks for your insights :)
You're given thinking time, yes.
 

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dotwingz

Google Enthusiast
Moderator
That's not what full time means but yes :p

 

StevenStrange

JCU MBBS3
the MBBS course is full-time at JCU, so does that mean it's 5 days a week?
Full time just means taking the standard courseload per semester - the MBBS programs is set up so all the subjects are pre-chosen (except the third year elective) and subject in each year are chained (i.e. you fail the year, not the semester).

A full courseload in the MBBS program equates to about 20hrs of timetable classes, with the expectation that an additional 20hrs of study occurs outside hours (in reality this is not the case for many students in preclinical years).

My typical year 2 timetable looked like: 24.5hrs +/- 2hrs
Monday = 5hrs
1 x GLS = 3hrs
2 x SS = 2hrs

Tuesday = 4hrs
2 x SS = 2 hrs
1 x Int = 2hrs

Wednesday = 4.5hrs
3 x lectures = 3hrs
1 x CS session = 1.5hrs

Thursday = 5hrs
1x Lecture = 1hr
1x GLS = 3hrs
1x HG = 1hrs

Friday = 6hrs
2 x GLS = 6hrs

GLS = guided learning sessions, big group driven questions on content
SS = synthesise session - summarise and extend the week's content
HG = homegroup - weekly debrief and activities in small groups
Int = integrative session - info the crosses between different subjects on a particular content area
CS = Clinical skills - learn actual physical examinations and techniques required to practice as a doctor
 

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