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This blog will address the difficult question of how to become a doctor in Australia. The short answer is with a lot of hard work, stress, and difficulty! What will be detailed here is a brief overview of the formal pathways to becoming a fully registered and qualified doctor. Note that this blog will be addressing the aforementioned question in general – so that means you need to refer to the individual institution where you might want to study medicine to be fully aware of entry requirements, process, and graduation.
Further, this blog is also assuming an Australian audience, and so will not address overseas candidates and processes to becoming a doctor in other countries. Becoming a medical doctor in Australia requires students to successfully enter, and complete, medical school, prior to becoming an intern doctor, whereby completing this year allows you to be a registered medical practitioner. This blog will explore these steps.
However, there will certainly be enough useful content here to provide a strong, general overview of the tedious process, and allow all medical hopefuls to be fully abreast of what they are getting themselves into!
The UCAT and the GAMSAT routes are the main pathways for getting into medical school. The UCAT route involves applying directly out of high school, and the GAMSAT route involves applying after completion of an undergraduate degree. Note that the subjects that you take in high school and/or major you study in university does not affect your chances of getting in- as long as you meet the prerequisites for the medical school you wish to attend, you have the flexibility to choose whichever subjects you would like.
First, we will look at the UCAT, which is short for the University Clinical Aptitude Test. The UCAT is a 2-hour computer-based test, which consists of five separately timed subtests addressing: Verbal Reasoning; Decision Making; Quantitative Reasoning; Abstract Reasoning; and Situational Judgement Test. Typically, students with very high marks in high school can apply along this route, and it offers a more ‘direct’ entry into medical school. There are nine registered medical schools in Australia that accept the UCAT score.
The other route of how to become a doctor in Australia is through taking the Graduate Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT). This is a mammoth test that you can take as a post-graduate student (i.e. you have completed, or are about to complete, a Bachelor’s degree at university). There is a treasure trove of information on the GradReady website about GAMSAT, where the test is thoroughly dissected and explained. I recommend you take a look, starting here: What is the GAMSAT?. Usually a Bachelor’s degree (completed or nearly completed) will be enough to sit the GAMSAT, but keep in mind that some graduate programs require completion of second year subjects in anatomy, physiology and/or biochemistry. You can read more about prerequisite requirements on the GEMSAS website. Note that while you need an undergraduate degree to apply through the GAMSAT pathway, you do not necessarily need to have completed high school. I personally know someone who left high school to undertake training as an electrician, but later he completed an undergraduate degree and got into medicine via the GAMSAT pathway, despite never having officially completed high school.
Depending on the way you enter medical school, there are two types of medical degrees available in Australia: Five-year or six-year undergraduate Bachelor degrees, and equivalent professional practice Masters level degree (usually called ‘MDs’ – though the undergraduate version may also be called this in some situations). The Masters qualification is, practically, not any different to a Bachelor equivalent in medicine, in that both allow you to practice medicine in Australia. The Masters version is arguably a marketing ploy of most Australia medical schools to allow them to market to international students and also charge international and domestic students Masters level costs. For an example of some of the differences in costs, see here: Medical School Place Types.
Typically, an interview with the medical school is part of the selection process. Candidates who do well in the UCAT/GAMSAT, and have good high school or university grades, will be invited to participate in an interview. There is more information on the interview available on the GradReady website, so please be sure to check it out: 5 Tips to help you ace the MMI interviews. The interview provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your awareness of what studying medicine and becoming a doctor will entail. You may be asked questions about your motivation to study medicine, your understanding of the course, your study at school, hobbies, personal interests and current medical topics in the news. Each medical school has a slightly different interview format, with different topics and styles of questions, so if you are fortunate enough to be offered an interview, be sure to read the information that you are given carefully so you know what to expect on the day.
Now, once you are in medical school, after many months of tests and interviews, you now have a very tough time of between four and six years of hard study to finally start working as an intern doctor! Again, please refer to the GradReady website for some unique views on Medical School, which, for some examples, can be found here: Which Med School is for Me?
All Australian medical graduates must complete one year of internship, usually in a public hospital, before they can obtain full medical registration. (There has been talk of extending the internship to two years- the internship is still one year for now, but it is good to keep an eye out for possible changes.) Unlike in some other countries, such as the United States, interns in Australia do not specialise- they remain undifferentiated, rotating through different areas to gain more experience. During the final year of medical school, med students can choose their preferred hospital in which they would like to do their internship. After the internship, you are then FINALLY qualified to be a fully registered doctor! You can then continue to work as an undifferentiated Resident Medical Officer (RMO) within the hospital, or you can consider applying for specialty training. (Note that, contrary to popular belief, general practice is a specialty in its own right that has its own specialty training program.)
In this small blog of how to become a doctor in Australia, we have charted approximately eight years of your life. Because of the brevity of the discussion, I deeply encourage you to find the linked, additional resources to learn more! It is crucial that you adequately prepare for all stages in order to successfully come out the other side as a doctor. This blog has just given you a snapshot of what is required; now it is up to you to jump in! Now, if you’re ready to take the first steps towards becoming a doctor in Australia, check out this GAMSAT 2021 Guide and get started today!
How Long to Become a Doctor After Nursing School?
The length of time it takes to become a doctor when you already have a nursing degree is variable. It depends on what kind of degree you have and whether you want to become a medical doctor or earn a nursing doctorate. The two degrees are different and have different requirements. Many factors affect how long you will be in school.
Your Initial Education
In many professions, your educational path is relatively simple: you go to college and begin your career. In nursing, however, your first choice is whether you want to earn an associate degree, a nursing diploma or a baccalaureate in nursing, usually referred to as a BSN. An associate degree usually takes two years, although you may need an additional year to complete prerequisites. A nursing diploma, which is offered through some schools of nursing, takes two to three years depending on the program. A BSN takes four years. All of these allow you to sit for the NCLEX-RN national licensing exam.
Transfer or Start Over
Your initial choice of education affects your choices in going on to become a physician or doctorally prepared nurse. Not all diploma and associate courses are transferable credits. You may need to start over again and obtain a bachelor’s degree, either in nursing or in another science. If you want to pursue medical school, either a BSN or a baccalaureate in any subject with a concentration of science should be sufficient. The nursing doctorate, however, is more likely to require a BSN
Medical School or a Master’s
Once you have a bachelor’s degree, you’ll spend another four years in medical school or at least two more years getting a master’s degree in nursing. Following medical school, you go on for a residency of three to five years – the length depends on the specialty you choose. Some physicians also choose fellowship training, an extended period of specialty education. For a nursing doctorate, you would apply to a doctorate program after you finish your master’s. Expect to spend three to five years getting your doctorate.
Completing Your Education
The exact length of time your education will take depends on several variables. If you started your nursing career with a diploma and had to go back to school for your BSN, it could take an additional eight years to complete your doctorate. Some BSN to Ph.D. programs take only five years, according to a September 2009 article on the AllNurses.com website. Seven years is the minimum time from entry to medical school to completion of residency; again, the total time will be affected by your initial nursing degree or diploma. A nurse who must work while completing her education might take longer than a nurse who is able to go to school full-time
How Does a Nurse Become a Doctor?
When a nurse wants to become a doctor, she has two options. She can earn a doctorate in nursing or go to medical school. If she chooses medical school, she can become a medical doctor or a doctor of osteopathic medicine, but if she chooses a nursing doctorate, she has multiple options. In either case, she must go back to school.
Three Paths to Licensure
Unlike many health care professions, nursing offers three different entry points for nursing licensure. The first is a diploma from a hospital-based school of nursing, which takes two or three years. The second is an associate degree in nursing from a community college or university, which typically takes two years. Her last choice is a bachelor of science in nursing – a four-year degree. She must then pass the NCLEX-RN national licensing exam to practice as a registered nurse. At this point, she has the option to go on for more education in nursing, or – if she has a bachelor of science in nursing – can apply to medical school.
Taking the Medical School Route
An RN who wants to become a physician typically begins her journey by obtaining a bachelor’s degree if she does not already have one. She must then take the Medical College Admission Test and be accepted at a medical school – a highly competitive process. Some schools offer another option – combined undergraduate and medical school programs. After four years of medical school, she will obtain a doctor of medicine (MD) degree or a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree and typically will go on to a three- or four-year residency, depending on the specialty she chooses. She might also complete an extended period of training called a fellowship. Most physicians also choose to become board certified.
When the Nurse Is a Doctor
A registered nurse who chooses the nursing doctorate path must start by completing her education at the master’s level. If she has a nursing diploma or associate degree, she first must earn a bachelor of science in nursing. Another option is the registered nurse to master of science in nursing program, which is designed to help associate- and diploma-prepared nurses earn a graduate degree without first earning a bachelor of science in nursing in the traditional fashion. Registered nurse to master of science in nursing programs typically offer many courses online, to allow the nurse to work while going to school.
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