Internationalisation of the School of Medicine forms a critical component of the 2011-13 University of Tasmania Internationalisation Strategy and is important in both the local and the global contexts within which the University operates. This is in response to globalisation and the need for all Univeristy students to be responsive to, and form and integral part of, the global community.
The mission statement of the School of Medicine is consistent with internationalisation:
“to produce graduates who will provide a significant contribution and positive impact on communities in Tasmania, mainland Australia and internationally ... committed to fostering collaboration on a domestic and global scale”
The School of Medicine Internationalisation and Elective (SMILE) Program was established in 2011. This program, for medical and paramedical students, integrates and expands the electives program with various activities associated with internationalisation. Through 'at home' and abroad experiences, students and staff are encouraged to develop a sense of global citizenship. The priority graduate attributes of the SMILE Program are: inter-cultural competence, social accountability and having a global perspective. Refer to the SMILE curriculum maps (PDF 515.8 KB) for more information.
Tasmania is the southern most state of Australia. It has a population of just over 500,000 and a temperate climate. Tasmania has 3 main regions, South, North and North West and each region has a major hospital where electives may be undertaken.
Placements are only available from the end of October to January inclusive, and applications close at the end of August of the year you wish to do an elective. They are offered in most departments of the hospitals, subject to availability, for a minimum of 4 weeks to a maximum of 12 weeks. A 12-week elective can consist of 4 week rotations over three departments in the hospital.
To be eligible students must be in their penultimate or final year at the time of the elective. Students are encouraged to take part in any teaching components, in addition to full clinical participation on the ward to which they are attached. In accepting an elective in Tasmania, students will be required to be familiar with, and abide at all times with the University's Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct.
All applications are processed through the University, any enquires should be directed to Electives Co-ordinator and not to the individual hospital or clinicians.
Elective students are accorded the same rights and responsibilities as final year students, are subject to the same screening and immunisation standards and required to provide supporting documentation of this. Please familiarise yourself with the Guidelines for Students on Clinical Placement with DHHS (PDF 53.1 KB)
Students must complete and supply the following:
Completed application forms should be forwarded to:
Electives Co-ordinatorFax: +61 3 6226 4788
Consultant hospital doctors vary in their expectation of what students should wear on the wards. We expect students to be well groomed and conservatively dressed while on the hospital wards.
We recommend males to wear shirts with long or short sleeves with a collar, dress trousers and closed-toe shoes. Females can wear trousers or skirts (no mini’s, exposed midriffs, low-cut tops). Jeans and sandals are unacceptable. Long hair should be tied back and nails kept short (for bedside work or procedures; hair is an OH&S issue in the labs). Theatre Scrubs will be provided to students participating in Surgical electives. You are required to bring your own Stethoscope.
Fees for overseas students are AUD$230 per week with a cap of AU$1000 for electives greater than 4 weeks. Domestic (Australian and New Zealand) students are charged a fee of AU$100 per week. There is no application fee. Payment is required 2 months before the commencement of the elective and fees are not refundable if you withdraw your application after payment has been made.
Students are responsible for their own accommodation and travel expense.
We have provided a list of some of the Accommodation Options in Hobart.
Email Launceston General Hospital House Services, who can provide low cost accommodation, subject to availability.
Australia's national registration and accreditation scheme began nationally on 1 July 2010. The National Scheme is governed by nationally consistent legislation, the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law as in force in each State and Territory.
For more information, refer to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) guide for students (PDF 101.7 KB).
Once the School of Medicine's form is completed, your submitted details will be forwarded to AHPRA for registration. No further action is required after submission.
The 4th-year Elective Program allows you the opportunity to explore new health care, cultural and training environments or delve deeper into existing medical interests.
It provides a chance to reflect on wider issues such as the ethics, politics and globalisation of health care and the role of doctors in health delivery.
You may discover much about yourself and your hosts during your stay. Most elective experiences yield many gifts including a two way exchange of knowledge and culture.
Often students also make a make a significant contribution to the health care of the community they visit.
The most useful resource for planning and undertaking your elective is the Elective Booklet (PDF 1.2 MB).
The 4th Year Elective Program occurs in the summer break between 4th and 5th year.
You are able to choose, within some limits, the place and supervisor anywhere within the world. You also determine what your focus of learning will be and how to get the best out of your attachment.
Learning objectives can include:
Director of Electives and Internationalisation
Dr Nick Cooling
Level 3 MS1
Nick.Cooling@utas.edu.au
Telephone: 6226 4663
Electives Co-ordinator
Gina Parsons
Level 3 MS1
Electives@med.utas.edu.au
A variety of bursaries, scholarships and other sources financial assistance are available for students preparing for electives
Refer to the MBBS Prizes and Scholarships page.
The UTAS Scholarship section also has 3 scholarships relevant to medical students. They all include support for elective experiences. Refer to:
| Organisation | Bursary | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Insurance Group Australia (MIGA) | 5 grants up to AUD 3500 | All Australian medical students |
| Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) | AUD 1000 | Rural elective in Australia |
| Junior Association for the Study of Medical Education (JASME) | GBP 500 | Member of JASME (nominal fee) |
| AMSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Elective Bursary | AUD 1000 | Interest in Aboriginal health |
| IMPACT Global Health Elective Bursary (PDF 24.2 KB) Application form (MS Word 24 KB) |
AUD 400 | Elective in low resource country |
| AMSA-American Express Global Health Elective Bursary | 5 grants of AUD 3000 | Elective or volunteer activity in developing community |
| MJA, MDA National, Nossal Global Health Prize (PDF 88 KB) | AUD 1000 | Experience in a low resource country |
OS-HELP is a Commonwealth loan that assists students with study overseas. It only applies before you commence your final year. Refer to the Academic Administration page for more information.
Deciding where to go for your elective can be a daunting task. Let's face it, when you have the whole world to choose from, the choices may seem endless. There will be a few factors which will narrow down your choice:
Read about students' electives experiences.
In each clinical school there are locations that have been developed by academic staff specifically for 4th year electives. UTAS students return to these locations each year, so the UTAS name is well known and respected. There may be additional benefits in going to these locations including scholarships, waiving of fees and possibility of undertaking longitudinal community development programs or research.
Vitoria, Brazil
Contact Dr Nick Cooling
Kupang, Indonesia
Contact Dr Sean Beggs
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Contact Prof Richard Turner
Nepal
Contact Dr Bert Shugg
Port Vila, Vanuatu
Contact Assoc Prof Peter Arvier
Reykjavik, Iceland
Contact Assoc Prof Peter Arvier
If you want someone else to organise your elective (for a fee), here are some options. The advantage is that they will plug you into an established program, organise accommodation and make all the logistic arrangements. The disadvantage is that you don't have the challenge of developing the elective yourself, which is a useful skill to learn.
The School of Medicine offers a pre-departure course for all students going on elective.
An alternative, external preparation course for electives is available from Murdoch University, Western Australia. The unit, SSH208 Global Engagement, is available in semester and full-year mode, both internally and externally. It will be offered in an intensive pre-departure mode, will continue in-country through a reflective blog or wiki, and then conclude with additional intensive sessions post-return. More details are available in the Murdoch University Handbook.
Bringing the Learning Home: A resource for studying abroad (PDF 408 KB) is a recommended online study guide for in-depth preparation for an elective or other study experience abroad.
University of Copenhagen: Guide of students going abroad
The mission statement of the School of Medicine is consistent with internationalisation:
“to produce graduates who will provide a significant contribution and positive impact on communities in Tasmania, mainland Australia and internationally … committed to fostering collaboration on a domestic and global scale”
In the MBBS course there are opportunities to develop intercultural competence and to be effective global citizens through an internationalised curriculum. This will be a transformative process (Murdoch-Eaton et al 2011) where:
The process of learning is also transformative in that it is focussed on broader graduate attributes such as leadership and the capacity to be change agents (Frenk 2010 (PDF 4.6 MB).
The graduate attributes of the MBBS Curriculum most related to internationalisation are:
Refer to the full map of the MBBS curriculum relating to Internationalisation and to global health (PDF 515.8 KB) for more information.
“An internationalised curriculum will purposefully develop the international and intercultural perspectives (skills knowledge and attitudes) of all students … through the preparation, delivery and outcomes of a program of study”
Prof Betty Leask 2009 (Uni SA)
Post dental clinic Ka Koh, Thailand, after the local children had many of their teeth pulled. Photo: Georgie Woolveridge
CBL cases with intercultural dimensions are utilised in all years of the MBBS course
Medical students at UTAS develop the building blocks for effective communication in Years 1 and 2 through Theme 2 Communication and Collaboration learning activities. These communication skills are then adapted to the medical consultation setting through Consultation Skills Workshops delivered through primary care rotations in 3rd and 4th years.
Consultation skills training could be further developed to assist students deal with specific population groups, e.g. Aboriginal, intellectual disabilities, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups. This adds an element of complexity and depth to the consultation process.
There is increasing need to develop intercultural competence as the diversity of cultural backgrounds increases in Tasmania, and as we prepare our medical students for work in a globalised world.
International medical students at UTAS have an opportunity to contribute to the teaching around intercultural competence by assisting in the formulation of authentic intercultural clinical cases and the sharing of their experiences in working with, and from, culturally diverse communities.
Read how international medical students help in the development of the 4th consultation skills program (PDF 178.0 KB).
This is a learning module offered to all 1st year students in the Faculty of Health Science.
Includes:
This module is under development and will be delivered in 2012.
Professor Darla Deardorff of Duke University leads a workshop on intercultural training
Teaching students from different cultures can be a challenge. While staff try to adapt their teaching techniques to match the learning styles of different cultures, what happens when there are many cultures in the classroom? And how do you know you are delivering best practice in intercultural teaching?
Dr Darla Deardorff from Duke University has a checklist and reflective questions that will help you (PDF 579.6 KB).
University of Lund, Lund, Sweden (Photo: Mikael Risedal)
EMESCAM University in Vitória, Brazil (Portuguese)
On their experiences in Papua New Guinea, Aceh, Bangladesh, Vietman and Samoa. On the AusAID YouTube Channel called My Journey/Personal Journey.
From the 3rd–10th July 2013, a total of eight students from UTAS represented a group of about 30 students from across Australia at the 34th Asian Medical Students’ Conference (AMSC) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The theme of the conference was “The Incoming Tide of Community Medicine.”
The Australian delegation swept the prizes for the academic competitions, placing in three out of four academic competitions. UTAS contributions were:
The Australian Delegation as a whole also won 2nd Place for both the Research Paper and the Public Health Campaign Film, both of which UTAS assisted in putting together.
UTAS punches above its weight and wins multiple awards at the AMSA International conference in Manila, Philippines
Impact Electives Night 2012 (PDF 158 KB)
On 25-26 August 2012, UTAS medical students had an opportunity to be a part of a new initiative in global health: the FutureMed workshop. FutureMed is an Australia-wide project governed by Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) after receiving funding from UNESCO to implement a campaign for educating our young medical students on the issues and challenges that 21st-Century medical professionals are likely to face (refer to Health Professionals for a New Century (PDF 4.6 MB)).
VGen is World Vision's youth movement, aiming to inspire, educate and empower young people to respond to issues of social justice, global health and poverty through local, grassroots action. As part of VGen you will have the opportunity to develop personal passions and professional skills including advocacy, leadership and social engagement. More information and contact details on the TUU site.
UTAS was part of the winning Australian delegation in various public health categories about bushfires and health.
Winner of EAMSC 2013 Video Competition.
The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) was founded in 1951. It is the world's oldest and largest independent organisation representing associations of medical students internationally. IFMSA is recognised as a non-governmental organisation within the United Nations' system and the World Health Organization, and it is a student chapter of the World Medical Association.
IFMSA was created to impact the world and to empower its members in taking their vision and ideas and making them a reality. IFMSA has inspired generations of medical students to develop the leadership abilities and skills to take on challenges and to improve the world around them in a crucial period of their careers.
Lecturer in Global Health
To expand your horizons and to prepare yourself for working in a global health field you may find the MBBS course doesn't provide you with all the requisite skills. Relevant skills include language acquisition, understanding geopolitics, entrepreneurialism, leadership, social activism, and business skills. There are many courses (often free of HECS) at UTAS that can help you.
| Course code | Course name | Coordinator | Next offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2C | Diploma in International Studies | Faculty of Arts | 2012 |
| R5Q | Graduate Certificate in International Politics [online] | School of Government | 2012 |
| R5M | Graduate Certificate in Public Policy [International] | School of Government | 2012 |
| C5G | Graduate Certificate in International Business | Faculty of Business | 2012 |
| M5M | Graduate Certificate in Clinical Leadership | Faculty of Health | 2012 |
| 73I | Bachelor of Regional Resource Management | Cradle Coast Campus |
| Unit code | Unit name | Coordinator | Next offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| KAA305 | International Project | Cradle Coast Campus | - |
| HSD323 | Sustainable Community Governance | Cradle Coast Campus | 2012 |
| KAA211 | Community Development | Cradle Coast Campus | 2012 |
| KGA171 | The Global Geography of Change | School of Geography | 2012 |
| BMA787 | Entrepreneurship | School of Commerce (Dr Colin Jones) | 2012 |
| [under development] | Intercultural Communication in the a Clinical Setting | Faculty of Health Science | 2013 |
For admission to the postgraduate certificate or diploma courses, students are required to have graduated from a previous university course. In some circumstances, if students are in 4th or 5th year of MBBS, and will complete this course before completing the Graduate Certificate, then this will be accepted.
An excellent, HECS-free, way of preparing for a career in global health is to undertake the UTAS Diploma in International Studies (R2C) through the Faculty of Arts.
Please refer to the Medical Students Guide to the Diploma in International Studies (PDF 124.5 KB) for more information.
“Informative learning is about acquiring knowledge and skills; its purpose is to produce experts. Formative learning is about socialising students around values; its purpose is to produce professionals. Transformative learning is about developing leadership attributes; its purpose is to produce enlightened change agents.”Frenk, J et al 2010 Health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world in The Lancet Vol 376(9756) 4 December 2010.
Read the full report at Health Professionals For A New Century: Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world (PDF 4.6 MB)
The Vice-Chancellor's Leadership Award is given only to those with the determination, dedication and perseverance to be accepted and successfully complete the program.
Do you want to become become dedicated and effective agents of change, through exposure and engagement? Have you considered the 2012 Oaktree Generate program?
Generate is an Oaktree Foundation volunteering program for University students. In 2012, 35 University students from all faculties will be selected to participate. They will be trained in essential advocacy skills such as public speaking, interpersonal relations, event management and facilitation. It also aims to give students the knowledge required to engage with aid and development issues to a more sophisticated level, whilst providing some exposure to the workings of the aid and development sector. After completion of the program, the participants will be equipped to become leaders in their community and the movement to end extreme poverty.
In partnership with Oaktree Foundation
You don't need specialist skills to apply, just an honest motivation and burning desire to have a positive impact in the world. If you think you've got what it takes, we invite you to come on board and make more than just small changes!
The program runs for seven months, from mid-March to mid-October. It is designed to fit around work or study, with downtime in June/July and graduation before end-of-year exams. Participants attend two-hour weekly sessions and commit four hours a week to the program. There will also be a start of the year and mid year camp, where Generators learn more about Oaktree and the program, and learn skills such as project management and team building.
The selective is usually taken at the Hobart Clinical School and its associated teaching sites and is an opportunity for students to:
These selective experiences are of 3 weeks duration and occur at specific times of the year. In 2012 they will be.
There will be selective options relevant to the School of Medicine Electives and Internationalisation program (SMILE) in 2012:
Contact Nick Cooling (Nick.Cooling@utas.edu.au) for details of these options.
Many selective options are offered at the Launceston Clinical School. They include the possibility of a 5th-year experience at Lund, Sweden.
Contact Assoc Prof Peter Arvier or Dr Nick Towle for details.
The SMILE Program supports the work of the Australasian Medical Journal (AMJ) in encouraging the publishing of research from Asia pacific region especially for emerging researchers.
SMILE Program research projects:
School of Medicine Internationalisation and Electives (SMILE) Program
School of Medicine Internationalisation Committee Wiki (log-in required)
