What is Medicine?
Medicine is a scientific, research- and evidence-based profession, which covers many areas of specialisation, including general practice, public health and hospital-based specialities, such as surgery, psychiatry, cardiology, and many more.
If you are considering a career in Medicine, you should be prepared for lifelong learning to maintain your practising standards. Society expects a high level of technical competence. Patients expect to be treated with patience, kindness and humanity. Ethical behaviour and rapport with people are necessary so patients can trust you with problems of their body and mind.
What will I study?
After selection from Health Sciences First Year (HSFY), or the Graduate or Alternative categories, you commence the second year of the six-year medical degree – called the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB).
2nd–3rd years
Second- and third-year Medicine offers an integrated course based on various body system modules and core clinical cases. The clinical cases run throughout the programme and act as a framework for learning, as well as bringing relevance to the underlying clinical and basic science.
Learning clinical skills and a focus on health in the community start at the beginning of the second year, and feature prominently through a variety of modalities including experimental practise (laboratories, clinical skills, talking with people), lectures, small group discussions and independent learning.
4th–6th years
After the third year, you will complete studies at one of Otago's campuses in Christchurch, Dunedin, or Wellington.
Fourth- and fifth-year medicine offer increased interaction with people and are centred around clinical work in hospital wards and outpatient clinics in teaching hospitals, in smaller rural practices, and general practices. You will also complete components of public health and community medicine.
Sixth-year medicine is an apprenticeship-style year, also known as the Trainee Intern (TI) year. You assume greater responsibility in hospital wards and general practices. This final year includes a three-month elective involving a project or clinical work, usually in another hospital or overseas.
Research opportunities
There are research opportunities within the medical programme, including the option of taking one year off after the third or fifth year to complete a Bachelor of Medical Science with Honours (BMedSc(Hons)) degree. Some medical graduates choose to undertake further research and may enrol in a higher degree such as a combined MB ChB / PhD. Otago Medical School offers scholarships to many of the students who undertake the BMedSc(Hons) or combined MB ChB / PhD degree.
Registration
Before you can practise as a doctor in New Zealand, you must register with the Medical Council of New Zealand and complete a one-year internship in a hospital.
There are limited if any, New Zealand hospital places available for international students and an internship placement in a New Zealand hospital is not guaranteed for international students.
Admission to the Medicine programme
Admission to Medicine is competitive, and there are only about 300 places available for New Zealand and international students. There are different categories of admission to Medicine, but the majority of places are offered to students who have completed the Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) programme at the University of Otago.
Selection into Medicine from HSFY is very competitive. High grades are required and no compulsory paper grade can be less than a B.
Applications are also considered in the Graduate category and Alternative category (for allied health professionals and those who graduated more than three years ago).
Applicants may also apply via the subcategories for Te Kauae Parāoa, including Māori, Pacific, rural, socioeconomic equity, and refugee background, which are outlined in the Guidelines for Admission.
Medicine: Guidelines for Admission
International applications
Persons who do not hold New Zealand citizenship or permanent residence should address their enquiries to the University's International Office.
How to apply
Application information for admission into the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB ChB) programme is available on the Division of Health Sciences website:
Medicine: Guidelines for Admission
Background required
If you are new to university study and planning to study Medicine, your first year of study will be the Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) programme. There are no subject requirements for entry into HSFY, but we strongly recommend you take Chemistry, Physics and Calculus to NCEA Level 3 (or equivalent), and an English-rich subject.
Health Sciences First Year must be your first year of university study. Undertaking any other tertiary study before enrolling in HSFY could jeopardise your enrolment in the HSFY programme, so you are strongly advised to contact AskOtago if you are considering this.
Contact AskOtago
