UQ welcomes largest intake of medical students

The biggest intake of medical students in the history of the University has started classes at The University of Queensland.

The School of Medicine has welcomed 375 first year students, including 55 international students. The intake easily makes UQ the largest medical educator in Queensland and among the biggest in Australia. The number is an increase of almost 20 on the 2006 intake.

The new Head of the Medical School, Professor David Wilkinson, said good relationships with key partners would play a key role in delivering top quality medical education to these students.

"This new cohort of students will play an important role in addressing the workforce crisis in the health sector," he said.

"Their education will be delivered in close partnership with Queensland Health and private healthcare providers, which provide clinical experience for all our students in hospitals throughout Queensland."

Professor Wilkinson said UQ was assisted in the challenge of providing top quality medical education for large groups of students through its international partnerships.

These include Harvard Medical International, which has teamed up with UQ with to deliver gold standard training to health and medical educators and the International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS), an international medical education collaboration which provides online learning for undergraduate and graduate medical students around the world.

"The School of Medicine is a lead player in IVIMEDS, ensuring that our graduates are learning from the best international educators," Professor Wilkinson said.

First-year intakes in bachelor programs for other key professions include: Nursing (163), Dentistry (57), Physiotherapy (136) and Pharmacy (258).

Media inquiries: Faculty Communications Officer, Marlene McKendry, 0401 996 847.