The normal way for a person to become a medical practitioner in Victoria is by doing a university course leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB BS). The graduate is then eligible for provisional registration by the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria and after serving a compulsory internship year in an approved hospital, is eligible for final registration in Victoria, and for registration in other States of Australia.
The Monash course was formerly approved by the General Medical Council of Great Britain. The Australian Medical Council (AMC) now has the responsibility for the accreditation of medical schools in Australia. This accreditation `is required to provide assurance to State and Territory Medical Boards of the continued satisfactory standard of graduates from all Australian medical schools.' In 1993 the Monash Medical course was accredited for ten years - the maximum period attainable.
In 1996 the first year of the medical course had 145 places which included students who were permitted to repeat the year, and those who took up a reserved place after deferring admission. In addition to these places the faculty offers up to fifteen first-year places to suitably qualified overseas students on a full-fee paying basis.
Selection into the course will continue to be based primarily on academic merit as indicated by VCE results. In addition, the results of a structured interview to assess personal qualities will be used as part of the selection process. Structured interviews are used as an adjunct to our selection procedure for several reasons.
1 The recommendation of the Federal Government's Inquiry into Medical Education and the Medical Workforce (the Doherty Committee) that personal qualities be taken into account in selection of medical students.
2 A perceived community attitude that selection for medicine courses based solely on academic success at secondary school, may not be entirely appropriate.
3 The curriculum places greater emphasis on humanistic issues than previously, so it is appropriate that selection procedures should be modified accordingly.
4 The structured interview process has been tested since 1991 when all school leavers who obtained a place were interviewed on enrolment. An analysis of the data from student interviews indicates that the interview can predict how well students perform in some aspects of the curriculum where Year 12 results are not predictive (eg the Health, Illness and Human Behaviour and the Clinical and Communication Skills subjects).
The prerequisites for entry into medicine at Monash are:
(a) a grade average of B in English;
(b) a grade average of B in Chemistry
(c) a grade average of B in Specialist Mathematics or Mathematical Methods and a grade average of C in Physics or Biology;
or
(d) a grade average of C in Specialist Mathematics or Mathematical Methods and a grade average of B in Physics or Biology.
VTAC will calculate a TER as a percentile (eg 99.00) for each applicant. The TER will be calculated using English and the next three best study scores (other than English) and 10 per cent increments for two additional studies (one may be a first-year university subject). The university will receive this information in January, not December when it is received by students.
Selection into the medical course is based upon a combination of the applicant's TER and performance at a structured interview. It is expected that few, if any, applicants will be selected on the basis of TER score alone. Two groups of applicants who have met the prerequisites will be called for a structured interview.
(a) Those who have reached a certain threshold TER (eg above 99.00) - approximately 200 applicants.
(b) Approximately 200 additional applicants who have obtained a somewhat lower TER (eg 98.00 or above) and have demonstrated:
Approximately 400 applicants, identified as indicated above, will be invited to attend a structured interview during mid January.
In exceptional circumstances where applicants will be unavailable or have planned overseas travel commitments in January, the faculty may grant an early interview. Such an interview will be conducted during the first two weeks of December. Applications in writing must be received by the faculty office by mid November and include written support from the school principal and documentation of reasons for unavailability in January.
The final ranked list of applicants from which places will be offered will take into account the applicant's TER and performance at interview. Applicants will be offered places in the order of this final ranking until the quota of places is filled.
There are four criteria that distinguish between a structured and unstructured interview.
1 Interview content is derived from an analysis of what the selected people will be expected to do.
2 The questions are standardised, ie similar questions are put to each applicant.
3 Some sample answers are provided to the interviewers to enable them to give consistent ratings.
4 The interview is conducted by a panel of interviewers.
The interview questions have been designed to determine which applicants have relevant personal qualities such as leadership ability and motivation to succeed in a long and difficult course. The style of questions will fall into two groups.
(a) Accomplishment questions. Applicants are asked about what they have accomplished in the past that would indicate to the panel that they have a particular personal quality.
(b) Situational questions. Applicants are asked what they would do in the future if a particular situation arose.
Interviewing panels consist of three members: a member of the Faculty of Medicine, a doctor in practice and an outside person who is not involved in medicine. The composition of the panels is deliberately broad because panels composed solely of faculty members or practicing doctors have in the past been legitimately criticised on the grounds that they perpetuated the personality style of medical graduates by selecting new students in the image of themselves.
Interviewers have attended at least one of the half-day training programs. In training the interviewers, emphasis is placed on the following interview techniques: (I) creating a friendly and purposeful atmosphere; (ii) indicating that we are more interested in exploring what the candidates sincerely think and feel about a range of issues rather than simply their verbal `slickness'; and (iii) ensuring that all the topics listed for discussion are adequately sampled in the course of the interview.
The personal qualities sought in the applicant at interview fall into several fields - quality of motivation, appropriateness of interpersonal style and verbal communication skill.
1 Quality of motivation. This can be looked at in three stages: knowledge and understanding of what is involved in the medical course and in a career in medicine; motivating factors - a realistic desire to become a doctor, including underlying issues such as idealism, developmental history and identification; and perseverance - the ability to persist in the face of setbacks and frustrations.
2 Appropriateness of interpersonal style. Leadership - the ability to inspire other people; teamsmanship - ability to work within a collaborative unit; the ability to listen and be nonjudgemental; maturity - an indication that a person has reached an age-appropriate level of psychological development with an emerging sense of an independent self; flexibility - the ability to adapt to new situations.
3 Communication skill. The ability to communicate effectively with others, both in statement and in manner. As part of the assessment of communication skill, applicants will be asked to `detechnicalise' a scientific issue, ie to explain the issue in non-technical terms. Applicants will also participate in an `active listening exercise' in which they will be expected to summarise and answer specific questions concerning a saga. The saga will be presented by one of the panel members.
Interviews will be conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Wellington Road, Clayton, during mid-January, following the university's receipt of VCE results from VTAC.
The Faculty of Medicine will determine those applicants who are to be interviewed. Applicants may not request an interview.
Students who have not achieved their entrance qualifications in Victoria must hold qualifications which in the faculty's opinion are equivalent to those held by local candidates. The qualifications must include the same prerequisite subjects as those for local candidates outlined above. Such applicants must demonstrate at least the same level of academic merit as that which is required for local applicants. As an indication, local applicants who gain entry usually come within the top 2 per cent of all VCE students within Victoria.
Applicants presenting with either partially complete or completed tertiary qualifications may be considered for entry to the medical course. In considering such applications the faculty selection committee will take account of an applicant's entire academic record and motivation as evidenced by extracurricular or employment experience. These are two of the criteria used in short-listing applicants for interview. Interviews are usually conducted in the December or January preceding entry. Many more applicants are able to demonstrate some suitability for the course than there will ever be available places. The demand for places in the medical course is extremely competitive both for school and non-school leavers. Each year there are approximately 1,200 non-school leaver applicants for a maximum of six to eight places. In most cases applications are only considered for entry to the first year of the medical course. In exceptional circumstances applications for later-year entry may be considered. Applicants for later-year entry must clearly demonstrate to the faculty selection committee that the content of their previous studies is at least equivalent to the appropriate Monash medical course components for which they are seeking exemption.
If you wish to apply for the Monash medical course, please note that the Guide for prospective students which contains the appropriate application form is published by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC), 40 Park Street, South Melbourne, Vic. 3205. This guide is available from VTAC in July or August and applications for courses close during September.
Non-school leaver applicants must also complete the faculty's supplementary information form, obtainable from the faculty office during September. Applicants must include copies of all relevant documentation with the supplementary information form.
Monash University students applying solely for a transfer to the Monash medical course must complete a form obtained from the faculty office during September. A VTAC application is not necessary.
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