Macquarie University

About University

Deakin University Medical School is Victoria’s first rural and regional medical school and has a mission to train work-ready graduates to help reduce the chronic shortage of doctors in rural and regional Australia.

As a Deakin medical student, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the practice of medicine, with an emphasis on the early development of clinical, communication and procedural skills; diagnosis and management of chronic diseases; professionalism and work readiness; and multidisciplinary teamwork.

Four Themes of the Deakin MD

Deakin’s Doctor of Medical has four key themes that support the program’s curriculum and focus:

• Knowledge of Health and Illness – the biological and behavioural sciences underpinning the practice of medicine
• Doctor, Patient, and Communication – the clinical skills required to practice medicine
• Public Health Medicine – a broad theme which includes biostatistics and epidemiology, population and public health, health systems and the effect of culture on health, particularly Indigenous health
• Ethics, Law, and Professional Development – the ethical, professional and legal basis of medical practice

Program

Problem-based learning is a key theme of medicine at Deakin, meaning that while you are at university, you will learn to solve the kinds of problems that you will encounter when you are working in medicine.

You will also get the chance to study at Deakin’s $53-million purpose-built facilities at Geelong Waurn Ponds campus for the first two years of your degree. This allows you to learn and engage through problem-based seminars and practical classes.

Clinical Placements

In Year 2, you’ll attend clinical sites (hospitals, general practice, and community health centres) in the Geelong region. During Year 3, you will undergo intensive clinical training within health services. Most students will be based at public and private hospitals and general practices in Geelong, Warrnambool, Ballarat, or Melbourne for four five-week rotations. A small cohort will attend Deakin’s Rural Community Clinical School (RCCS) where they will be based in GP clinics with local hospital visiting rights across several towns in western Victoria.

The course concludes in Year 4 with two five-week rotations—an elective that can be taken in Australia or overseas and a pre-internship hospital rotation in which you will experience the day-to-day life of an intern.

Employability

All of Deakin’s 2016 and 2017 Doctor of Medicine graduates are successfully employed.