Doctor of Medicine

2020 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2020 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2020 course information
Award granted	Doctor of Medicine
Campus	Offered at Waurn Ponds (Geelong)
Cloud Campus	No
Duration	4 years full-time. The course is only available to students on a full-time basis. This is a four-year graduate entry program for students who have already completed an undergraduate degree.
CRICOS course code	096842G Waurn Ponds (Geelong)
Deakin course code	H911
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Set yourself up for a range of careers, from general practice and geriatric medicine through to pathology, paediatrics and surgery. Our Doctor of Medicine has an emphasis on rural and regional medicine and aims to address the critical shortage of doctors in regionals areas – making graduates highly employable.

Do you want to experience the hands-on training and engaging theory needed to enter the medical profession with confidence?

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 our $53 million purpose-built facilities at Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus for the first two years of your course. This allows you to learn and engage through problem-based seminars and practical classes. Your clinical experience will take place in laboratories, hospitals, and other health services in the Geelong region.

Our course also includes placements in a range of medical environments, from hospitals and general practices to community healthcare settings in the Geelong region. For the third and fourth years of the course, you will have the opportunity to preference one of four clinical schools in Geelong, Ballarat, Warrnambool and Box Hill, with the additional option in third year of the Rural Community Clinical School.

The course concludes in year four with two five-week rotations – an elective that can be taken in Australia or overseas and a pre-internship hospital rotation in which the student experiences the day to day life of an intern.

During the clinical placement component of the Doctor of Medicine, you will complete at least four weeks of a dedicated rural attachment, which meets your Commonwealth Department of Health requirements.

Up to 5% of domestic places in Deakin's Doctor of Medicine course are held for Indigenous Australian applicants applying through the Indigenous Entry Stream

Indicative student workload

As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include classes, seminars, workshops, online interaction and clinical placements. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

All four years of the Doctor of Medicine require a full-time commitment, with a substantive load of required learning activities and study time.

Professional recognition

The Doctor of Medicine is accredited with the Australian Medical Council (AMC). Graduates who satisfactorily complete pre-registration training will qualify as Registered Medical Practitioners in Australia and New Zealand.

Career opportunities

Deakin’s medicine graduates perform extremely well in terms of employment outcomes.

In order to qualify as registered medical practitioners with the Australian Medical Council (AMC), these graduates are currently undertaking accredited internships at a number of Victorian and interstate hospitals.

Following successful completion of their intern year, our graduates will be able to apply for entry to speciality training programs for a diverse range of medical careers.

Participation requirements

There are extensive clinical placements throughout the course - see individual unit descriptions for full details.

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.

Mandatory student checks

All students are required to undertake a Police and Working with Children Check at the commencement of their course. Students who fail to do so prior to the commencement of clinical placement will not be able to undertake clinical placement and this will impede progress in the course.

Students are also be required to declare their immunisation status to satisfy the requirements of health organisations where they will be undertaking their clinical learning experience. A health organisation may refuse to accept a student for placement if the student’s immunisation status is not satisfactory to the health organisation

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, your fee category and the year you started. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website.

If you are an International student you need to be aware the Australian Government caps Commonwealth Supported Places (CSP) for this course. If you are enrolled in this course and transfer from a student visa or other temporary visa to a permanent visa, you are unlikely to receive a CSP place. You would however be eligible for a full fee-paying domestic place. For more information about fees, please visit Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Diagnose and manage clinical conditions, and carry out practical procedures to provide safe patient care.
Communication	Select appropriate communication modes to share complex knowledge and concepts with patients, carers, colleagues and communities
Digital Literacy	Use digital technology responsibly to enhance medical practice.
Critical thinking	Critically appraise and apply knowledge to problem solve and make sound professional and patient care decisions.
Problem Solving	Formulate healthcare solutions using research skills to evaluate, interpret and implement evidence based practice.
Self-management	Demonstrate professional obligation and responsibility to patients, the profession and self as work ready doctors; and show a life-long commitment to reflective learning through practice, research and teaching.
Teamwork	Demonstrate collaborative practice within a health care team to provide safe, high quality medical care.
Global Citizenship	Prioritise prevention and implement holistic approaches to enhance the health and well-being of individuals, communities and populations; advocate for public health and demonstrate a commitment to advancing the health and well-being of rural, remote, Indigenous and marginalised individuals and communities.

Course rules

The first two years of the MD are based at Waurn Ponds (Geelong), where students learn in simulated clinical environments and dedicated medical sciences teaching spaces, along with small-group learning sessions. Students will also be exposed to clinical experiences from early in the course, through placements with healthcare providers.

During years three and four students will undergo intensive clinical training within health services attached to one of five clinical schools, in Geelong, Warrnambool, Ballarat or Melbourne, or with the RCCS. Students will conduct their learning and assessment in the clinical environment, guided by experienced staff associated with the clinical schools.

The course concludes in year four with two five week rotations - an elective that can be taken in Australia or overseas and a pre-internship hospital rotation in which the student experiences the day to day life of an intern.

To complete the Doctor of Medicine students must attain 32 credit points. All units are core units (these are compulsory). Students must pass all units including all components of units in the course.

All commencing Faculty of Health Undergraduate and Postgraduate course work students are required to complete HAI010 Academic Integrity in their first semester of study (0 credit point compulsory unit).

The course is only available on a full-time basis.

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. Click here for more information.