Is Medicine really a hard course? (3 Viewers)

[dp624]

The median must be similar to unsw's then

Yeah, I'd sort of expect something like a .50 median?

 

[nottellingu]

The mean UAI for this years cohort at UWS was 99.35, despite the 93 and 95 thresholds.

I wont buy that unless i hear it from the uni themself. Just seems a little far fetched imo.

 

[Dr_Fresh]

the weightings are: 2/3 interview and 1/3 umat. so i doubt the median UAI would be that high. they use a threshold like UNCLE. with different thresholds for GWS and non-GWS students. 93 and 98/99 respectively.

 

[nottellingu]

the weightings are: 2/3 interview and 1/3 umat. so i doubt the median UAI would be that high. they use a threshold like UNCLE. with different thresholds for GWS and non-GWS students. 93 and 98/99 respectively.

Ges cut off is 93uai and about 166~ umat non gws is 95 uai and 185~umat.
Remember that uws have different weightings for each of the sections but so provided you do really well in section 1&2 there is always hope.

 

[lisarh]

wats GWS

 

[Chemistryace]

GWS= Greater Western Sydney

 

[doink]

I wont buy that unless i hear it from the uni themself. Just seems a little far fetched imo.

It's true, heard it myself in first week.

the weightings are: 2/3 interview and 1/3 umat. so i doubt the median UAI would be that high. they use a threshold like UNCLE. with different thresholds for GWS and non-GWS students. 93 and 98/99 respectively.

You are obviously a master of logic since the threshold is 93/95 the mean uai CAN'T POSSIBLY be that high. GL in statistics buddy.

 

[Wooz]

I wont buy that unless i hear it from the uni themself. Just seems a little far fetched imo.

Came straight from the deans mouth, and he came from U.melb (was deputy dean and foundation dean) and he's the editor of Australia's leading Gastroentrologist journal and one of the pioneers behind low dose aspirin calculation and gastro reasearch in Australia! So i think he knows how to calculate his own stats.

Suprisingly most of the GWS cohort (school-leavers) came from selective and private schools such as NSGH, Ruse, Normanhurst, Grammar, NSBH, Syd Boys, Kings etc but resided in GWS. Despite the GWS threshold/cut-off of 93, for many students from comprehensive high schools in GWS it is often impossible for students to even get 90, all ~25ish high schools in my local area only had duxes with uai's in the low 90's or worse including one high school whose dux had failed the HSC. GWS is at significant disadvantage due to the low socio-economic status, migrant background and the lack of schooling for the gifted. Hence, the lack of education opportunity for many and the inability to afford prep courses and Acer materials in some instances (virtually all of the school leavers I have spoken to did either one or more prep courses). Despite the GWS being Australia's 3rd largest population we only have 3 entirely selective high schools in Greater Western Sydney namely Baulko, Penrith and Girrawean, Sefton and Macq fields don't count and only a handful of private high schools in the west have an academic focus, however their caliber doesn't even come close to that of those, in inner-west. Even students at these selective schools such as Girra and Penrith will struggle to get above 90 with less than 10-15% of the cohort usually achieving that bench mark, bar Baulko. Despite the threshold, I think the MMI tests the quick thinking and critical thinking skills/logic that usually only students of high calibre and maturity are able to mastermind.

I should mention that non-standard entrants were not included in the averaged UAI unless their GPA's were below 5.5, non-standards make up around 40% of each cohort.

 

[tommykins]

Medicine has a high UAI requirement, but thats only because its extremely popular and as we all know the UAI is only an indication of the popularity of the course.

So my question is: Does Med really live up to the UAI requirement? Is it really that hard to learn to be a doctor?

It's one of the courses with the highest entry requirements, so is the difficulty of successfully studying medicine greater than the difficulty of other courses such as commerce or engineering, etc?

btw in what yr did med start being such a popular course? has it always been such a prestigious course throughout history?

Thanks. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

lol

 

[xxstef]

Suprisingly most of the GWS cohort (school-leavers) came from selective and private schools such as NSGH, Ruse, Normanhurst, Grammar, NSBH, Syd Boys, Kings etc but resided in GWS.

oh, me! i sure hope im one of them by this time next year

 

[Wooz]

oh, me! i sure hope im one of them by this time next year

Best of luck, yeah I should add that most students who get bonded places at UNSW and get a CSP place at UWS or either want to do a 5 year course instead of 6 come to UWS. This double-dipping and multiple applications by students who are usually all-rounders also subsequently leads to the inflated mean uai at UWS.

 

[ninjapuppet]

I completed medicine and i am also studying law with the LPAB, and actuarial studies at UNSW. i havent worked as a lawyer or actuary, so can only comment on the studies

law is not as difficult as medicine in terms of being able to scrape through the course. Just lots and lots of reading, but not that difficult. I can honestly say with 100% certainty, actuarial studies is more demanding than medicine, in terms if difficulty of concepts. However, there is more content in medicine than actuary. There was no way i could work while studying medicine where as i worked thoughout my law and actuary course with the little contact hours required.
Med had about 35 contact hours/week while commerce and law had less than half that.

In other words, difficulty would be actuarial >med>law.

However working is an entirely different matter. After 7 years working, my job as a doctor is quite easy and not that stressful in private practice. I know corporate friends are still stressed out after 10 years of working, trying to climb the corporate ladder, impressing everyone with their billable hours and that....

however, best bang for your buck (best pay for effort put in) would have to be law. You graduate with a 4 year degree, and no more studies required! you simply work your ass off for 5-10 years, and go up the ranks to make a few hundred grand a year, and if partner of a top tier, you can make 1M a year. Lots of doctors don’t make 1M a year.

In terms of commerce being easy: think again. Engineers at unsw do maths1141. Actuarial students do maths 1151 which is 1141 + 25% more! But i think once you got fellowship, actuarial would be a real good job to do.

 

[dp624]

Wow you're doing all three courses? Any reason why?

 

[Dr_Fresh]

he loves university/studying?

 

[tommykins]

I completed medicine and i am also studying law with the LPAB, and actuarial studies at UNSW. i havent worked as a lawyer or actuary, so can only comment on the studies

law is not as difficult as medicine in terms of being able to scrape through the course. Just lots and lots of reading, but not that difficult. I can honestly say with 100% certainty, actuarial studies is more demanding than medicine, in terms if difficulty of concepts. However, there is more content in medicine than actuary. There was no way i could work while studying medicine where as i worked thoughout my law and actuary course with the little contact hours required.
Med had about 35 contact hours/week while commerce and law had less than half that.

In other words, difficulty would be actuarial >med>law.

However working is an entirely different matter. After 7 years working, my job as a doctor is quite easy and not that stressful in private practice. I know corporate friends are still stressed out after 10 years of working, trying to climb the corporate ladder, impressing everyone with their billable hours and that....

however, best bang for your buck (best pay for effort put in) would have to be law. You graduate with a 4 year degree, and no more studies required! you simply work your ass off for 5-10 years, and go up the ranks to make a few hundred grand a year, and if partner of a top tier, you can make 1M a year. Lots of doctors don’t make 1M a year.

In terms of commerce being easy: think again. Engineers at unsw do maths1141. Actuarial students do maths 1151 which is 1141 + 25% more! But i think once you got fellowship, actuarial would be a real good job to do.

hahah tbh actuarial is the only stream of commerce i like.

cause it has alot of mathematics!

 

[dp624]

he loves university/studying?

that's some serious love

and actuarial studies isn't all _that_ mathy

 

[ninjapuppet]

Ive been trying to get into specialist training for years to no avail.... :mad1:

To give you an idea how tough it is: given the rate of skin cancer in Australia, there's 1 (one) position in sydney each year to enter training as a dermatologist.
Government hinted a crapload of money to increase specialist training a few years back, but dermatologists kinda just fobbed it off. they dont want to train up too many ppl who will only compete with them now do they?? a few other fellowships have similar restrictive barriers.

4 of my closest med mates:
- 1 quit midway through first year because she kept failing, and opened up a pornographic website and is now a millionaire,
one friend who had to do year 13 to get into med, barely passed his subjects, absolutely loved med, and is now orthopaedic fellowship (very prestigous)
1 smart dude became a priest after more studies. (gods calling)
1 spent a year in mexico bumming around after med school, then back here on the dole for 6 months, playing warcraft everyday, then now trading options and loosing alot of his parents money away

anyway, this thread was about the med course, not life after med. so to give you an idea, finishing med is perfectly achievable even for the dumbest person who got in, although you will all find it very demanding. its this general feeling of going through tough shit, that makes doctors so closely knit as a profession. and even if you do fail, its not end of story. you can always become a priest or open up a pornographic website.

 

[Scrubhausen]

Ive been trying to get into specialist training for years to no avail.... :mad1:

To give you an idea how tough it is: given the rate of skin cancer in Australia, there's 1 (one) position in sydney each year to enter training as a dermatologist.[Citation needed]

I'm just going to come in, get all curmudgeony on your ass, and cut you down before you disseminate lies about specialising in dermatology.

"Applications for admission into the College's training program in 2009 closed in March 2008. There were 63 applicants for admission into the various State Faculty programs:
The following number of positions were filled:
QLD 3
NSW 4
SA 3
Vic 4
WA 3"
(ref: this)

Government hinted a crapload of money to increase specialist training a few years back, but dermatologists kinda just fobbed it off. they dont want to train up too many ppl who will only compete with them now do they?? a few other fellowships have similar restrictive barriers.

Doctor, lawyer, academic or whatever, whomever you are, you are [still] a dolt.

4 of my closest med mates:
- 1 quit midway through first year because she kept failing, and opened up a pornographic website and is now a millionaire,
one friend who had to do year 13 to get into med, barely passed his subjects, absolutely loved med, and is now orthopaedic fellowship (very prestigous)
1 smart dude became a priest after more studies. (gods calling)
1 spent a year in mexico bumming around after med school, then back here on the dole for 6 months, playing warcraft everyday, then now trading options and loosing alot of his parents money away

anyway, this thread was about the med course, not life after med. so to give you an idea, finishing med is perfectly achievable even for the dumbest person who got in, although you will all find it very demanding. its this general feeling of going through tough shit, that makes doctors so closely knit as a profession. and even if you do fail, its not end of story. you can always become a priest or open up a pornographic website.

Yeah, and everyone should give a flock as to anything you've said, quit uni/don't go to uni, and become blue-collar labourers or not-necessarily-literal whores.

Stuff the med school (4 to 6 years), stuff PGY1+2 (2 years), stuff specialising (optional 3-6 years), and generally, stuff 'ulterior motives' such as increasing one's capacity to help humanity, or having a purpose in life, huh?

I completed medicine and i am also studying law with the LPAB, and actuarial studies at UNSW. i havent worked as a lawyer or actuary, so can only comment on the studies

Amazing, Diplomas in Law - they are actually good for something.

In terms of commerce being easy: think again. Engineers at unsw do maths1141. Actuarial students do maths 1151 which is 1141 + 25% more! But i think once you got fellowship, actuarial would be a real good job to do.

What are you; an imbecile? One may induce that.

In a superficial nutshell: The difficulty of medical courses varies from individual to individual. My primary scholastic strength(s) 'happened'/'happen' to be one/ones in the biomedical field; but, being medicine, it's goes without saying, it's demanding and a load on the mind and body (I'm sure the same, or something equally generic and/or meaningless, can be said about virtually anything).

^ yes, as it is one of the worlds oldest and most challenging professions and previously only exclusive to the landed gentry, except for surgery which derived has its roots from butchers and barbers.

Barbers surgeon are not equivalent, let alone comparable, to modern-day surgical specialists. What you've said, it's horribly out-of-context and moot. Therefore, so what?

As for medicine (internal med.) itself, it has origins in crackpot herbalists, healer, and the clergy. (Again, so what?)

Does ancient history really have a place in the modern age? You're probably a young'un, in comparison to yours truly, so you tell me.

 

[Wooz]

As for medicine (internal med.) itself, it has origins in crackpot herbalists, healer, and the clergy. (Again, so what?)

Does ancient history really have a place in the modern age? You're probably a young'un, in comparison to yours truly, so you tell me.

All med schools as far as I'm aware in Australia still teach this history, the hippocratic oath or varient, as part of our professional development.

 

[doink]

rofl @ people believing ninjapuppet talk about gullible.