In many ways, Australia's capital city is an aberration. It's the country's only planned city, and it was not planned by Australian civil engineers. It's Australia's largest inland city; the Capital Territory it anchors is wholly contained within the state of New South Wales. Of all the cities in Australia, Canberra is the only one to enjoy seeing snow-coated mountaintops while seldom experiencing snow.
Canberrans skew young, the average age is 35 years; only a little over 12% of the population is over 65. Canberrans tend to have more and higher education than populations in other states/territories. These up-and-comers didn't necessarily get their education in Canberra, though. Census figures show that Canberra benefits from the second-highest mobility rate of any Australian state.
That doesn't mean Canberra offers no educational opportunities. This city is stuffed with diplomacy and policymakers but still has room for military institutions like the Australian Defence College. And yet more space to accommodate two public universities, a few private ones, and a few other universities' campus extensions.
Where can you find courses to study medicine in all of that?
Reasons to Study Medicine in Canberra
Before we can talk about studying medicine, we have to understand another aspect of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) that makes this city so remarkable. This territory's schools have the highest student retention rate in Australia. Nearly 90% of all students enrolled in Year 7 remain enrolled by Year 12.
There's been a slight decline in those numbers since those numbers were published. The five per cent decrease is likely due to poor job prospects but retention numbers are slowly ticking back up. Still, Australia's progressive educational initiatives help level the educational field. Outlets like Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and Vocational Education Training (VET) arm people with professional skills.
In some instances, those resources also provide a path to study medicine. For instance, medical schools in Sydney accept TAFE and VET graduates provided they can meet other eligibility requirements. Such a candidate would qualify with a good result on the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) or the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Their pre-entry interview would likely seal the deal.
Canberra is home to all of Australia's foreign embassies. Thus, it stands to reason that many diplomats' and embassy staff's children study in Canberra's primary and secondary schools. Now, consider that Australia's healthcare system is the envy of the world. That all means that university learning, and perhaps medical studies, must feature in many students' futures.
Canberra is a small yet cosmopolitan city, but much of the territory is dotted with small, rural outposts. Across Australia, the need for medical professionals trained in rural medicine is huge. Specialising in indigenous medical issues is even more urgent. For any future doctor who doesn't want to move too far away, studying medicine in Canberra will equip them to address their patients' needs.
For a long time, Canberra's focus was government and diplomatic relations. The Australian government is still Canberra's largest employer but other industries are making inroads. Outside of public administration, the healthcare industry is the second largest employer. Only service sector jobs have a slim lead over the health and wellness industry jobs.
ACT and our capital city offer plenty of reasons to study medicine in Canberra. There's no need for any medical school hopeful to look for courses in Melbourne or Sydney. Canberra offers many ways to access medical programs.
Pathways to Study Medicine in Canberra
From Perth to Brisbane, pathways into medicine are much the same. The standard route entails leaving school after Year 12 and sitting exams in selected subjects. Those exam results deliver an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The University Admissions Centre (UAC) calculates ATARs and accepts student university applications. They make placement offers based on students' high school grade point average (GPA) and ATAR scores.
Domestic students generally use this pathway to find their undergraduate medical courses. These students are Australian citizens, but New Zealanders and permanent residents may also apply for university education through UAC. International students with an International Baccalaureate (IB) may also take this route to study medicine in Australia. Otherwise, they should apply directly to their prospective university.
Domestic medical school candidates lacking an ATAR must have either a TAFE or VET education certificate. These students must sit the GAMSAT or MCAT and score well enough to merit an interview. This pathway is for graduate-level medical studies only. International students may also follow this path.
Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders typically have reserved medical school application processes. Medical school faculties typically establish their own criteria for these admissions.
For instance, many of the Queensland medical school programs we reviewed only required a GAMSAT or MCAT result and an interview. Of course, none are compelled to follow this path, these students may take the standard route too.
Study Medicine in Canberra at the Australian National University
Carrying on with Canberra's 'unusual' theme, we come to the Australian National University (ANU). This is the only university in all of Australia that the Parliament founded. Since opening its doors 77 years ago, it has educated an impressive list of notables, many of whom serve in the Australian government. ANU consistently ranks as Australia's top university in global tables and Number 1 in Australia.
ANU's health studies initiative debuted two years after the university was founded, in 1948. Since then, the John Curtain School of Medical Research has turned out four Nobel Prize winners and a long list of pioneering researchers. This building also houses graduate medical education facilities.
This school's background makes studying Health Science particularly engaging. Their undergraduate medical program guides students through Biology and Chemistry studies, and instils research standards. Students will further learn about human diseases, population health and professional practice.
ANU does not offer an undergraduate pathway into medicine like medical programs in Adelaide do. But this program opens two doors to a future in medicine; one in research and the other to graduate medical studies.
This four-year, full-time program results in a Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD) qualification. Undergraduate students only need to submit an application statement, take part in an interview, and have completed all of the Bachelor program's compulsory courses.
Applicants from other schools must either be in their final year of Bachelor studies or have just finished them. A minimum Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) of 7 is required. Applicants must also submit a GAMSAT result with an overall score of at least 55 and take part in an interview.
Tuition fees are indicative, meaning what you pay depends on the courses you take. Besides tuition fees, students must factor in the cost of books, lab supplies and housing costs. Every student will pay Australia's Services and amenities fees.
Study Subjects Related to Medicine in Canberra at the University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is also a research university with a Faculty of Health. It's not as old, renowned or celebrated as its more popular counterpart. In global and Australian rankings, this school struggles to find favour. That doesn't mean it has nothing going for it.
UC's Faculty of Health teaches the science and procedures that underpin clinical medicine. Future nurses, optometrists and physiotherapists can find suitable courses at UC. This faculty offers many other allied health study programs, including pharmacology, radiology and speech pathology.
UC also offers a Health Science Bachelor program. It covers many of the same elements as ANU's program does, including Indigenous Health and anatomy and physiology. This is a dual-option program; students may choose an emphasis on Nutritional Studies or Human Movement. After completing their undergraduate studies, students may choose a profession from among those listed above.
Or they may apply to a graduate-level medical program at whichever university they choose. Then, the GAMSAT or MCAT, interview and degree validation procedures apply. Across Australia, medical degree program application criteria vary only slightly, though some schools may set the entry bar a bit higher than others.
That's thanks to Australia's Future Health Workforce initiative. Nearly 20 years ago, administrators realised that doctors are ageing out of the profession across the country. They also noted that medical school enrolment was far below the numbers needed to ensure proper health services for all. And degree programs in medicine were different from state to state.
The Future Health Workforce initiative intends to standardise education in medicine and health-related fields. Streamlining the medical school application process is one objective the program has already met. Ensuring every medical studies program across the country teaches the same core elements is another.
This initiative also means tackling the high cost of earning a medical degree. Students may spend up to 7 years in school, more if they decide to specialise. Undergraduate programs may be subsidised but, often, graduate degrees are not.
From the student's view, training to become a doctor puts an undue financial burden on them just as they'd start their careers. So this initiative means to make medical training as cost-effective and efficient as possible.
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