Doctor of Medicine

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) program is offered full-time, on-campus at the Gold Coast campus and the Sunshine Coast Health Institute during Phase 1, and in community and clinical placements in a variety of locations during Phases 2 and 3.

As a full-time student, you will need to be available to attend between 0700 and 1800 on Monday to Friday (Years 1 and 2) and during the clinical years (Years 3 and 4). Your attendance may be required after hours and on weekends and including public holidays.

In this program, you must maintain a full-time study load. You will be required to comply with the Doctor of Medicine Attendance policy (contact the School of Medicine and Dentistry for details).

This program starts in January and ends in December (requiring attendance between 40-43 weeks in the year).

The School of Medicine and Dentistry delivers electronic assessment via ExamSoft's Examplify application. Students enrolled in this program are required to have access to a portable computer device (laptop or tablet) that can be taken on campus to complete examination and assessment activities. This device must meet the minimum system requirements for Examplify.

The School has a small number of loan devices that may be available to students who do not have access to a personal device. Students must apply for access to loan devices in the lead up to an examination or assessment. Please note the School cannot guarantee a loan device will be available for every applicant.

MD/PhD pathway

The MD is offered full time, on-campus at Gold Coast campus and the PhD component is offered full-time for the first two years of study and part-time during the completion of years 3 and 4 of the MD.

Students complete the first two years of the MD program then take Leave of Absence from the MD program for two years and enrol as a full time PhD student in a field of clinical research for the next two years (Years 3 and 4 of the concurrent offering). Students then complete the final two years of the MD during Years 5 and 6, while also enrolling part time in the PhD.

Managing study interruptions

Leave of absence: Students will require approval from the Dean of Medicine to take a leave of absence.

Readmission: A student who has discontinued enrolment in the MD program and who is not on an approved leave of absence is required to seek approval for readmission to the program from the Dean of Medicine or nominee.

Student Income Support

To be classed as a full-time student, you are required to enrol in a minimum number of credit points each standard study period. The minimum credit points for full-time enrolment in this program is 30 credit points.

Trimester 1 and Trimester 2 are deemed standard study periods. As Trimester 3 is a non-standard study period, continuing students moving from one year to the next will not be required to study during this trimester to be eligible for student income support.

Domestic students who commence in Trimester 3 may be eligible for student income support from the onset of study provided they are enrolled full-time in this study period.

Please refer to the Australian Government website for more details.

Work-integrated learning activities (professional placements) integrate theoretical learning with its application in the workplace. The inclusion of work-integrated learning activities in the degree program demonstrates Griffith's commitment to preparing its graduates for success in their working life.

In this program you will spend time in the work/professional environment undertaking unpaid placements at various locations. This will increase from an average of one to 20 hours per week, over a maximum of 42 weeks in Years 1 and 2; to an average of 30 hours per week over a maximum of 43 weeks per year, in Years 3 and 4 (2844 hours). Placements may be at a community organisation, general practice or hospital each week of your degree and may be outside of the Brisbane metropolitan/Gold Coast area including northern New South Wales and (by negotiation) interstate or overseas.

MD/PhD pathway

Additional work-integrated learning opportunities are available through the clinical research facilities for students undertaking the PhD component.

You will be prepared for multiple careers, including in specialist clinical practice, primary care medicine, rural medical practice, medical administration, medical research and medical education.

Graduates of this program will normally be eligible for limited registration and will receive full registration by Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) upon successful completion of a subsequent one-year internship in the Australian hospital system.

After completing at least one further year of residency in the Australian hospital system, graduates will usually be eligible to start postgraduate specialty training in the clinical environment.

MD/PhD pathway

Completion of MD/PhD pathway will prepare graduates for a research career in clinical medicine, as well as postgraduate training and University teaching positions.

The graduate entry medical program at Griffith University is accredited by the Australian Medical Council.

The Medical Board of Australia will recognise graduates of this award from the end of 2014.

There are placements associated with this program and before undertaking professional experience placements, all students in this program are required to have completed the following by the end of their first trimester of study:

• Vaccinations and Health Tests
• Licenses and Certificates
• Online Training
• Health Placement Requirements

Students should refer to the checklist of professional practice requirements for their Health discipline on the Health Placement Support Hub for full details of the requirements regarding professional placement to ensure that they meet eligibility for placement.