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Student experience
Overview
As a Doctor of Medicine student, you will be embarking on a career that suits those with a love of science and a genuine interest in people and what makes them work, physically, psychologically and emotionally.
More than that, graduating with a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Melbourne allows you to choose a path that helps people overcome disease and stay healthy – be that by working in community clinics, large hospitals, research teams or a combination of all.
As one of the world’s leading medical schools, the Melbourne Medical School attracts the highest achieving staff and students. You will learn collaboratively with like-minded peers and be mentored by world-class clinician researchers.
Day-to-day experience
The four-year Doctor of Medicine course offers unparalleled variety.
Clinical learning means that you will gain most of your knowledge ‘at the bedside’, with every patient having a unique story to tell. You’ll spend time in community clinics where most healthcare is delivered, and come to understand the principles of promoting healthy lifestyles, rather than just treating disease. Being immersed in clinical settings – including opportunities to work in rural and remote Australia – maximises your learning.
Melbourne Medical School is committed to the health and wellbeing of its students, so you’ll be encouraged to look after yourself as well. Healthy doctors are better doctors.
The School is also committed to scholarship in medicine, so the Doctor of Medicine includes a full semester of research to make it a professional Master degree, giving you skills not just in using research findings, but also in generating your own.
Learning mode
Good doctors never stop learning, so the Doctor of Medicine course will provide you with a solid foundation on which to build a lifetime of professional skills. More than just knowing the answer to a patient’s problem, you’ll be taught to understand why it’s happening and what it means to them. What you learn in lectures and tutorials comes alive when you spend time with patients.
Melbourne’s clinical school structure means that, after one year learning how to interact with patients and understanding the mechanisms behind their illnesses, you will spend the remainder of the course closely engaged with your colleagues in your hospital-based clinical school. This is where you will learn many aspects of medicine, such as talking with patients, examining them and contributing to their care – all with the support of excellent, passionate clinical teachers.
Opportunities
The University of Melbourne’s Doctor of Medicine degree is highly regarded around the world. It’s your entry ticket to an endlessly fascinating and meaningful career, be that leading an international research team or caring for patients in a remote corner of Australia. You’re in demand.
The course is structured to allow you choices in the path you wish to follow, such as pursuing a specific research topic with a committed supervisor and exploring the clinical discipline in which you are most interested.
Most importantly, you will be given the opportunity to become part of the medical profession, being recognised from the first day of the course as someone with a commitment to high quality healthcare.
Ciara Harrison
I’ve enjoyed the Doctor of Medicine, in particular getting to know everyone else in my cohort. It’s been very different to undergraduate study, where it was hard to get to know other students because there were so many of us. In the MD we all know each other, which is great.
I really enjoyed doing some research in my final year, and it has set me up for returning to study when the time is right. I’m considering paediatrics because I’ve really enjoyed the placements in that field, but I haven’t decided 100% yet.
I only have a few weeks of placement left, and I’m feeling well-prepared for starting work as an intern next year. I’ll be working at Western Health, where I have been on placement this year, so I feel comfortable there.
I’ve also been working in Sunshine Hospital (which is part of Western Health) during the COVID crisis, as the pandemic left them short-staffed. Initially I was supporting junior doctors, doing much of the administrative work we’ll be doing next year. And now I’m working in the dialysis unit, helping with COVID screening and setting up the machines.
Reassuring patients who are being swabbed and explaining the need to self-isolate until their results arrive has really helped me develop my communication skills. I’ve practised some conflict resolution too, which I’m sure will stand me in good stead next year!