Getting started

Can I preference my Learning Community?

Regional Medical Pathway students

Regional Medical Pathway (RMP) students will be a member of the Wide Bay or Central Queensland Learning Community headquartered at our Rural Clinical School sites in Bundaberg or Rockhampton for the duration of their studies. During the first year of study, RMP students will be based predominantly at the UQ St Lucia Campus and a member of a Greater Brisbane Learning Community. From second year, RMP students will undertake most of their learning at hospital or community facilities within the Wide Bay or Central Queensland Learning Community.

RMP students will not preference for a Greater Brisbane Clinical School Learning Community for Year 1. Central Queensland Learning Community students will be assigned to the Central Learning Community and Wide Bay Learning Community students will be assigned to the South Learning Community.

Darling Downs and South West Pathway students

Darling Downs & South-West (DDSW) Pathway students will be a member of the DDSW Learning Community headquartered at our Rural Clinical School in Toowoomba for the duration of their studies. Students will spend their first year in Greater Brisbane before being based from Year 2 onwards at our Rural Clinical School sites in the Darling Downs and South West regions. From 2026, all four years of the MD will be offered in the DD-SW regions.

DDSW students will not preference for a Greater Brisbane Clinical School Learning Community for Year 1. They will be assigned to the Central Learning Community.

UQ-Ochsner students

UQ-Ochsner students will be a member of the Ochsner Clinical School Learning Community headquartered at our Ochsner Clinical School in Louisiana, USA. During the first and second year of study, UQ-Ochsner students will be a member of a Greater Brisbane Learning Community. From third year, UQ-Ochsner students will undertake most of their learning at hospital or community facilities within the Ochsner Clinical School Learning Community.

UQ-Ochsner students will have the ability to preference Learning Communities as follows:

• Central
• South

Onshore students

All other students will be a member of a Greater Brisbane Clinical School Learning Community from Year 1 for the duration of their studies.

Onshore students (non RMP or DDSW) will have the ability to preference Learning Communities, as follows:

• Central
• North 
• South
• West

Learning Community Allocation Guidelines, and instructions on how to preference for your Learning Community, can be found here (under ‘Allocation Guidelines and Handbook’). After enrolling in the program, it usually takes 24 hours to create your Placements profile.  This profile enables you to set preferences, upload Work Integrated Learning (WIL) documentation, and monitor your placements during the program.

Are students able to swap their Learning Community?

You will be allocated to a Learning Community for the duration of your time in Brisbane. All students will be primarily based at the MD Learning Hub (St Lucia) for Year 1 and throughout the program, you will have the opportunity to experience other Learning Communities. In particular, all students will have the opportunity to spend 7 weeks at another Learning Community as part of their clinical exchange placement in Year 4. The 8 week elective placement in Year 4 is also able to be undertaken at a different location.

Important Dates

• Learning Community preferencing opens: Midday 20 December 2023
• Learning Community preferencing closes: Midday 2 January 2024 
• Learning Community allocations released: 8 January 2024 

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Currently, Mater Health requires students to have two documented doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine. Students who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be unable to be allocated to the West Learning Community. In such cases, please ensure you preference all four options and prioritise West as your lowest preference.

Special Consideration

The Medical School recognises that students may have circumstances requiring them to be located within a specific region of the Greater Brisbane Clinical School (GBCS). Such students may seek to be assigned to a particular Learning Community through the MD Learning Community Allocation Special Consideration process prior to the commencement of Year 1.

The Special Consideration process is open to UQ-Ochsner and Onshore students.

All applications for Special Consideration need to be supported by evidence, will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and will be made at the sole discretion of the Medical School. While the Medical School will make every attempt to cater to a special consideration application, approval cannot be guaranteed.

Further information in regard to Special Consideration can be found in the 'Learning Community Allocation Guidelines', which are available here (under ‘Allocation Guidelines and Handbook’).

Please contact med.placements@uq.edu.au for further information or to submit a late application.

Important dates

• 2024 Special Consideration applications open:  Midday 29 November 2023 
• 2024 Special Consideration applications close:  Midday 15 December 2023 

Apply now