Admission of Indigenous medical students:

Experiences of a new School

Neville D Yeomans, Tim Wills, Christine Carriage

University of Western Sydney

Background to the Medical School

• One of Australia’s largest (and youngest) universities - on 6 campuses across Greater Western Sydney

• Has largest School of Nursing in Australia, and a number of other health sciences

• Offered a Medical School in 2004

• First students commenced in 2007

Background to the Medical School (contd.)

• The MB BS course:– Predominantly undergraduate (but some

grads.)– 5 years long (2 y basic sciences, 3 y clinical

clerkships)– Curriculum for years 1-2 licensed from

University of Melbourne– Curriculum for years 3-5 being developed in

house, with some emphasis on out-of-hospital settings, continuum-of-care, and extended pre-internship

Our opportunities to contribute to Indigenous Medical Education

• UWS located in Australia’s largest concentration of urban Indigenous people (26,500 at 2006 census = 5% of Australian population, 63% of Sydney’s)

– Three major community groups in the Western Sydney region

– Plus many others who have migrated

• UWS seen as community friendly and informal• Already substantial number of Indigenous

students in other courses

How do we select our non-Indigenous students?

• Initial Filter:

– School leavers: UAI threshold of 951 (93 if GWS)– Graduates: Grade Point Average of 5.5 (~credit

average)

• Then rank using UMAT (Undergraduate Medicine & Health Sciences Admission Test)

• Interview about 350 (of 2300 applicants in ‘06) to decide the 108 places, using a 90 minute Multi-mini interview

Selection process used for Indigenous students in 06/07

• Direct application to School in September (11 applied)• Confirmation of Aboriginality by UWS Badanami Centre

for Indigenous Education• ‘Chat’ with Dean to advise about further steps we would

follow in admissions• Applicants advised that sitting UMAT ‘… helpful but not

essential’• All interviewed, with other applicants, in the main

interview round• Special interview for 30 min with panel of 4, including 2

Indigenous academics

Domains discussed at the special interview

• Academic background– Candidates brought transcripts, or any information that

would give reassurance about likelihood of scholastic success

• Motivation to do Medicine at UWS• Understanding of issues of Aboriginal health

(Sydney/Australia)• Cultural and emotional support available to them

Outcomes of 2006/2007 round

• 5 students (2 male, 3 female) admitted to 2007 cohort– 1 school leaver with predicted UAI of 92– 2 with partial degrees or diplomas– 2 with Masters degrees

• 1 offered deferred place, if successful in year 1 of B Biomed Sc at Macquarie

Academic and emotional support

• Mentoring by Cris Carriage, Indigenous Program Officer, School of Medicine

• Additional tutorials through Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS)

• Still to do …. recruit at least one Indigenous academic member of staff

Progress of initial cohort

• 1 deferred at start of semester 2 (requires surgery for a chronic condition)

• 1 mature student whose university background was not in bioscience or a health area is having difficulty at present

• 1 is balancing challenging family responsibilities

• 2 have had a fairly uneventful first year to date

What have we learned about our admissions process?

• May have been a little too anxious to start with as many Indigenous students as possible

• ? Better screening of appropriateness of academic background

• ? A bridging course (such as UNSW’s)• ? More often advise a year of biological

science, then transition to MB BS if successful