2005 North Americans in Oz

[lokibjorn]

Hello everyone. I just received my interview date for Flinders EDP and discovered that around this time last year all the applicants set up a thread to discuss schooling in Oz issues. While I may be jumping the gun a bit, it might be nice to have something similar this year, a forum in which we can bounce ideas off of each other: how is the application process treating you? where are you going to be living? just how many years will we spend paying back loans with the exchange rate this poor? won't it be nice to get out of the country while W's still there? Having received my undergrad degree in the States, I acknowledge that it's not popular among pre-meds to help each other out, but I figured we might be able to break some of those stereotypes...
So, are there any other people going for the EDP program? Any other schools looking wonderful to people out there? Is anyone else a wee bit nervous about attending a school in a country they've never visited? And just how are your quarter-life crises treating you, anyway?
It just might be nice to know someone by the time I (hopefully) arrive there.
People from last year's list are more than welcome to submit as well (tl47, pitman, kimcox, flindophile...) Any advice, suggestions, strange foreign rude gestures, would be very welcome.
Cheers,
Loki

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[redshifteffect]

"Foreign rude gestures"
- Roots is a popular brand in CAnada but it means something completely different in Australia

 

[Purifyer]

"Foreign rude gestures"
- Roots is a popular brand in CAnada but it means something completely different in Australia

???? Isn't root a 'verb' in North America?

 

[redshifteffect]

???? Isn't root a 'verb' in North America?

Not in the same was as in australia

 

[PreMedAdAG]

ha! Hey everyone.. what's up? I'm still looking for advice. I graduated in the states and I'm a permanent resident there. I'm looking to study Medicine but don't know where I want to do it. The thing is, I'd like to study in Australia, but sit for both boards in US and AUS. I feel like I'd want to practice in Aus for a while but would eventually return home to the states. Do people do this? I was in Oz recently for a while and realized I love it and would really like to get my medical education there. Any advice?? I have to apply for US schools in about a month, so if anyone can tell me how this all works in Aus that would be great.

Cheers,
Christine

 

[redshifteffect]

ha! Hey everyone.. what's up? I'm still looking for advice. I graduated in the states and I'm a permanent resident there. I'm looking to study Medicine but don't know where I want to do it. The thing is, I'd like to study in Australia, but sit for both boards in US and AUS. I feel like I'd want to practice in Aus for a while but would eventually return home to the states. Do people do this? I was in Oz recently for a while and realized I love it and would really like to get my medical education there. Any advice?? I have to apply for US schools in about a month, so if anyone can tell me how this all works in Aus that would be great.

Cheers,
Christine

As a post graduate student it will not be easy for u to practice in Aus. I think that if you are seriously thinking of practicing here it will be a lot of hassle, and probably wouldn't be worth it for the short term. There's a lot more involved then just tests, you would also have to try and get immigration.

Needless to say if you would like specifics i can go into more details. But just search around, im sure there has been a bunch of posts on this topic.

 

[moondance26]

If you do come to Australia, don't let anyone tell you that vegemite is spread on bread as thickly as peanut butter. Or that it tastes like chocolate. It's amazing how many americans fall for that. It's a cruel trick that tends to keep everyone entertained -- it was actually an initiation task at my college for the visiting americans

But, yes, since you guys wanted tips on life down under, I figured I'd share this one

 

[tl47]

Check:
http://www.aussieslang.com/
for slangs. Popular ones I've heard: dodgy (all the time!), crook, gay (only Sydney?), billabong (it's also a brand).

If you are coming to Flinders... be rest assured that they really really do take very good care of foreign students. At least this year... They also try to help people without the proper science/biological science background. They have also tried their best to ease you into the PBL process by having the best cases, best tutors and best lecturers for the first half semester. Unfortunately though, I am finding that the first half-semester is sooo much better than the second half semester (think of it as a "quarter"... and I'm not sure how they call it officially... I guess a "term" is half a semester?) many people are actually quite "lost" in the switch. But regardless, people are all kind, friendly and nice. You will find your classmates to be very helpful, and regardless of how bad you find PBL, you will probably still be able to get others who speak your own language (err... at the same wavelengths at least) to study together as a study group.

P.S. Are you really in your "quarter-life"? Well, a lot of Canadians are around the "quarter-life" (i.e. 25) crisis period when they arrived. It's a great way to ease the crisis, since it's a crisis where you are unhappy with your current job and looking for a new direction .

P.P.S. The OZ first years this year started a "****T" (yes... obviously a very funny name started by very funny people ). Flinders University Cultural Knowledge Team... and their aim is to introduce international students to the interesting culture Aussies have. They had a "FUBAR" outing to introduce people to Adelaide Footy (google FUBAR to find out what that really stands for... ). And they will be having a lawn bowling soon. So there... pretty fun place. And of course, there is a medball tonight as I speak with close to 200 people attending... although I'm not going (kinda anti-social at the moment). The school is somewhat... what you/the students make it to be! I gotta say students this year... are great!

 

[nrlplays]

I'm attending the interview in Chicago. Does anyone know how soon afterwards, the school lets you know the status of admission?

 

[lokibjorn]

See? Isn't this productive? nrlplays, in answer to your question, the Flinders website says they get back to you by the end of May/early June! Best of luck to you in Chicago. Thanks for the help tl47. Others are still welcome/encouraged to contribute and get the conversation going. Thanks for the slang everyone! I consider myself adequately prepped for the local lingo.
Loki

 

[HairOfTheDog]

I believe that the original author of the thread said he was looking at coming to Flinders in 2005. Good on ya! First, I?m American, graduated from Flinders and am doing an internship year here. I think Adelaide is a great town. Its big enough where you can do everything you want but still has a small town feeling to it. It doesn?t have the sprawling nightlife that Melbourne and Sydney have but you can still get out and have fun, besides it is in one of the premiere wine growing regions of the world. As for living in a foreign country, its not that different; besides you?ll learn to love yiros, coopers pale ale and heavens forbid, footy.
As for Flinders, it sends back good candidates to the US and I have known many successful people. What you won?t hear is that the Flinders philosophy is to create rural General Practitioners. They stress the psychosocial aspect of med at the expense of the biology so step 1 will be a nightmare. But you will see patients from your first weeks of first year.
As for attending medical school overseas, it WILL be more difficult obtaining a residency spot in the States. Every now and then you see the stigma against IMG?s voiced upon this site. If you believe some of the hype on this site, certain specialties are not accessible by IMG?s. If you have the chance, stay home. Go to med school there. However, if you like things being difficult, are adventurous and want to spend a few years overseas in a great country with great people then come on over.

 

[cozmokrmr]

Where exactly did you find more information related to Flindlers Med. program and US Students studying there? Any websites? I'm very interested in their program.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

Does anyone know anything about doing a fellowship over there?

thx.
Christine

 

[redshifteffect]

By fellowship do you mean doing residency within Australia?

 

[tl47]

Where exactly did you find more information related to Flindlers Med. program and US Students studying there? Any websites? I'm very interested in their program.

Check out: Flinders School of Medicine website

And you should also check ACER's info, which would be useful for all Oz schools. You can also do a search and look for info on SDN (this website). Or post questions...

Finally, some Aussie schools, (e.g. Flinders Uni ) have very good international admissions dept that would be happy to receive emails and replies them very quickly. (I was one of the lost people who emailed "dumb" and "silly" questions, so you won't be the first . I was surprised at how quickly I got my replies... <1 day! Now, I didn't say they promised that, or that they will always be that quick, did I? The key, as in all things, is to be reasonable and polite.)

You might be a bit confused by ACER. If you haven't read it yet, just keep in mind that USyd and Flinders Uni both accept applications directly. This means that you can use ACER to apply to a third school, and apply directly to USyd and Flinders Uni. ACER's instructions and forms seem to indicate that you must use their forms to apply, but that is not the case.

Good luck!

Edit: WOW! I just checked the website myself, looks like they have a US Toll Free number... so, there... incredible.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

A fellowship is something you do after your residency
In other words, if you are a specialist.. aka.. um.. orthopedics for example, you can do a fellowship in hand surgery... make sense?

It's like a subspecialty within a speciality

 

[tl47]

A fellowship is something you do after your residency
In other words, if you are a specialist.. aka.. um.. orthopedics for example, you can do a fellowship in hand surgery... make sense?

It's like a subspecialty within a speciality

Interesting... so I guess this is for people who have finished med school, finished residency and thinking of doing fellowship in Oz? Well, I don't know about the "status" of the fellowship (i.e. whether US would accept whatever you do in Australia? etc.). You had best contact the schools directly and enquire, although I think you might want to contact the specific "college" for your specialty (e.g. for Australian physicians, family practice, etc.)... &#921; wouldn't hold my breath that there would be people who have done it, and would post here. And as for others, like me... we can only state what we know about it... which is probably very little given that this is too far away for many of us to bother .

 

[PreMedAdAG]

I know an orthopedic surgeon practicing in California that did his knee surgery fellowship in Oz.. did it in Sydney