Girl seeks Sports Medicine Practitioners

[Monica]

Not quite the personal ad it seems! At the beginning of my association with the forum and you all, Dr. J suggested i post a thread about my interest in Sports Med and see what happened from there. So, some four months later, here it is...

I have just finished Year 11 (as in yesterday). I have a very keen interest in Sports Medicine that started very early on in my life, and have aspired to be a Sports Physician from about 12 years old. I did a week's worth of work experience (very hard to get) at Lisa Tynan Physiotheraphy Centre in 2002 (aged 14), where I worked with physician Dr. Neil Halpin and the physiotherapists for the Newcastle Knights, Newcastle United and various other sporting groups in the area, as well as the general public. I am proud to say that I recieved glowing reports from all, and was invited to attend a theatre session in Sydney with Dr. Halpin, which I completed at the start of 2003. Since then, I have been invited to attend a Knights match with the medical team, on the bench - an experience I am yet to have. Obviously, I am committed to sports med! I know I have a HUGE year ahead of me, and at the end of it, hope to be accepted to study medicine at University. Past that, a place for a sporting team or maybe even some research seems very appealling! I know what this will entail, and I am keeping my eyes open for other options if - touchwood - things don't end up the way I've planned.

That is my story, and I'd appreciate any help or advice from anyone, on this site or not, to achieve my future goals. (That's why this is in the research section!) Thanks everyone.

[injuryupdate]

Well all I can say is that watch out for the Knights, especially if you happen to have a game in Bathurst.

P.S. Year 12 isn't really that hard. Not compared to what your intern year will be like.



Not quite the personal ad it seems! At the beginning of my association with the forum and you all, Dr. J suggested i post a thread about my interest in Sports Med and see what happened from there. So, some four months later, here it is...

I have just finished Year 11 (as in yesterday). I have a very keen interest in Sports Medicine that started very early on in my life, and have aspired to be a Sports Physician from about 12 years old. I did a week's worth of work experience (very hard to get) at Lisa Tynan Physiotheraphy Centre in 2002 (aged 14), where I worked with physician Dr. Neil Halpin and the physiotherapists for the Newcastle Knights, Newcastle United and various other sporting groups in the area, as well as the general public. I am proud to say that I recieved glowing reports from all, and was invited to attend a theatre session in Sydney with Dr. Halpin, which I completed at the start of 2003. Since then, I have been invited to attend a Knights match with the medical team, on the bench - an experience I am yet to have. Obviously, I am committed to sports med! I know I have a HUGE year ahead of me, and at the end of it, hope to be accepted to study medicine at University. Past that, a place for a sporting team or maybe even some research seems very appealling! I know what this will entail, and I am keeping my eyes open for other options if - touchwood - things don't end up the way I've planned.

That is my story, and I'd appreciate any help or advice from anyone, on this site or not, to achieve my future goals. (That's why this is in the research section!) Thanks everyone.

[hhh]

Why don't you ask Dr J to your formal?? First 2 or so years of med are a walk in the park. Not too exciting, only about 1-3% of the course is musculoskeletal based, so that is why I firmly believe if you don't have further qualifications as a Dr, perhaps you shouldn't be seeing the majority of sporting type injuries that you come across in private practice. Hard thing about intern year is you have to know EVERYTHING, stuff you will never see again, particularly if you specialise in a particular field. Physio will start with a heap of sociology type stuff, before you get bogged down into CV, neuro etc type rehab and hospital based learning. Not a huge emphasis on sports medicine, plus you will end up being the whipping boy/girl for the Dr on the team. So really if you want to be involved with sports med, whatever you do, advanced qualifications are the way to go, with medicine being the first option. However, Newcastle Uni does GAMSAT so you will have to do an undergrad course first off. It doens't mater what, but something science based will make it easier.


Well all I can say is that watch out for the Knights, especially if you happen to have a game in Bathurst.

P.S. Year 12 isn't really that hard. Not compared to what your intern year will be like.

[Monica]

Wow, resurrecting an old thread here! Haha... I think maybe the Doc would be a little too busy to take me to my formal. *SIGH* (And hhh, the girl NEVER asks. She is asked.) While we're on the topic, I was watching the news yesterday, and whos face should I see?

The Knights. Yes well, I'm more interested in what Halpin has to offer me anyway! Year 12 is fun, but stressful - a friend of mine just made med and I'm itching for my chance! The horror stories I have heard about internship... not all are true of course, but reports about mistakes and accidents (in and out of the hospital) by overtired interns are kind of scary. Yes, advanced qualifications are part and parcel of the deal... but getting into med will help first! (And female sports physicians seem to be few and far between... or am I just imagining that?)

hhh, I don't understand your GAMSAT reference. Newcastle Uni has an undergraduate program (also soothed by the new Rural Entry Scheme - making med even more do-able!), and thats what I'm aiming for...

Monica


Why don't you ask Dr J to your formal?? First 2 or so years of med are a walk in the park. Not too exciting, only about 1-3% of the course is musculoskeletal based, so that is why I firmly believe if you don't have further qualifications as a Dr, perhaps you shouldn't be seeing the majority of sporting type injuries that you come across in private practice. Hard thing about intern year is you have to know EVERYTHING, stuff you will never see again, particularly if you specialise in a particular field. Physio will start with a heap of sociology type stuff, before you get bogged down into CV, neuro etc type rehab and hospital based learning. Not a huge emphasis on sports medicine, plus you will end up being the whipping boy/girl for the Dr on the team. So really if you want to be involved with sports med, whatever you do, advanced qualifications are the way to go, with medicine being the first option. However, Newcastle Uni does GAMSAT so you will have to do an undergrad course first off. It doens't mater what, but something science based will make it easier.

[Bill S. Preston-Esquire]

I'm sure the good Doc can put the books away, shut down the laptop and not think about whether the medial collateral he saw that day had osteochondritis disecans present as well for just one night. Go on Doc pucker up the courage and pop the question, its the least you can do for one your fans. I know they say alcohol isn't good for the brain but 1-2 breezers won't be the end of the world.

[hhh]

Monica I forgot that Newcastle still did undergrad medicine, most unis have gone post grad (recquiring a GPA, GAMSAT and an interview to get in).

It seems that Doc J has gone into his shell on this one and remains tight lipped. Tell him you'll wear something powder blue and he can wear his state of origin gear. He can probably down significantly more than the 1-2 breezers but from all reports its his form on the dance floor that is the biggest concern.

[Monica]

Newie undergrad is 1/3 weighted for UAI (or GPA, as the case may be), interview and UMAT. I think its the same for all undergrads as well...?

[mrpiccolod]

Most of the uni's around oz do not actually equally weight the three, for example i believe UNSW is something like 70% UAI, 20% UMAT and 10% interview!! Pathetic excuse on their part to try and follow suit with recruiting methods by other univerisities. Either way i hope ur still trying for the program in newcastle coz that's where i am and ive got to say it's great, especially if your motivated enough (which you seem to be monica). Best of luck...

[hhh]

Any update on Dr J taking you to your formal? What's going on Dr J, it's got to beat looking through the personals in the Daily Telegraph!

[Monica]

Most of the uni's around oz do not actually equally weight the three, for example i believe UNSW is something like 70% UAI, 20% UMAT and 10% interview!! Pathetic excuse on their part to try and follow suit with recruiting methods by other univerisities. Either way i hope ur still trying for the program in newcastle coz that's where i am and ive got to say it's great, especially if your motivated enough (which you seem to be monica). Best of luck...

Is that so? I was under the impression that it was much more equal than that! Being eligible for "rural entry schemes" is great because I get a lowered UAI requirement - I really hope that helps! It also meant I had to apply earlier than the mainstream, so I've already applied to both UNSW and UNCLE. It's all very exciting. Thanks very much for the well wishes

[injuryupdate]

Not needing to find a date these days - check out the profile of Jess if you want to know why.

Interested in the move from medical schools to go away from exam results to interview. The cynic in me thinks that it is a minimally disguised plot to make sure that 70% of the medical school input isn't Asian (which it would be if exam marks were the only criterion).

[Monica]

Haha, yes well apparently speaking English is a good thing in a doctor - go figure!

[hhh]

Yeah but to get an interview at most of the unis you need to have sat GAMSAT which is 70% science with some English comprehension and creative writing filtered in, which should flush out enough of the art house element. Then it is up to the unis to decide how much weighting to put on the GAMSAT and what on GPA from an undergrad degree as to who gets an interview. Once you get an interview you ask a mate who has sat one before what they want to hear and reguritate from there. Criticism from the old school docs is that new grads (who enter the course with anatomy as an assumed knowledge) don't know the dorsal horn from their arse - literally. The plus is we get docs with people skills, who can handle a conversation who have not rote learned their way through life.

Nice moves Johnny, a footy chick who is sports medically inclined. If she supports the Roosters you'd better pop a ring on this one...


Not needing to find a date these days - check out the profile of Jess if you want to know why.

Interested in the move from medical schools to go away from exam results to interview. The cynic in me thinks that it is a minimally disguised plot to make sure that 70% of the medical school input isn't Asian (which it would be if exam marks were the only criterion).