Doctor of Medicine

Apply to the Doctor of Medicine if you want to make a real difference to human health and wellbeing. The course has a unique focus on rural and regional medicine, Indigenous Health, the development of your human capabilities and service to marginalised communities.

Want a medicine degree that enables you to enhance community health and wellbeing?

Deakin's Doctor of Medicine takes you beyond the classroom to work with patients and their families across western Victoria. You'll learn how medicine is practised in rural areas, while building valuable relationships with communities that will really value and welcome you once you graduate.

The course shines a light on Indigenous Health and will help you broaden your perspective on clinical medicine to encompass public health, legal and ethical perspectives.

Be part of a community of learners and teachers who support each other as you grow your understanding and capabilities. Be confident in the support provided by the School, as you learn in an environment where a culture of diversity, inclusiveness, respect and social accountability is built, together.

Start your journey with two years focussing on the foundations of medicine, encompassing medical sciences, clinical capabilities, public health, medical ethics and law, and Indigenous health. You'll learn to solve the kinds of problems you will face in your future career in a supportive environment, while developing your confidence in foundational clinical skills, clinical reasoning and the high-level human capabilities necessary for excellent person-centred care.

You'll build on this strong foundation by acquiring real-world clinical experience through placements in a range of medical settings, from hospitals and general practices to community health centres. Students will spend their third and fourth years on full-time placement at one of our clinical schools: the Rural Community Clinical School, Ballarat, Warrnambool, Geelong or Eastern Health.

All of our clinical schools, in rural and metropolitan areas, offer access to first-hand learning in the clinical environment and immersion in a wide range of patient care settings, including hospital and primary care. Our Rural Community Clinical School offers a more in-depth exposure to community-based care, with students being paired with a clinical mentor and afforded opportunities to contribute directly to the health and wellbeing of a rural area for an extended period during their training.

Across years three and four, you will gain hands-on experience, underpinned by strong knowledge and skills. You will undertake real clinical tasks to preparing you for both professional practice as a doctor and the lifelong training and development required for a career in medicine. You will also undertake a pre-internship rotation that offers a first-hand taste of the day-to-day life of a graduate doctor.

The Deakin Doctor of Medicine program is committed to ensuring that applicants from all backgrounds who meet the requirements of entry are able to gain access to study with us. We therefore reserve up to 5% of domestic places for Indigenous Australian applicants applying through the Indigenous Entry Stream, and around 30 places for applicants applying through the Rural Training Stream. These streams are designed to remove some of the barriers to entry that Indigenous or rural applicants may experience when seeking out a career in medicine. Similarly, we offer bonuses for entry in the General Stream for applicants who have experienced financial disadvantage or come from a rural background.

We also recognise the wealth of experience that applicants with diverse study and work experiences bring into both the Doctor of Medicine program and their future professional practice. We therefore do not have any prerequisite training requirements; applicants may have completed a bachelors-level qualification in any area, from nursing to music, engineering to physiotherapy.

Doctor of Medicine graduates are highly sought-after for internship positions with healthcare providers in Australia and abroad. Deakin's Doctor of Medicine program allows you to develop a deep understanding of the challenges and nuances of rural medicine, putting you in a strong position to address the shortfall of doctors in regional areas.

In order to qualify as Registered Medical Practitioners with the Medical Board of Australia, our graduates are currently undertaking accredited internships at a number of prominent Victorian and interstate hospitals.

After successfully completing an intern year, graduates can apply for entry to specialty training programs that lead to a broad range of medical careers including in the specialty of General Practice or the emerging Rural Generalist program.

The first two years of the Doctor of Medicine include face-to-face learning activities at Waurn Ponds (Geelong). In years one and two, students learn in simulated clinical environments and dedicated medical sciences teaching spaces, along with small group learning sessions. Teaching activities will be conducted both online and face-to-face. 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 our clinical schools: the Rural Community Clinical School, Ballarat, Warrnambool, Geelong or Eastern Health. Students will conduct their learning in the clinical environment, guided by experienced staff associated with the clinical schools.

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. Assessments will involve a range of written and performative tasks and are structured to progress across the units of the course.

All students are also required to complete