Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery

Overview

Duration:
 6 years full-time
 
Mode:
 On campus (Internal), full time
 
Workload:
 Normal workload expectations are an average of 23 hours of contact time per week across the first three years of the course, increasing in the later three years to an average of 35 hours of contact time per week in the sixth year of the course. Contact time includes lectures, tutorials, clinical skills sessions, placements and time spent in a hospital or clinic environment. Additional time needs to be allowed for preparation and time spent on assessment tasks.
 
Type:
 Undergraduate
 
Credit points:
 144 credit points o
 
Intake:
 February
 
Campus:
 Years 1-3: Townsville, with some out of Townsville placements.
Years 4-6: Cairns, Darwin, Mackay or Townsville.
See Placement and relocations for a full description of the requirements about study locations.
 
Faculty:
 Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences
 
School:
 School of Medicine and Dentistry
 
Special Entry Requirements:
 APPLICATIONS FOR 2009 ENTRY HAVE NOW CLOSED
 
Prerequisite/s:
 English, Maths B and Chemistry (Physics desirable)
 
QTAC code:
 317012 Townsville
 
Course code:
 72010
 
CRICOS Code:
 043052K
 

o Credit points: Represent the combined value of individual subjects in a degree. One subject usually constitutes three credit points.
 

Placements and relocations to sites other than Townsville

All students enrolled in the MBBS and MBBS (Hons) program attend clinical placements in sites other than Townsville in each year of the program. More than half the students in Years 4, 5 and 6 are expected to relocate to other School clinical teaching sites such as Cairns, Darwin and Mackay.

A condition of entry to the JCU MBBS course requires that students agree to undertake these placements and relocations. There are NO exemptions from this requirement.

Lateral entry students who enter the program in Years 2 or 3 are expected to participate in the placement and relocation programs. A condition of entry is that some Lateral Entry students may be asked to undertake placements scheduled in years earlier that their admission year, if a gap in their experience is identified.

Our primary aim is to provide high quality medical education that also reflects our focus on rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical health. For this reason and to accommodate the increased number of students that are needed for the future, we have a program that is geographically distributed across northern Queensland and the Northern Territory. Students entering medicine in 2009 should expect, at minimum, the following placements and relocations.

Year 1:

2 week Health Elective Placement

Students undertake a continuous two week elective in December (Year 1 of the MBBS) - January in an area of health of interest to the student and ratified by the School.

These placements are not available at hospitals where there are already more senior medical students.

Working with placement coordinators, students organise this elective themselves, including travel and accommodation and bear associated costs.

Year 2:

4 week Rural Elective Placement

Students undertake a continuous four week elective in mid-year break or the end-of year break. This is undertaken in a community the School recognises as being rural (Townsville, Cairns and Mackay and other similar regional centres are not regarded as being rural) and as having a suitable placement location and supervisor.

This elective cannot be done in the student’s home town or in a health service where their parent works. Students should reside in the town for the entire placement and not commute.

Working with placement coordinators, students organise this elective themselves, including travel and accommodation and bear associated costs.

Year 3:

2 week Acute Care Elective Placement

This elective is undertakenafter the end-or-year exams in a location organised by the School of one which is organised by the student and ratified by the School.

Students who organise this elective themselves, bear associated costs, including travel and accommodation.

Year 4:

Relocation of students to Cairns or other teaching sites

Large numbers of students will be required to relocate to Cairns or other teaching centres to live and work for their Year 4 Academic Year.

The final decision on who will relocate to Cairns will be decided by ballot in Year 3. Students bear all associated costs of the relocation.

8 week Rural Term

All students undertake an 8 week rural rotation to a rural teaching site such as, but not limited to the Atherton Tablelands, Mackay region (not Mackay city), Mt Isa and the Gulf region, Cape York and other rural towns in north Queensland.

The final decision on which students go to which sites will be decided by ballot in Year 3.

Students bear travel costs that are associated with this elective. Accommodation is supplied by JCU and/or Qld Health.

Years 5:

Relocation of students to other teaching sites for all year 5 and 6

Most students will be required to relocate to live and study fulltime for all of Year 5 & 6 in either Cairns, Mackay or Darwin, or other sites that may be developed in the interim.

Students bear all associated costs of the relocation.

The final decision on which students go to which sites will be decided by ballot in Year 4 of all Cairns and Townsville based students. Students with school-aged children may apply for exemption from re-location. Others with exceptional circumstances may apply for consideration for exemption from relocation.

Year 6:

Year 5 relocation continues in year 6

In most cases, students continue at the same location in Year 6 as in Year 5.

8 week Rural Internship

All students undertake an 8 week rural internship in rural Queensland Health hospitals and community settings or other hospitals ratified by the School.

Students are allocated by ballot in the Year 5.

Students bear travel costs that are associated with this elective. Accommodation is supplied by JCU and/or Qld Health.

Career Opportunities

Doctors and surgeons are in high demand. JCU graduates with a degree in medicine and surgery are eligible for professional registration with all medical boards in Australia and New Zealand. This enables them to enter supervised medical practice as interns anywhere in Australia, and prepares them to progress to any medical specialty.

Professional Accreditation

The JCU Medical School has accredited by the Australian Medical Council – the national accreditation and standards body.

Medical graduates are eligible for professional registration with all medical boards in Australia and New Zealand, which enables them to enter supervised medical practice as interns anywhere in Australia, and prepares them to progress to any medical specialty.

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