The University of Notre Dame Australia

The instructors in the Doctor of Medicine are often clinicians/industry experts that have a wealth of knowledge. I will admit, some are not meant to be teachers, however you will soon learn which instructors are good, and which ones that you might want to…find external study resources for. The hands on training is phenomenal, even as a small uni, they still manage to have great simulation facilities and even cadaver labs. The course structure will be very confusing at first, given that it is spiral and PBL based. What this means is that each week there is a different theme for medicine the PBLs are based on, and that is what we learn for that week. The spiral refers to the way the topics comeback around later in the year, thus some PBLs may have some overlapping topics (which is good, because then you can apply what you have learned in the past). This is in contrast with other schools… who do block learning (this involves having a single block for topics such as cardio, GI, neuro, etc.). While some people may love this method, I much prefer Notre Dame’s spiral method (we have a saying here. “Trust in the spiral”). Additionally, the medical society and the staff are incredibly supportive (like, I don’t recall ever having this much support before). The upper years are happy to share their knowledge with you, and there are even resources from previous years that worked well for the students in the past. The medical society is great at hosting events that bring together all the students to make you feel quite included.

Although Notre Dame is a smaller school itself, UNDA in Sydney is quite small compared to the one in Fremantle. This could initially be concerning to students (i.e., accreditation, reputation, etc.), but you will soon realise that being at a smaller university has many advantages. For one, you will have so many more opportunities to get involved compared to the big schools. The bigger schools may have a more competitive process for things, whereas UNDA is happy to have you involved wherever you can be. The facilities are quite nice as well. There are courtyards that you can relax at, basketball hoop, study spots, etc. Student Life (the team that handles things related to students) often hosts events exclusively for international students as well, so keep an eye out for those!

I like that the university is small but that also has its drawbacks. At this moment, I do not feel like cattle in a farm but an exotic bird at a rich person’s home where I do get individual attention. I like to go to the gym but there isn’t one at the university which was a bit challenging but the university set up a partnership with a local gym. I am not a fan of their grading system since most of the grading occurs at the end of the year and that leaves little room for error throughout the year. I would say that medical school is hard, in general, wherever you go. I would recommend this university because they seem to be more holistic in their approach towards medicine in that they want compassionate doctors and not just doctors who know the technical information.

The instructors are great but it might be challenging getting used to the Australian accent in the beginning. There are a variety of instructors from different fields. There isn’t too much hands-on training in first year, mainly learning the fundamental concepts and shadowing a doctor. The course follows the PBL model with Spiral learning. There are great student clubs but I personally have been trying to limit that and focus on the coursework since it is a lot. I would attend events whenever I can like surgical events, emergency medicine and chaplaincy. I love that they bring in very accomplished people for their lectures and events. Some speakers won awards from the army, others from the government, others from different countries. It definitely is a humbling experience to be in the same room as these change makers.

I would personally recommend studying Anatomy, Histology and practicing some clinical skills before coming here. These are the areas I personally spend more time on so it might save you some stress when you get here. Apart from that, things are expensive over here if you are Canadian. I would say that this is a good option in the grade scheme of things as you can work afterwards as a junior doctor to potentially pay of any debt and the education is valued.

The course structure is a mix of lecture, labs, and small group learning. Tutors are matched up with each small group and they bring their real life experience to help us learn and work through case studies. There are many school events that take place to keep students engaged and included. I dislike the structure of the classes/ lectures as the lecturers don’t always get through the content in their time slot. I also find that sometimes lecturers assume that students have prior knowledge regarding complex topics. So sometimes it is necessary to do my own research after lectures to ensure that I understand the basic before the complexities.

The international students at Notre Dame are incredibly supported by staff and faculty. The transition to living and going to school in Australia was made seamless by the abundance of support received from the university. Notre Dame also does small group learning which is my favourite parts of the week. Collaborating with peers is encouraged and facilitated by tutors. Be open to new experiences and come with an open mind. You potentially get to be in the program that you have always wanted and while you’re at it you get to see a new and beautiful country.