Building your medical career
Enabling students to explore the myriad of careers available as medical graduates and getting a head start on the skills and experience required to succeed.
A career in medicine is challenging, rewarding and ever changing. As in every area of our lives technology is expanding the scope of our practice. The expectation of the public is to live long and fruitful lives with health matters sidelined as much as possible due to our increased knowledge and capability through research.
Becoming a medical student – a challenge in itself; is your first step on this path. You will find yourself excited and perhaps confronted by choice and having to make decisions with so many things to consider. Employment opportunities exist in spheres you may not yet have imagined.
Disclaimer: This website has links to the Australian Medical Association (AMA) website for informational purposes only. The University of Queensland Medical School is not affiliated in any way with the AMA.
About to graduate? Apply online now for AHPRA registration.
Start exploring
Explore some future careers:
- Australian Medical Association (AMA) Becoming a Doctor
- Anaesthesiology
- Dermatology
- Emergency medicine
- General practice
- Intensive care medicine
- Medical administration
- Medical research
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Onshore students / Australia
- Offshore students / United States of America
- Paediatrician
- Pathology
- Physician
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
- Rural medicine
- Sports physician
- Surgery
Alongside your Doctor of Medicine (MD), you also have the opportunity to enrol in:
- Clinician Scientist Track – incorporating a PhD or an MPhil into the program
- Masters of Public Health alongside the MD
- Summer research program scholarships
- Many extended research opportunities
You can also apply for the UQ Employability Award.
Helpful links
Whether you know from day 1 where you would like to finish or have no idea on your final day, there are opportunities you may not yet have dreamed of. Meetings by chance, and experiences due to accidents can all shape the way your career heads. Leave less to chance by checking out some of these resources and coming along to our careers events.
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Careers in Medicine
- AMA Careers Training Pathway - you can join the AMA for free as a student and this page gives you information and links to over 60 different pathways
- AMA Becoming a Doctor
- Junior Doctor Training Program Private Hospital Stream
- Map your rural career pathway - the UQ Regional Training Hubs Quick Reference Guides will give you relevant and up to date information regarding example career pathways as a rural doctor. UQ has worked with Queensland Health to give you an overview of the available accredited training positions in Central Queensland, Wide Bay and Southern Queensland.
- Ochsner Clinical School
- OzTrekk
- Queensland Health career structure pathway
- Queensland Health internships
- Navigate your medical career using Medi-Nav, a Queensland Heath initiative
- Explore specialties using Medi-Nav - Specialties, which provides information and videos about specialty training in Queensland
- Rural Clinical School - Regional Training Hubs - Career Pathways - discover the specialty that's right for you and find out what it's like to live, train and play in Central Queensland, Wide Bay or Southern Queensland.
- UQ Careers and Employability
- UQ Medical Society (UQMS)
- Visas to stay in Australia and work
Not sure clinical medicine will be for you? Check out the Creative Careers in Medicine website.
Your networks
- Australian Medical Association Queensland free student membership
Join AMA Queensland to access free career development resources, the AMA careers advisory service, free seminars, webinars plus much more.
More information about the benefits of student membership is available on the AMA website.
To join as a free student member, complete the online form.
The Doctors' Health in Queensland offers free peer-to-peer counselling for medical students and doctors in Queensland, and has a 24/7 hotline number that students can call for a confidential chat (07) 3833 4352.
For international students and graduates
View our international graduate employment outcomes
International students wanting to stay in Australia
- Queensland Health internship
- Visa for Queensland Health
- English language requirements
- UQ Union Student Advocay & Support visa advice
- Applicant groups for intern positions - Queensland Health
Junior Doctor Training Program Private Hospital Stream
The Junior Doctor Training Program (JDTP) supports education and supervision for junior doctors in rural primary health care settings and private hospitals. This helps provide a continued supply of doctors to deliver health services across Australia.
The Private Hospital Stream (PHS) is part of the JDTP. It supports education, training and supervision for junior doctors in private hospitals to help provide a continued supply of doctors to deliver health services across Australia.
Private Hospital Stream Internships in 2023 in Bundaberg
Mercy Health and Aged Care Central Queensland along with the Mater Private Hospital, Bundaberg and Friendly Society Private Hospital, Bundaberg offer 16 Internships to full-fee-paying international students completing their medical degree at an onshore medical school in Australia.
Interns are placed at the private hospitals for core Medicine and Surgery/Orthopaedic terms and rotate to the Bundaberg Hospital for core Emergency and non-core terms. Non-core terms include Anaesthetics/Intensive Care, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics and Psychiatry as well as additional terms in Medicine, Surgery, Orthopaedics and Emergency. All three hospitals are located in Bundaberg West.
Bundaberg Hospital’s Medical Education Unit facilitates the program for the private hospitals in Bundaberg. All enquiries should be directed to MEOBundaberg@health.qld.gov.au.
Further information on working at Bundaberg Hospital can be found below:
- Wide Bay Hospital & Health Service - Bundaberg Hospital
- Intern Recruitment Frequently Asked Questions - Bundaberg Hospital
Greenslopes Private Hospital Information Sessions – Junior Doctor Training Program Private Hospital Stream 2024 Internships
Greenslopes Private Hospital (GPH) will be running an information session for final year international medical students who are eligible to apply for 2024 internships under the JDTP PHS. Sessions will be presented by Ms Maria Ancajas, Medical Services Manager at GPH. Participation is via Zoom and the session will be recorded.
The session details are below:
Date: Wednesday 9 August 2023
Time: 12:30-1:30pm
Zoom code: 811 6631 3820
If you have any questions about these sessions, please contact Greenslopes Clinical Unit at med.gph@uq.edu.au.
Match in the US
- AAMC
- Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
- National Residency Match Program
- United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)
- United States Residency Applicants
The Faculty of Medicine provides application support for students applying to the US match. Current students will be asked to express their interest in the match around April each year via the newsletter. Students are encouraged to express their interest even if they intend to apply in a future year.
Graduates are encouraged to reach out to the Faculty as soon as possible if they intend to apply for the match.
Please contact med.enquiries@uq.edu.au to register interest.
View the CV & Personal Statement workshop recording before beginning the application process.
Match in Canada
The Faculty of Medicine provides application support for students applying to the Canadian match. Current students will be asked to express their interest in the match around April each year via the newsletter. Students are encouraged to express their interest even if they intend to apply in a future year.
Graduates are encouraged to reach out to the Faculty as soon as possible if they intend to apply for the match.
Please contact med.enquiries@uq.edu.au to register interest.
National Assessment Collaboration Objective Structured Clinical Examination support
The Faculty of Medicine provides dedicated support to Year 4 students preparing for the National Assessment Collaboration Objective Structured Clinical Examination (NAC OSCE). In partnership with OzTREKK, you can register for a support subscription.
Nova Scotians – Studying Abroad
The Medical School has received an update from Katrina Philopoulos, Director of Physician Recruitment and Retention, Nova Scotia Health regarding new residency places and a new pathway for Nova Scotia and Canadian medical students studying abroad. The pertinent information from the announcement is included below.
We are excited to share news about new residency seats and a new pathway for Nova Scotia and Canadian Medical Students studying abroad.
Nova Scotia has announced 10 additional Family Medicine (FM) residency seats will be added to the R1 CaRMS match, with site selection within CaRMS beginning on 7 December 2022. These 10 new International Medical Graduate (IMG) seats will be given priority to qualified applicants with a connection to Nova Scotia (called Nova Scotians – Studying Abroad or NS-SA).
The Nova Scotians – Studying Abroad (NS-SA) will be required to demonstrate their connection to NS as part of the CaRMS application process and in their application letter.
Should these positions not be filled with qualified NS-SA applicants, standard IMG applicants are to be allocated to the remaining positions as per the IMG rank order list for the match.
If there are any questions, please direct them to physicianrecruit@nshealth.ca.