YOUR DEGREE, INTERNSHIP, CAREER, JOURNEY

You're almost there. It's time to prepare for your new life as a doctor.
Let's take a look at the journey ahead of you.

📍 Current location

You've made it to final year. Well done! 👏

Rotations, intern applications, receiving a letter of offer and graduation – your final year of medicine is BUSY.

You’re getting a clearer understanding on what to expect from your internship year so you can really start putting plans into place.

🔬 First semester

Depending on the university you attend, you'll either spend the first semester completing research or continuing your hospital rotations through different specialties.

You’ll also need to submit your internship applications which can be an intense process so make sure you get onto this early. Applications usually open mid-April and close at the start of June.

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The process can be different in each state but generally you'll need to submit:

Submit preferences

You'll need to select you preferences list for the hospital networks you'd like to work at

Arrange references

You'll need to get at least two references to complete an online referee form (although this may differ depending on the hospital network you are applying for)

Need to fast forward? Jump ahead using the links below

Salary packaging

Graduation

Life after medical school

🎯 Keep your eyes on the prize

During your second semester, you'll complete select rotations in areas of interest as well as a pre-internship rotation where you will shadow a current intern.

This will give you a good understanding of what to expect the following year so use this time wisely.

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Tips for getting the most out of your pre-internship rotation:

Take plenty of notes

These will be good to refer back to throughout your intern year as situations come up.

Ask lots of questions

This is your opportunity to ask any questions about your role or what will be expected of you as an intern.

Pay attention to the details

Notice how the interns respond to pages and who they approach for help.

✍️ The highly anticipated internship offers

First round of internship offers usually come out in July with secondary offers flowing through for the remainder of the year.

Don’t be disheartened if you miss out on your first preference – you’ll have an amazing year wherever you end up and remember somebody is going to be PAYING you to practice medicine. 💰

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✉️ You've got a letter of offer... what now?

While it may be tempting to switch to autopilot, there are a few things you should take the time to get sorted before university is done and dusted.

Setting up your salary packaging is one of these things.

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💰 Salary packaging, Superannuation & HELP debt

When you finally start earning an income you will be able to explore benefits like salary packaging and superannuation. It’s important to make sure you understand your entitlements and how to manage it all, so you get maximum benefit.

For example, if you’re doing rural rotations, you may be able to salary package multiple times. If you have a student loan or HELP debt, you will need to understand how salary packaging affects your loan repayments.

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Get the most out of salary packaging

📦

Understand entitlements and packaging rules for the hospitals you’ll be working at

(yes, unfortunately they’re all different)

👓

Get advice on setting up your salary packaging accounts as soon as you get your letter of offer

📝

Have a detailed plan in place to ensure you maximise your salary packaging from day one

😕 Salary packaging got you like...

We don't blame you - it can get pretty confusing but we love educating and preparing on how to become a boss intern! Here are some resources:

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What to expect from your internship year?

8 min read

How to maximise your year as an intern

8 min read

Tips to survive and thrive during your internship year

8 min read

📍 You have arrived! Finally...

🎓 Time to reap the rewards for all your hard work!

Fast forward to the end of this year… and you have made it!

Congratulations! You've successfully completed your medical degree and you're ready to start your career in medicine. Your graduation ceremonies are likely to be held in early December so if you're planning a trip away , find out the exact date so you can ensure you're home for the ceremony.

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✈️ It's all behind you now, breathe and recharge with holidays

Now is your time to relax before starting your internship next year.

Many people capitalise on this time off to take a well-deserved break and go on an overseas holiday, travel locally or to spend time with their family.

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Life beyond medical school

💉 Your new life as a doctor

Finally, you get to put the theory into practice!

Graduating from university and starting your internship is one of the biggest transitions you will make in your professional life, so making sure you find the right work life balance will be an important step in this transition.

We understand this is a huge milestone so we've prepared some information that will help you prepare for your big year.

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👀 So what will it actually look like for you?

As an intern, you are granted provisional membership with the Medical Board of Australia and are required to complete 47 weeks of clinical training. The Internship year runs January - January.

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Your internship is designed to expose you to a variety of clinical environments

The hours

A standard week = 38hrs + overtime

Overtime expectations can vary but prepare for at least one overtime shift per fortnight, which can include evenings, nights, weekends as well as time on call for sick relief shifts).

The pay

You'll be receiving a base salary of about $83K + super which means that you'll be getting about $70K net take home pay incl. salary packaging

+ CPD allowances, overtime and penalty rates which will be paid fortnightly.

Your rotations

Your 12 months will generally be broken up into 4-5 rotations, each between 10-12 weeks long.

You will gain experience in at least one surgical, medical and emergency medicine rotation, and your remaining elective options will be based on the hospital networks offering.

🔭 Beyond internship

Soon you’ll be making decisions about your preferred career pathway. You’re doing a lot of things for the first time, both in and outside the hospital, and it’s A LOT to absorb.

Amongst it all, you’ll be starting to gather references to support your application.

🎯 You've seen what's ahead, time to make it happen

Whilst starting your career in medicine may still seem like a dream for now, the reality is in just a few months, you’ll be working as a doctor in training in the hospital system with the added pressures that can come with working full time.

Taking some time now to set personal and career goals allows you to make little steps along the way. This will help make them more achievable and ensure you stay on track to reach them.

YOUR DEGREE, INTERNSHIP, CAREER, JOURNEY

You're almost there. It's time to prepare for your new life as a doctor.Let's take a look at the journey ahead of you.

📍 Current location

🔬 First semester

Submit preferences

Arrange references

Need to fast forward? Jump ahead using the links below

🎯 Keep your eyes on the prize

Take plenty of notes

Ask lots of questions

Pay attention to the details

✍️ The highly anticipated internship offers

✉️ You've got a letter of offer... what now?

💰 Salary packaging, Superannuation & HELP debt

Get the most out of salary packaging

📦

Understand entitlements and packaging rules for the hospitals you’ll be working at

(yes, unfortunately they’re all different)

👓

Get advice on setting up your salary packaging accounts as soon as you get your letter of offer

📝

Have a detailed plan in place to ensure you maximise your salary packaging from day one

😕 Salary packaging got you like...

What to expect from your internship year?

8 min read

How to maximise your year as an intern

8 min read

Tips to survive and thrive during your internship year

8 min read

📍 You have arrived! Finally...

🎓 Time to reap the rewards for all your hard work!

✈️ It's all behind you now, breathe and recharge with holidays

Life beyond medical school

💉 Your new life as a doctor

👀 So what will it actually look like for you?

The hours

The pay

Your rotations

🔭 Beyond internship

🎯 You've seen what's ahead, time to make it happen

Start your journey with DPM today.

You're almost there. It's time to prepare for your new life as a doctor.
Let's take a look at the journey ahead of you.