Overview
After spending years 1–3 studying in Dunedin, Otago medical students spend years 4–6 studying at one of three medical schools:
This three-year period is called Advanced Learning in Medicine (ALM). It focuses on advanced learning and supervised clinical activities in hospitals, community-based clinics, and regional and rural general practices.
SECO clinic
ALM students also participate in the Safe and Effective Clinical Outcomes (SECO) clinic, an in-house programme from the Department of General Practice and Rural Health, which involves authentic simulations of patient consultations in primary care with simulated patients.
Rural Medical Immersion Programme
Some ALM students will have the opportunity to spend all of their fifth year in the Rural Medical Immersion Programme, at one of our Rural Immersion Hubs.
Rural Medical Immersion Programme
Sixth-year trainee internship
The sixth (and final) year of the MB ChB programme is a trainee internship, which is a transition to practice year that has a strong focus on clinical activities and responsibility in the working health environment.
During this year, students have an opportunity for elective study in an area that interests them. This elective period lasts for three months, and is usually taken in a new location, often overseas.
We organise three-month general practice placements in rural and regional practices. The trainee intern (TI) year is an important preparatory year for the first postgraduate (intern) year, which leads to general registration as a medical practitioner by the Medical Council of New Zealand.