In 2012 the Deakin Medical School will be offering 130 Commonwealth supported places (CSP). This includes 5 Medical Rural Bonded Scholarships (MRBS) and 33 Bonded Medical Places (BMP).

International full fee paying places are available. These places will be subject to demonstration of proficiency in spoken and written English. Information on entry requirements can be found in the international students section.

Admission to the Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS)  is determined by a combination of grade point average (GPA) in an approved undergraduate degree; Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) score and interview performance. No exemptions or advanced standing are offered.

Applicants are required to sit the GAMSAT test in the two years prior to the year in which they wish to commence study. Further details are provided in the Graduate Australian Medical School Admissions Guide, which is available at the GAMSAT website http://gamsat.acer.edu.au (Opens in new window).

Minimum entry requirements

• The completed undergraduate degree must be from an Australian university or a Higher Education institution recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework, or a recognised Bachelor qualification listed in the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) Guide.
• An overall GAMSAT score of 50 and a score of 50 in each of the three sections of GAMSAT.
• A GPA (weighted) score of 5. The GPA score is based on academic grades during the final three full time equivalent years of the most recent undergraduate degree (including an honours year if applicable). Greater weight is given to results from later years of academic study, with the final year weighted x3, the penultimate year x 2, and the first of the final 3 years x 1. There is no bonus added to the weighted GPA for postgraduate study beyond an honours year.

Applicants are required to have been awarded their undergraduate degree within 10 years of their projected commencement date. Applicants whose undergraduate degree was completed outside the 10 year period may be considered for admission only if they have successfully completed the equivalent of 1 year of tertiary study (ie 1 full year of the curriculum) at Honours or Graduate Diploma level or higher at an Australian university or Higher Education Institution recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework or at a recognised International university listed in the NOOSR Guide. Postgraduate study should also have been completed within 10 years of the projected commencement date of the medical course.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites

Selection

1. Selection for interview

Invitations to interview will be sent to approximately 200 applicants based on GAMSAT + GPA Score (50:50) with additional weighting for:

Rural / regional residency:
Applicants who meet defined regional and rural residency criteria have a bonus added to the combined GPA and GAMSAT/MCAT score. To qualify for a weighting for rural/regional residency applicants must have lived or studied for at least 5 years (consecutive or cumulative) after commencing primary school in a place classified by the Australian Standard Geographic Classification – Remote Areas (ASGC-RA) system as level 2 – 5. The bonus is also given to applicants who have lived or studied in the City of Greater Geelong for at least 5 years (consecutive or cumulative) after commencing primary school.

• Residence in ASGC-RA 2 or the City of Greater Geelong: a bonus of 2% of the combined GPA and GAMSAT/MCAT score.
• Residence in ASGC-RA 3 – 5: a bonus of 4% of the combined GPA and GAMSAT/MCAT score.
  

Prior clinical experience in a health discipline
Applicants who have completed one year of clinical practice as a registered health professional (eg dentistry, dietetics, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry, psychology, and speech pathology) receive a 2% weighting.

Demonstration of financial disadvantage
Applicants who can demonstrate financial disadvantage, which may have impacted on academic performance during their undergraduate degree, may qualify for a weighting for financial disadvantage. The School of Medicine recognises the following Centrelink benefits: ABSTUDY, AUSTUDY, Parent Payment (Partnered or Single), Youth Allowance, Disability Pension, Veterans Means Assessed Pension.

Studylink benefits apply for applicants from New Zealand.

Applicants who are able to demonstrate that they have been in receipt of a Centrelink/Studylink benefit for at least 12 calendar months during their undergraduate degree, receive a 2% weighting.

2. Interview

Deakin Medical School uses the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) process. Each applicant undergoes a series of 5 minute interviews at 10 stations, using standardised questions and scoring procedures. The stations are designed to assess Deakin Medical School course outcomes such as:

• Communication skills
• Commitment to rural and regional practice
• Evidence-based practice
• Self-directed learning
• Teamwork
• Motivation for a career in Medicine
• Social Justice
• Professionalism
• Effective use of resources
  

3. Selection for Offer

At the completion of interviews, applicants are ranked according to a selection score calculated from the GAMSAT score, weighted GPA and interview score (1:1:1). Weightings for rural/regional residency and prior clinical experience are included in the ranking score. Offers will be made in order of ranking until all available places have been filled.

The School ranks applicants interviewed at other Australian graduate medical schools who have not been offered a place at that school and have listed Deakin Medical School on their preference forms. These applicants’ selection scores are derived by calculating an interview score based on ranking at the medical school where they were interviewed. (Applicants interviewed at Deakin who are not offered a place are passed on to the medical school listed as their next preference.)