Bond University's world-class Medical Program will offer an innovative new curriculum to medical students from January 2016, retaining its status as the fastest pathway available to graduate as an intern eligible to practice medicine in Australia or New Zealand.
The Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine at Bond University has transitioned its medical program from the former double undergraduate degree to a sequential Bachelor's/Master's program, meaning the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) will become a Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine (MD) for new applicants enrolling from May 2016.
The updated curriculum commenced on January 11, 2016, for current Bond medical students returning for their second, third and fourth year of the Medical program who will also graduate with an MD.
Professor Helen Chenery, Executive Dean of Bond University's Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, said the new MD curriculum was a unique offering in Australian medical education.
"To graduate with a MD qualification at most universities, students must complete up to seven or eight years of study, however Bond's accelerated three-semester-year allows students to achieve the same outcome in less than five years," she said.
"The evidence from our clinical partners is that the performance of Bond MBBS graduates in the workplace matches or exceeds that of students coming from the lengthier graduate medical programs, such as the MD from other universities.
"Put simply, a Bond medical student who starts studying at the same time as a friend at another university could very well end up having that friend as their intern when they are already a registrar.
"Coupled with our world-class teaching and premium education offering, this is a significant benefit to future doctors who are keen to accelerate their careers."
Professor Peter Jones, Dean of Medicine at Bond University, said the move to the MD would reward Bond students with the level of qualification they deserved after the completion of an intense 14 semester medical program.
"Where graduates of the former double degree MBBS met the Level 7 criteria under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the new MD program will meet the AQF Level 9, which is a significant advantage to students," he said.
"Along with being the fastest pathway to become an intern in Australia or New Zealand, Bond's small cohort of approximately 100 medical students offers the most personalised learning experience available, as well as a truly educationally unique program."
Professor Jones said there would be no changes to the length of the degree under the new MD program, which would remain the same as the 14 semester MBBS.
"Through the new curriculum, the 'problem based learning' component is completed after five semesters and students then progress to a virtual clinic in their third year, where they will be immersed in the Bond Virtual Hospital supplemented by weekly contact with real patients," he said.
"The Bond Virtual Hospital, combined with a fully-accredited simulation centre, create a learning environment where students have access to state-of-the-art clinical skills rooms which replicate the clinical environment through simulated patient actors or fully interactive mannequins that manifest physical signs and symptoms such as breathing, heart sounds and pupil responses.
"The simulation centre is the only one of its kind outside the capital cities, and due to Bond's small class sizes our students have unparalleled access to this invaluable learning experience.
"At the completion of the third year, students will have earned the qualification of Bachelor of Medical Studies and will progress to the Masters level in the fourth and fifth year of the course, to complete the Doctor of Medicine (MD) component.
"During the Master years of the course, students will be immersed in the workplace through clinical rotations in hospital and community healthcare settings, as well as undertaking research or professional projects, clinical experiences and even international clinical placements."
For more information on the Bachelor of Medical Studies / Doctor of Medicine (MD) please visit Medical Program.