Notre Dame introduces Pre-Medicine Course

The University of Notre Dame Australia has announced it is introducing the first Pre-Medicine Course in Western Australia (WA), to begin in the first semester of 2008. Up to 50 students will take four pre-medicine units in addition to their primary degree at the University. They will be enrolled in the School of Medicine, and will be assigned a Mentor who will support their development as they position themselves to enter the Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery course. Provost and Executive Dean of the School of Medicine, Professor Mark McKenna, said the course provides a new opportunity for students seeking a path to medicine. “The new course is designed to provide a pathway for WA school leavers to the Notre Dame graduate entry medical course. The overarching aim is to produce medical graduates who will be good doctors, and who will work in WA,” said Professor McKenna. Students enrolled in the course will study four different units to qualify for their Pre-Medicine Certificate. These will cover such areas as biomedical science, Aboriginal studies, behavioural science, communications, and the history of medicine. Pre-med students will be counselled by their Medical School Mentor on their choice of units for the certificate. It is intended that units chosen will enhance student prospects of success in the Graduate Australian Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT), which all must undertake to enter the Medicine Course. There is no prescribed primary degree for the students taking the Medicine course. It is designed to be entered from many backgrounds. Current students have come with various undergraduate degrees such as; arts, health sciences, law, counselling and nursing. The Vice Chancellor, Dr Peter Tannock said, “The Pre-Med Course is an important innovation in medical education in WA. It is designed to enhance the preparation of students for entry into a graduate medical degree, and to give them the opportunity to confirm that medicine is the right choice of vocation for them.” Media contact: Moira Saunders 08 9433 0611, 0408 959 13