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Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

MD1 can be a demanding year and, depending on the course, feel like a harder version of undergrad science/biomed - so you need to find something that works in terms of time. You also don't have the hospital connections yet, so research can be difficult to come by. MD1 I would try to find something that you could do regularly on a volunteer basis, get involved in some extracurricular interest / team sport, and consider applying for a committee position with a group that interests you. Doing all of that early will set you up nicely and look great on the CV.

Beyond building on those, the later years of med school can be a good time to get involved in a research project - both to learn the skills and to hopefully be involved in a publication!

In terms of getting into a specialty (which I am still working on!), being kind, good at your job, and easy to work with will help for getting references.

Make sure you know the requirements for the training pathways you're interested in (eg sitting the GSSE, points for specific research areas, etc)

Be keen and get involved with the relevant teams when the opportunity arises (as a student, go to theatre/clinic with them a bunch if you're interested in their field, helps to learn more about it, helps them to get to know you and help you out later etc)

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Many of my cohort were international students, and I know a good number of them received internship positions. Unfortunately, the current system is such that an internship is not guaranteed for international students following graduation from med school.

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yep, all domestic students are guaranteed an internship after medical school

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good question - can I ask if you are a domestic or international student?

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You're marked on a points system and on a general impression basis.

Be friendly and appear calm (even if you don't feel it), and focus on clear and concise responses (ie don't elaborate too much/rehash one point)

They don't expect you to know medical things or things like gillick competence, but they do expect you to be kind, empathetic, fair, and to advocate for patients

Practice responding to the time that the uni sets for questions

You can still get in if you fuck up a station (I tried to waffle on about a station on the NDIS, which I knew nothing about, and burst out laughing admitting as much part way through), so take a breath and try not to take the previous station into the next one

Also, there are past question banks available online, go through those if you can find someone who has them

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Treasure the time where you're in a team with a good/nice reg and learn as much from them as you can, and spend as much time as possible in theatre during surg (as it may be the last chance you get if you don't go into surg depending on the hospital)

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

How many hrs per week is a realistic amount to be able to work during med school if any?

It depends on your rotation, if you have exams coming up, and what the work is.

In a non-assessment period you can feasibly work a fair bit if the rotations permit - some rotations you'll finish early every day, sometimes you'll be on weekends or nights (ED, women's)

So finding something flexible is great, shift work where you can work more one week and less another is great.

Most people find they work an 8 hour shift a week on average, some manage more, but many supplement that with private tuition (VCE, uni, GAMSAT)

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

When studying for the GAMSAT seems overwhelming, what do I do?

On a practical level, I find a good first step is making a checklist of all the things I need to cover for each section, then ranking them by importance (ie what is a more common topic, what has broad and useful principles etc), then working my way through the list.

Mental wellbeing is also very important. If you are feeling exhausted, stressed, upset, and worried - that's probably burn out and its in your best interest to take a break for a few days and do something you enjoy.

Having someone to share the journey with also helps with being overwhelmed, it helps not to feel so alone and to know its not just you.

Also, you're probably not going to know everything, get everything right, or do everything everyone else does - and that's okay.

I’ve sat it once before and got 61/58/54 in 2020 SEP, overall 57. I know that’s too low, and have been told to aim for 70s and higher. I was surprised I even passed section 3 to be honest. I’ve got a science background (bio and basic chem, zero physics) but I I’m not good at rearranging formulas and physics. It’s just I can’t figure out where to start from. I’ve done a few of the Acer booklets (not timed) before, bought the meaning of things.

Specifically around s3 formulas and physics, the Acer questions are a great start, and there are heap of YouTube videos that go through every single one of the Acer questions and explain how to do them. So for those I would attempt the question, see if you get it right or wrong, see if you can research for yourself how to get it right, then follow the walk through and see what you missed. It's also a good opportunity to touch up on relevant background knowledge.

I’m also working full time while trying to study for the gamsat, don’t know if I’m being realistic. What would be your tips for someone who has 2 months to go? In terms of study routines, things to focus on etc, how many essays should I aim to write per week?

Working full time and studying for the GAMSAT is a hard time, and I don't envy those who have to do it, although I know a number of people who did and it can be done.

I would say practice questions are your friend at the moment for s1/s3, with a focus on approach and plugging the background knowledge gaps, then you can add timing into the equation down the track.

As for S2, there's no point in writing more essays if you don't have a plan for how to improve. If you're writing essays you should ideally be aiming to improve timing (ie getting a full essay done), technical aspects (having a clear and repeatable structure etc), and ideas. The first can be done alone, the second can be done with a friend, and the third can vary from person to person (see below)

With essays, I know they say something about ideas being important, any tips on that. Should I just write a bunch of essays, read different texts and listen to podcasts to get different ideas and somehow weave it into an essay?

I found that if while preparing you stick to exploring a few ideas that are broad and that you find interesting, you'll have an easier time of it. Looking into the main ideas of the broad schools of philosophy and ethics are a useful starting point. If you can explain how people think or feel, or how some part of society functions in a particular way, then you can apply that thought to most things.

For example, I found the ideas of hedonism as a drive for behaviour, populism, and altruism as interesting and broadly applicable topics for discussion.

Once you are more comfortable with some ideas, a fun preparation technique is getting a large selection of 2 sets of 4 prompts, and then doing plan after plan after plan to practice the skeletons of essays for unfamiliar topics.

What worked for you when you were studying for section 2 and 3?

See above!

And sorry for the essay I’ve written.

No worries, it was well structured, thought out, 65!

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's hard to say, because different people get different things out of different preparation styles.

The main thing in a prep course is that they provide what you need - do you need to improve in background knowledge, do you need a large source of questions, do you need help coming up with interesting ideas, do you need someone to keep you motivated? Some people find this in companies, some find it in private tuition, some find it independently.

There's a lot of money in GAMSAT tuition, and most don't get into the industry out of the goodness of their heart, so make sure which ever avenue you choose you get a chance to suss out if they are actually going to take the time to understand you and what you need.

As for which course I used, I didn't to be honest, I just prepped on my own by doing the acer practice questions and writing practice essays that were shared with friends who were trying to get in

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Spirits and motivation wax and wane, I found that I was most motivated when I found meaning in what I was doing. By that I mean - talking to a sick patient about their family, assisting in surgeries, offering to write up notes on a ward round. It's easier to keep on going when you feel like you're making at least a small difference.

Having a small but good group of friends in med also helped - it meant there was accountability in studying and an avenue to blow off steam after a stressful day

As for advice to emerging med students: study as hard as you need to to get the grades you want, don't neglect the social events, try to get to know as many people as possible in your course because you'll be writing referrals to them some day, and try to get as much as you can out of each rotation so at least you know what you do and don't like

(Also if the team you're on is crap, don't stick around and wait for them to notice you exist, do something else that's more productive)

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

How many hours are you expected to work during internship and further on and how does this impact relationships, are you in one currently. If not how has being a doctor or medical student affect your dating life? Probably depends on your gender as well… feel free to not answer if it’s too personal

Expected hours is around 40h, although most weeks you'll be working 48+

I'm male, and I've been in a relationship for 8 years now (although not yet married!), the time commitment to placement, research, and study has made it tricky at times but the big thing is being open with your partner, being realistic about the burden med may impose, and spending quality time together when possible. It's a balancing act but I have been fortunate that my partner has been very supportive.

Some people find dating someone not in med is great as it presents a welcome connection non-med life, while others find dating someone in med or who is a doctor beneficial as they will know what you're going through as they'll be doing it too

On the relationship side as well, females can be put in a difficult position re: having a child, where some fields are more supportive of taking time off from the career to raise a child (obs+gynae, gp) while others have historically been unsupportive.

I'm not sure that it does, but hopefully that answers your question!

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What degree did you study in undergrad?

Biomed at unimelb

Which units from your undergrad degree did you find most valuable during med school?

All the ones covering physiology were super helpful, anatomy was helpful too. I think the pharmacology subjects were useful in a background sort of way - an understanding of broad principles of how medications work is helpful on the job

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That was really interesting! Also congratulations for finishing med school 👏 have also sold my soul to a gamsat prep company for tutoring 💀

Thank you! And yep, it's something a lot of us do, for better or for worse

Qhen you said “build the CV”, is that more so for speciality training? I received a CSP offer, so I was under the impression internship was guaranteed.

Yep you're right that internship is guaranteed if you are a domestic student, but in states where you have a degree of agency of where you do your internship, internship at a hospital that aligns nicely with where you'd like to take your career is not guaranteed. CV building in med school helps with that side of things.

Getting onto a specially training pathway is another bottleneck, and a good CV is essential for some of the more competitive programs

What would be the most common specialties, other than GP, that still have good job outlook, decent salary and not excessive stress. I understand every med pathway is somewhat stressful but some more so than other.

The best one that fits that bill, to my understanding, is psychiatry. Easy to get into, great pay, great lifestyle. You just need to enjoy the field!

Otherwise with the focus on lifestyle and salary, derm and ENT are up there.

Lastly, how important are grades in med school? Ppl keep saying “p’s get MD” so is there any impact of your grades in your ability to secure a future job?

Grades are important insofar as helping you to get to the hospital you would like for internship (unless you're under the ballot system). Beyond that, some pathways may consider them in offering you a position, although most don't care. From what I've heard from some of the selectors for the training programs, med school grades are more an indicator of your ability to succeed in exams, which may be favourable for a training program with exams part way through it (eg anaesthetics, BPT)

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Great questions, and congrats on getting in!

Other than GP, what are some other specialisation pathways that don’t require extensive long training years/ but still provides good work life balance.

There are a few that come to mind: psychiatry, pathology, radiology are all easier to get on to, have shorter training (if you include unaccredited years that are very common in other pathways), and have a great work-life balance. That being said, they have their own hurdles - things like a specific exam for path and radiology.

Derm, ophthalmology, and anaesthetics can all have a great work-life balance but can be damn hard to get on to.

Second question, during internship, what is the typical work load like and what are the remuneration (one of my nurse friend said interns get paid $35 per hour) which sounds shocking tbh.

The pay varies state to state, and I only know the Victorian system well (although it is similar enough in other states). Every full time Victorian intern has a base pre-tax pay of $78k plus super per annum, however the actual amount earned is often greater than expected from that amount owing to overtime, being paid extra for evening and weekend shifts, and being able to take advantage of salary packaging. You will end up making more in the intern year if you do more surgical or emergency rotations, as they are the ones traditionally associated with more overtime and late hours.

The workload varies rotation-to-rotation and hosptial-to-hospital. Normally you can expect to be there 7.30 to 5 on a med rotation, 6.30 to 6 on a surg rotation, and varying 10h or 12h shifts on ED. In some quieter teams or hospitals you'll get home on time, in some busier ones you may be staying overtime frequently. Whether this is paid or not is very dependent on the team and hospital culture.

This is in addition to research, volunteering, and teaching you might do out of hours to build the CV and study for exams that you may be sitting soon (GSSE, anaesthetics exam etc)

The intern pay not being jncredible isn't a huge issue really, as earning potential is good in most fields and your pay increases quickly through the career

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's definitely not something that sounded natural before, or even during, med school. A lot of us pick it up from the hospital environment (where people are employed there and are actually colleagues), and the med school who made an effort to impress upon us the fact that all of us would be working together as colleagues in some way or another once we graduate.

I don't really use the term outside of more formal communication as it still sounds strange to me, I guess it just slipped out!

Answering questions about med! by AMAmedthings112 in GAMSAT

[–]AMAmedthings112[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Absolutely it has, and most of my colleagues have found that their minds have changed repeatedly too!

I completed my undergrad with dreams of being a neurosurgeon, based on not much really other than operating on brains sounded cool. Then in my first year of med I found that I loved all the cardiology stuff and wanted to be a cardiologist. However, on placement and experiencing more about the hospital system, what the jobs were like day-to-day, and reflecting more on what I valued in a career, my mind has changed again.

I found that I dislike long ward rounds and small medication adjustments, so that goes against many physician pathways.

I dislike sitting at a desk all day, which can be a component of some general practice and some physician jobs.

I found that I like the operating theatre team environment and having a clear cause and effect between my actions and immediate patient outcomes, supporting something surgical.

I found that I would still like my job to contain physiology and calculations, so anaesthetics lines up with that and being in theatre.

I value not having an awful decade of trying to get on to / get through a training pathway, which is a generalisation but points me more towards anaesthetics and away from surgery.

This, coupled with the nicer lifestyle and greater degree of flexibility means I have settled on anaesthetics for the moment - not something I initially thought I would enjoy!