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Internship: NSW Category 2 Applicants

Hey guys I've had a look through this forum for Information About NSW.
from what I've gathered (correct me if I'm wrong), the Most popular hospitals are pow, vinnies, RNS, concord so I shouldn't even try for them
Which decent Central Sydney hospitals are fair game for a p2 like myself?
 

chinaski

Regular Member
Which decent Central Sydney hospitals are fair game for a p2 like myself?

None of them, quite frankly. You might try for Bankstown, Hornsby, Nepean, Blacktown or Liverpool, I guess, but they are hardly central. Westmead maybe, but only due to their comparatively large intake (I would expect they would be well subscribed by first choice P1 candidates, nonetheless). And again, Westmead isn't central.

I think you have to allocate a preference for all of the networks, so I don't know if you'd be at a disadvantage if you tried your luck by preferencing the popular networks highly. In your position, however, I would be paying a bit more attention to the more regional and district networks, because you're more likely to be sent there (so it pays to do your homework about their nuances).
 
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JeremiahGreenspoon

Regular Member
It also depends what you mean by 'central'. If you mean 'in the city' then your list is about right, though I would add RPA and take off concord. If you mean just 'not rural', then Blacktown and Westmead aren't too bad for travel, they're just part of the urban sprawl that is Sydney, and about 40 minutes from the city centre by train.
Two of the interns I've spoken to at Blacktown had it as their 9th preference, so I don't know if that suggests its popularity or lack of. The preference system is baffling to me...
 

Season

Emeritus Staff
Emeritus Staff
Honestly the people who got jobs who were not in priority group 1 got placed randomly all over the state. I don't think their preferences had much bearing.

Also some got placed in popular networks in rural hospitals permanently, eg Wagga for 2 years over the mothership hospital.

In terms of unpopular Sydney hospitals though; Liverpool, Bankstown, and Nepean would be my bets, mainly though as many of priority 1 applicants got unwillingly placed there, not priority 2.
 

muxoon

Lurker
this might have been posted/asked before. but i have not been able to find any info on it.

does anybody know how the network model works in NSW specifically on choosing/negotiating your "home hospital" within the network once you have been allocated to a specific network? for example, if i were to be allocated to network 4 (liverpool, fairfield & tweed), how do you go about choosing or try to get your preferred home hospital, say liverpool and avoid being allocated to the other 2? or it is completely random/out of our control?

if we can negotiate for the home hospital within the network, are P1 given preference over the others (afterall, they will be allocated first over the interstate domestic and international NSW grads) (i am P2 btw for internship application in NSW, hence I am aware that i stand a better chance if i go under the direct regional allocation and choose a regional network as my first choice)

thanks much
 

theangelofdarkness

International Member of Mystery
Emeritus Staff
In my network, the "home hospital" was the major city hospital in the network. You negotiated your timing/allocations to the other two through the JMO coordinator of the home hospital. It might vary in other networks, but I would expect that in network 4, Liverpool would be your "home hospital" and you'd have to negotiate rotations through there, even if it is the hospital you spend the least time at.
 

Mr Z

Lurker
Hello,

Just wondering if anybody here was a cat 2 applicant and applied to NSW - if so where did you end up? HETI have confirmed they will not release this information in their upcoming report and I'm mostly seeing whether I could get into the liverpool or bankstown network.

Thank you!
 

Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
Hello,

Just wondering if anybody here was a cat 2 applicant and applied to NSW - if so where did you end up? HETI have confirmed they will not release this information in their upcoming report and I'm mostly seeing whether I could get into the liverpool or bankstown network.

Thank you!

No category 2 applicants missed out on an offer (or really have ever missed out on an offer unless they withdrew their application) as category 3's do get offers every year.

You'll have a reasonable shot at getting into Liverpool or Bankstown given the (relative lack of) demand to do internship at these places in the Category 1 cohort.

That said, my advice above is from observations of small numbers of people and not based on any HETI publications (which, like this coming year, do not show the proportions of Category 1/2/3/etc final place offers at each network.)
 

swim94

Lurker
Mana I am a category 2 applicant hoping for the Hornsby network, in order to maximise my chances should i stack my remaining preferences as you've outlined in another post, or does this stacking only benefit category 1 applicants? I'm aware that there is a fair bit of uncertainty with the Hornsby network with the opening of the new hospital
 

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Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
Mana I am a category 2 applicant hoping for the Hornsby network, in order to maximise my chances should i stack my remaining preferences as you've outlined in another post, or does this stacking only benefit category 1 applicants? I'm aware that there is a fair bit of uncertainty with the Hornsby network with the opening of the new hospital

As a Cat 2 - just preference in the order you actually want - the system has very few places proportionally after the Cat 1s all get a bite.
 

kello

Member
Followed Mana advise and got Westmead as Cat 2. I put Westmead as preference 1.

Another classmate put Westmead as preference 2 and got it.

Not sure if that helps anything...
 

sovietcop

Member
As someone who has just gone through this process, if I could do it again I would just put what I wanted

Put Blacktown/Nepean —> guaranteed spot in Sydney
But this year Cat 2’s got Westmead, Concord and even St George
 

mememe

Lurker
Agree with sovietcop;
Blacktown and Nepean seem to be the only places you were guaranteed a job as a cat 2 as even cat 3 and 4's have gotten offers there.
I put Liverpool first, Westmead second and ended up getting an optimised spot at Concord (that I know 2 other people got and rejected).
Unless you're absolutely desperate to get to NSW, I suggest trying and hedging your bets with optimised/DRA as long as you are genuinely happy with your top few preferences.
Also be prepared to wait... it's mainly only blacktown and nepean spots that get released initially
 

Mrpopquiz

Member
There are more med schools/graduates in NSW but there are more intern positions. From memory after allocating internships to Aus in-state graduates there are about 100 "surplus" positions in NSW, about 60 in QLD.

Int'l graduates are more disadvantaged in NSW since they are given lower priority (for these surplus positions) than Aus graduates studying med interstate now wanting to return/move to NSW. Whereas in QLD int'l graduates are pooled together with these and selected on merit.

That said, I think you would be better off studying at WSU. It's a year shorter and your chance for a QLD internship is the same as if you study in QLD.

Hmm, when you say lower priority do you mean that even if an interstate graduate outperform an NSW graduate based on merit, the internship position will be give to the NSW graduate simply based on the fact that they graduated from a NSW med school?
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
Hmm, when you say lower priority do you mean that even if an interstate graduate outperform an NSW graduate based on merit, the internship position will be give to the NSW graduate simply based on the fact that they graduated from a NSW med school?

Each state gov has signed the COAG agreement to provide internships for all CSP graduates in the state. IOW they have no such obligation to grads from med schools in other states. These grads can only apply for any surplus spots not filled by NSW grads.

Among these the NSW gov does give higher priority to interstate grads returning home i.e. did Y12 in NSW then went interstate for med.
 

chinaski

Regular Member
Among these the NSW gov does give higher priority to interstate grads returning home i.e. did Y12 in NSW then went interstate for med.

Bearing in mind that state priority lists are only current and relevant to the present graduating year (there is no guarantee or obligation that they offer the same priorities in following years). They frequently change, so caveat emptor.
 

Mrpopquiz

Member
Each state gov has signed the COAG agreement to provide internships for all CSP graduates in the state. IOW they have no such obligation to grads from med schools in other states. These grads can only apply for any surplus spots not filled by NSW grads.

Among these the NSW gov does give higher priority to interstate grads returning home i.e. did Y12 in NSW then went interstate for med.

Is there any site where I can find statistics about success of interstate applicant to NSW internship? And are NSW grad still given priority when applying for residency or registrarship? Does this means that it would be very hard for an interstate to train in a popular or competitive speciality in NSW? Sorry for so many questions, I just found out about this. Im shook
 

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chinaski

Regular Member
Is there any site where I can find statistics about success of interstate applicant to NSW internship? And are NSW grad still given priority when applying for residency or registrarship? Does this means that it would be very hard for an interstate to train in a popular or competitive speciality in NSW? Sorry for so many questions, I just found out about this. Im shook

NSW graduates are currently offered two-year contracts, so their first year of residency is guaranteed (and conversely, there is little need to recruit outsiders into PGY2 positions). Beyond PGY2, job applications are made formally and offered down lines of a kind of subjective meritocracy - in that theoretically, the best person should be offered the job, but it definitely helps to be well-known and well-regarded (so where you work and who you know counts).

Not really sure what you are "shook" about?
 

Mrpopquiz

Member
NSW graduates are currently offered two-year contracts, so their first year of residency is guaranteed (and conversely, there is little need to recruit outsiders into PGY2 positions). Beyond PGY2, job applications are made formally and offered down lines of a kind of subjective meritocracy - in that theoretically, the best person should be offered the job, but it definitely helps to be well-known and well-regarded (so where you work and who you know counts).

Not really sure what you are "shook" about?

Its that I just learned about this now. And I would prefer to work in NSW in the future for family reasons, but I really like UQ medical program and its probably my best chance for med school. If I do end up studying at UQ how would I eventually practice medicine in NSW (preferable in Sydney) as a category 3.

And would this limit the type of speciality I can eventually go into?
 

chinaski

Regular Member
Its that I just learned about this now. And I would prefer to work in NSW in the future for family reasons, but I really like UQ medical program and its probably my best chance for med school. If I do end up studying at UQ how would I eventually practice medicine in NSW (preferable in Sydney) as a category 3.

Bear in mind that "practicing medicine" in the long term first takes training, which takes years to achieve. As such, it's not as though you are married forever to one locality.

And would this limit the type of speciality I can eventually go into?

Your medical school does not have any influence or effect on what kind of specialty you eventually pursue. I suggest you read a bit about medicine as a career, as this kind of thing you really should know already. Look beyond the university stage.
 

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