Medicine for Mature Age Students

1. Medicine for Mature Age Students

2. Medicine for Mature Age Students • Historically, entrance to medical school in Australia has been dominated by young school-leavers, typically aged 18–19 years – and this is also true in the United Kingdom and North America. • However, since the 1990s, graduate entry became much more common in Australia, influenced by a rapid expansion of medical education provision, concurrent developments in curricula and models of delivery, as well as policy initiatives to widen access to medicine. • As it stands now, graduate entry into medical programmes in Australia, which began in the early 1990s, has grown substantially in the three decades since and is now available at 13 of the nation’s medical schools, and it has become much more accessible to mature age medical students.

3. Medicine for Mature Age Students • But what is a ‘mature-age’ student? This is a very loaded question – and the technical definition, as defined by Mathers and Parry (2010), is that mature age medical students are those at the age of 21 years or over – i.e. not in the first two-or-so years outside of high school. • I have found in my medical school experience, however, that a “mature medical student” may be those who are not only the age of 25-or-so, but also those who have additional responsibilities outside of medical school. • A classic study by Harth, Biggs and Thong (1990) shows that mature-age entrants are usually some 7 years older, are more likely to come from public (state) schools and less likely to have parents in professional/ technical occupations – and thus from working class backgrounds.

4. Medicine for Mature Age Students • As a study by Mathers and Parry (2010) demonstrates, mature aged candidates to medical school have significant risks in applying for the profession, inclusive of substantial financial resources, moving family away from established homes and social networks, and a need for students to undergo substantial identity shifts that enable them, firstly, to contemplate medicine, and then to make successful transitions to medical courses. • Geography is key and many older mature students have a strong preference for local medical schools as a result of personal circumstances. • Indeed, many mature aged students have working class backgrounds, and have had to struggle to even consider getting into medical school.

5. Medicine for Mature Age Students • However, once mature students get into medical school, there is research demonstrating their proficiency. Puddey, Mercer and Carr (2019), surveying a huge number of graduate and undergraduate students, there were generally higher mean examination scores for mature students in the first two years at medical school, with not much difference after. • Mature students were also less likely to have impeded progress during the course. However, if mature students did have a leave of absence, it was more likely for medical or financial / employment reasons, as compared to undergraduate students. • Following graduation, however, most of the literature demonstrates no differences between mature and undergraduate practitioners in research outcomes, career positions held by clinicians, choice of family practice or other specialty, and practice location (rural or urban) (Rolfe, Ringland and Pearson, 2004).

6. Medicine for Mature Age Students • Not only do mature age medical students bring a whole host of life experiences to medical school, along with plenty of life advice for their younger peers, they often develop a fierce work-rate due to the plethora of extra work they’ve had to put into the GAMSAT® Exam to get a good score and into the first part of medical school to catch up to their younger colleagues, who have an extensive background in science, whereas the mature age students may be preparing for the GAMSAT Exam with a non-science background. • As a generalisation, mature students are much, much better with patients. They have real world experiences, which helps them communicate effectively with a fellow human being who may be in a very stressful situation, or who is very unwell. These students are generally more empathetic, and able to connect more with patients, doctors, and other members of the health care team.

7. Further Materials • GAMSAT Results Guide • Medical School Entry Requirements Guide • GAMSAT Biology: How to prepare • GAMSAT Chemistry: How to Prepare • GAMSAT Physics: How to Prepare • For more tips about various topics ranging from preparing for the GAMSAT exam, medical school interviews, to life at med school, tune in to our GAMSAT To Med School Podcast: https://gradready.com.au/gamsat-podcast