How to Become a Doctor in Australia
Has becoming a doctor always been a passion of yours? Unsure where to start in terms of the pathways to becoming a doctor, and understanding what will be the best pathway for you?
With 18 medical schools spread around Australia, with all offering different courses, and different approaches, it is quiet easy to be confused – the good news however is that it is not as complicated as it looks.
Essentially, there a couple of steps (and a lot of study) required to take you from where you are today, to a professionally qualified doctor:
- Medical School (5-6 years)
- Intern (1 year)
- Resident (1+ years)
- Registrar (4-6 years)
- Consultant
Postgraduate:
- Undergraduate Degree (3-4 years)
- Postgraduate Medical School (4 years)
- Provisional Registration
- Intern (1 year)
- Medical Registration
- Resident Medical Officer (1 + years – prevocational training)
- Registrar (3-8 years – vocational training)
- College Fellowship
All of this however starts with entry into Medical School. So, what are the pathways to medical school?
Want to find out more about the admission requirements into Australia’s 18 medical schools, and the UMAT testing? Read our article on Studying Undergraduate Medicine.
What about if you want to study postgraduate medicine? Check out our article looking at postgraduate medical school programs.
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69 Comments
i was wondering what kind of HSC scores do you need?
Varies depending on which university you want to be accepted in. Say Melbourne Uni, one of the prestigious ones you would need to be in the top 5% bracket.
Hi I’m 28 and have always had a passion in becoming a doctor. I completed year 12 very poorly and pretty much have had no education since. Are my chances in becoming a doctor gone or is there a chance. Please help thanks
@Maryanne – you can always start off from a college/tafe and bridge back into a university course to do a semi related course such as medical science. Completing the undergraduate degree will allow you to apply for a postgraduate degree and sit the GAMSAT (http://www.gamsat.acer.edu.au/). The real point that I would like point out is – it’s never too late, I hope that you can combine your passion with a career so that you can attain happiness =)
Hi,
I’m a third year occupational therapy student at the university of sydney. I am looking into doing medicine the year after I finish OT. I am happy to go to most universities in Australia (as long as there is a beach near by).I was wondering if you could answer a few questions.
How is the best way to ensure I get into medicine, what should I study, should I do a pre-Gamsat course??? What grades should I be getting in OT to get into medicine?
How about the universities who don’t use the GAMSAT, for example WA how do apply?
Can I take the GAMSAT before I finish my degree (e.g. next march) so I get 2 chances to get in to medicine.
If I have to take a period of time off for example if I decide to have kids how do I get back into medicine.
Is there a calender anywhere with dates of when you need to apply for GAMSAT?? And how do you apply to the GAMSAT course.
I am just looking for what I can do now to help prepare myself for medicine. And my prayer is that one day I will be able to help those who need help.
I am 31 and have had an interest in becoming a doctor. I completed my VCE in 1997 and have not completed any studies since then. I’m in Melbourne.What would be my best option of getting into this field.Can you begin at the most basic TAFE level and tell me what I need from there onwards until the completion of studies and ready to begin work as a doctor? Thank you, I appreciate your advice.
Regards, Miles.
hello iam just asking how could i become a doctor??
i will graduate as a EN in august this year what could b my next step??
thanks,
hi I was wondering if the army can help pay to become a doctor if I join or do I have to be a doctor before joining
Hi, I am in year 7 and would like to become a Doctor in the future. What subjects should I take in High School to pursuit my study. Can anyone please help me? Thank you very much for trying to give me the direction.
@Josephine
I’m not studying medicine but was very interested in it in high school, in order to get into an undergraduate medical studies course you would need to take subjects such as: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Advanced Mathematics and English!
@Ben . I looked into it and the Defence Force has Scholarships for people studying medicine. You apply in your first year of either your Graduate medicine or undergrad medicine degree and they sponsor you for the remainder of the course. You then work in the Army/Navy/Air Force for the amount of years they sponsor you plus one extra year (required Period of service POS). It seems like a pretty good program if you are willing to commit yourself to the defence force
@Josephine . The requried studies for most courses are Mathematics or Mathematics Extension 1, Chemistry and Physics or Biology. This is generally it but look into the details if you have a specific uni in mind
hi im in year 10 and i want to know if you need to do physics to be a doctor? could you please help me?
@Mahimi: you don’t need physics to do bachelor of medicine/surgery
prerequesites are study scores of at least 30 in english (35 ESL)and 30 chemistry
doing biology would probably help too
hi, im at the age of 14 and i want to become a doctor i always come 1st or 2nd in class but i just study half an hour every day so my question is.The time that i study is it enough? and what should i study if it’s not enough time? please answer as quick as possible. because i want make a new home time table.
how many hours should i study if im at the age of 14 and in year 8 to become a doctor?
I’m in year ten and thinking of studying medicine. If you get an op around 3-5, does this mean that you do a three year degree at uni, and then sit the gamsat to gain entry into medicine? And is there a top bracket you have to achieve in the gamsat to gain entry. Thank you
hi iam a medical student frm russia ,i finished my studies recently and iam wondering what i have to do to be a doctor in russia, and my boyfriend is Australian.could he able to sponsor me .and do i need to do further studies after i migrate to ausee land .
thankyou ps
Hi I am 13 yrs from Melbourne and would be joining year 10 next year. I do not like maths and I want to be a doctor.I am thinking of Biology, Chemistry and Physics for my compulsory Unit 3&4 studies and take any other subjects to fulfill 16 units for VCE. My queries are:
1) What studies are going to give me a good ATAR?
2) Are there any compulsory studies required to get into Monash or Uni of Melbourne?
Hi, im 28 and have a BSc in chemical engineering. But I have a burning passion to become a doctor. I was just wondering if my degree would speed up the process in becomin a doctor and how. Thanks
I am 21 years old and are very interested in becoming a doctor, can i study in Bunbury Western Australia?
Hi, I am currently pursuing my HSC from India in Science with Physics, chemistry, Biology, mathematics, french and english as my main subjects i have always been an above average student. i wanted to gain my doctor’s degree from melbourne (gynaecology). Can u please guide me as to how should I move ahead? Thanks
hi, peoples im 14 yrs old and i am dying to work in the medical industry. if only you could start at the age of 15… i mean i love biology, its what im good at and deffinately have a passion for! im wondering about what percentage we need in hsc to go to oxford uni.
hi,i am year 12 now,and I want to do MBBS in the future.But if i can’t really get in it straight way what other course should i do firsty which is most helpful for MBBS?
Hi, @Amal,
The first thing to do is to look at your test scores as well as your assignments. Do you recall enough information when sitting your tests in class? Is there enough structure and details in your assignments? That will help you realise if 30 minutes of study a day is enough or not.
30 minutes, in my opinion, is an advantage compared to other students who don’t even study at all. Remember just to keep revising as you will eventually be able to remember all the information!
Time studying varies for everyone, some may need just 15 minutes or two hours, so you need to evaluate what is best for you.
hi, im currently doing my EN course
and look towards doing my RN, I do
however have the desire of becoming a doctor.
I live in Adelaide and would like to know what
steps i can take to start my journey of
becoming a doctor. Please let me know asap.
also, im 19 years old and feel that if i start now,
i’ll definately fulfill my goal of hopefully
making it as a doctor
Hi my name is Riley, I am in year 8 and I am extremely interested in becoming a general practitioner. I have always enjoyed learning about health and the human body, I do really well in my tests and assignments . I would like to attend Monash University and I would like to know what scores I need to archive in my VCE results,
Thanks
Ur all weirdos
Hi, I’m 14 and I have a passion for the medicine industry. I want to become a neurosurgeon, but I know I have to do doctor first.
What subjects are strongly required for university?
What type of maths is needed?
How long am I looking at before I am a neurosurgeon? (years)
Is there any TAFE courses I could do to help me with my doctor/surgery career?
Just to add…
Why is there 2 pathways to the medical industry after year 12. What is the difference between each one? Is it qualifications and grades after school or?????
Hi,
I Saw that you need to get in the top 5% in your VCE score, I do not think that I will get that high, is there another way to get into medicine even without getting into the top 5%
hi, im 23 yrs old from sri lanka.iI hv completed my year 10.nw im in aus.which pathway I have to follow to be a doctor and how long would it take.
plzz rply..
thank you so much
hi, im 17 and just finished my hsc. im not incredibly smart but i want to be a doctor. so im thinking il do a bachelor degree to lead me into the medical course. any tips or advice???
Hi, If you intend to become a doctor (GP) and have no university yet, how long does it take to be a GP in private practice? and what is the minimum amount of time until you would get paid?
Basically im interested in becoming a doctor, but i have a family so they time needed until a paying job is very important. Can you fast track medicine in anyway?
Hi
If any of you want to become a doctor and are educating yourselves on a pathway to medicine via internet forums- you have no chance
And if you’re not very smart, haven’t completed school, completed school more than 10 years ago, 14 and want to be a neurosurgeon because of grey’s anatomy (14-18 years of study- your current age) it is absolutely impossible.
Hi, I live in Queensland. I’m 16 and just about to go to Year 12. I do Advanced Maths,Phys, Biology, Chemistry, English, Spanish and I mostly get good grades. I want to get into medicine and I know there are two pathways to do that. I know OP 1 is required to get straight into MBBS after finishing high school. But I think I might not achieve such a high result. I might get an OP 2 or 3-5 most probably. Is that still acceptable? Or will I have to chose the other pathway i.e Any Bachelor Degree and then do GAMSAT before getting into MBBS?
Thanks a lot for your help.
Hello i was wondering, i just finished the HSC with an ATAR of 81.20 and was wondering if there are any course credits from a bachelor of science that would contribute to me being eligible for a medical degree?
I am a final year med student. Work really hard in your bachelor degree and study hard for the GAMSAT. It is very competitive and you need good grades to compete with everyone else trying to get in. In graduate entry med there are no course credits. You start from scratch whether you have done biomedical science or fine arts. It doesn’t matter what course you do first. There are many varied degrees in my course. It might help to do a degree that will help your GAMSAT results ie something ‘sciencey’. There is no easy way or quick way to get in. Just plain hard work.
It takes 5-6 years of undergrad medical school, or a 3-4 year bachelor degree followed by 4 years of graduate medical school. Then one year of internship, followed by residency and specialisation trainingafter you graduate… 4 years min training to be a GP…Longer for everything else especially surgical specialties.
hi i was just wondering how much do u have to get in hsc to become a doctor
???
Cameron – do yur science degree, enjoy it, do well in it… then use your GPA for entry to a graduate program – tis what I did
Steph: hey, you must be on deal downer. Someone stand on your toes? Nothing is impossible if you want it enough. I went to uni at 44 and was a Director of Nursing in 10 years. Some of the best Docs I know trained originally as nurses and did not start their medical training till mid-late 30′s. With the new graduate courses there are many more opportunities to train. And what’s wrong with wanting to be a neurosurgeon? Go for it! As long as you can work hard you can get there. You don’t need to be genius.
Hi. I am just about to start my 1st senior year at my local high school. My year 11 subjects I have chosen are based on the hope that i will sucessfully complete my HSC in Health and Sciences, subjects like Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and English. I have a passion for children, and my ultimate career would be assisting in Womens Health, Pregnancy and Lactation. I’ve always wanted to be an OB/GYN but thought it would be too hard to start purely because how hard Medicine is to get into. Could you please direct me on study habbits, and if this dream will ever come about and how to work towards it? Thanks.
Hi,
the differences between the two pathways are:
straight from highschool requires exceptionally high grades, followed by 6 years of full time study.
Graduate entry requires a previous 3 year degree in any field (some unis require specific previous degree) – medical degree then takes 3 – 4 years.
Either way you end up with a degree that allows you to apply for internship, but if you go the second route you can do your first degree in something else first, which may be useful for supporting yourself while studying medicine (or may just satisfy your interest in things other than medicine). You do not need to go straight into medicine after your first degree and don’t have to do both degrees at the same university.
hi, i was wondering what can i do to study further to beccome a doctor, because i not op eiligable and i have no idea of what to do about this…
i was wondering could you help??
Hi,, I am 14 and I want to be a Doctor. I dont know what should I do so could someone help me please,,,
Hey, I’m 14 and have been seriously interested in becoming a doctor since i was in year 5 (and have done preliminary firstaid certificate since year 6 and about to get my senior firstaid). I’m now in year 9 i do adv math, English, science and sports studies. I want to become a emergency specialist and was wondering what electives will help and what sort of mark will I need to get in my HSC to get into a decent uni around Sydney.
-Thank
Hi
I am South African residing in SA, are there any options available to me? Becoming a doctor has been a life long dream for me and over here it is almost impossible due to many reasons I’d rather withold.
I hope I can be assisted
I’m 13 and in year 9. I want to become a doctor but I have no idea what to do. I was told that you have to get a 99.9% in the HSC, which seems virtually impossible. What courses would be the best to do?
hi am 32 year i finshed universty of siance in 2000 out side australia my hsc degree was %87 and know im interest to study medical degree and i would like to get help to know if i could or no if i could whate the steps i should do to start am in sydney thanks for help
Hi, im 29 years old, completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physical Education), and have developed a strong passion for becoming a doctor. Could you please give me advise for what you think the best pathway is i should take for postgraduate study.