read his testimony and his note few days ago. really inspiring. Money isn't all mighty and all powerful.

I guess that's one of the biggest elephant in the room when we were studying medicine. Hard to convince the students to "not think about money" when you're practicing when they're going to graduate with huge student loan around their neck or be "indebted" to some parents whom I reckon will expect to be supported financially after investing so much in their education.

Doesnt help also that the teacher docs also come to school in their Audis, BMWs (+ personal driver)

I'm done with Year 1 exam, only OSCEs left. Can you believe how fast time went by?

The intern crisis has hit the Australian parliament: Senator Nash backs #interncrisis campaign in Senate speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...d&v=47_dGR4efpc

One can only wonder when this issue will be raised in the Malaysian parliament, if ever...

Was on the interncrisis website...very impressive! Hope this will be resolved soon, so all international students will get to be trained in Australia.

err...this is a "non-issue" in the malaysian parliament.

i wonder why the respective states refused to come up with the extra 8 million for the last 80 grads.....divided amongst the states, it's only less than 2 million each....

now, this problem is not going away even if the 8 million comes through this time....the numbers goes up some more for 2014.....i believe it only peaks and plateau off about 2006.....when all the new med schools starts graduating....

Things looking up for medical grads in oz

http://www.honisoit.com/2012/11/plibersek-...ernship-crisis/

i wonder if mr. noor is a jpa/mara scholar and should really return to msia and fulfil the bond?.....

This post has been edited by limeuu: Nov 8 2012, 02:36 PM

I have to admit I wondered the same! He did say he is 300k in debt on the interncrisis website.

mara loan is also a debt....waived if the scholar gets a 1st class....

I guess the problem is not that simple, as this is just the beginning of the problem. If they let all of the international interns come through, it will get rolled over and carried on for HMO2 positions and on and on and on. Bear in mind once a person completed his internship he will be eligible for permanent residency hence rendering the situation even messier.

Contrary to popular beliefs, there ARE actually jobless interns out there whom are unable to secure a HMO2 position. Most jobs are full in Adelaide, Perth, Vic, Sydney and Queensland. Even Rockhampton and Mackay are full. I always thought that internship is the bottleneck, there are always more HMO2 positions that interns, but no, the fact is there are still jobless people out there. But this time around, it is not limited to international students - some interns that are born and bred in Aussie, live in Aussie school in Aussie, are still left jobless without a place.

This is just the beginning of the problem, sadly.

Comments on the article are interesting.

http://theconversation.edu.au/why-internat...hospitals-10261

Hiw about the payback? 3 yrs can ma?

Tassie graduates 2012 all of them should have jobs! (as all international students got places as well, though smaller areas including local Tassie). Apparently what I have heard is that there are some reserve fundings available if needed, but yeah.

You'd be working for gov for the first four years. If you're paying RM3k/month... you can do the math

Oh man..lower than accounting grads? No increment?

How much did you think newly graduated doctors earn?

for public uni yes why not.

Surplus..and the gov is not going to let docs open private clinics tht easily anymore ..reason why they r giving so many scholarships to jpa medical students is to tie them to civil work for as long as possible.

you've got it wrong....the gov don't really bother about doctors leaving for the private sector anymore, not that they have really ever been, except for the 2 (previously 3) years compulsory service.....

the surplus, like you said, will make it different this time.....there is going to be fewer jobs in private, becoming a gp will be very tough (too many), and many doctors will prefer to stay on in the gov service....and being on a scholarship is going to be a plus, not a negative point....and they will get preference for gov jobs...the compulsory service will likely be scraped within the next few years, housemanship is already on contract basis...so the day will come then private students will do 2 years housemanship on contract, then will not get selected to continue in the gov service.....they will have to find work elsewhere...or be jobless....

Now that the issue is blown up proper in Australia, other related views are being expressed now by those in the medical profession. Basically I think they are saying the issue ought to be nipped in the bud.


"Perhaps it’s time to revisit the concept of the 2-year internship — the same model as the UK Foundation Programme.

When the prerequisites for general medical registration (medicine, surgery and emergency medicine) are spread across 2 years, the burden of supervising those terms is halved, while trainees can continue to accumulate experience.

It may be easier to convince the community that a compulsory, paid internship is a right for every graduate if their second year of hospital service is also compulsory. The reality of contemporary medical training means that the practical changes would be minimal.


"We know that full fee-paying overseas students are an important source of revenue for universities, but recruitment must be transparently linked to an ongoing pathway into the medical workforce. This must include the areas of workforce need — not just rural and remote areas but also outer metropolitan areas." - Sue Ieraci

MJA Internship Dilemma