The University of Western Australia: UCAT and Course Information (2021 Update)

In this article, we’re going to give you an overview of The University of Western Australia and the medical courses it offers that require UCAT for admission.

In this article on the University of Western Australia,

• Overview of the University of Western Australia
• University rankings
• The University of Western Australia courses requiring UCAT
  • Doctor of Medicine
  • Doctor of Dental Medicine
• Clinical placement information
  • Doctor of Medicine
  • Doctor of Dentistry
• Clinical sites

An Overview of the University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia (UWA) was established in 1911 and has three campuses:

• Crawley
• Claremont
• Albany

Currently, there are over 22,000 students at the main campus in Perth.

Students are able to live on and off-campus with the range of accommodation options available. The options are both affordable and accessible.

The university provides students with industry mentoring, placements for credit and not for credit as well as innovative course structures.

There is also exciting student life; with opportunities to get involved in a range of activities and a vibrant cultural precinct.

Rankings

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University of Western Australia Medical Courses Offered that require UCAT

The University offers Doctor of Medicine (Direct Pathway) and Doctor of Dental Medicine (Direct Pathway).

The following table outlines the courses offered, its specifics, and entry requirements such as ATAR or UCAT scores:

Doctor of Medicine

ATAR:

• The minimum ATAR required to secure a place in this degree at the university is 99.
• The minimum ATAR required for Rural applicants is 96.

IB:

The minimum IB score required is 35-36, depending on Maths Bonus.

Prerequisites:

The degree doesn’t have prerequisites but it has a number of subjects that are recommended. These include:

• Chemistry
• Biology or Human Biology
• Maths Applications

Entry Requirements:

Applicants will be shortlisted based upon their UCAT score, predicted/actual ATAR, and interview score.

Upon accepting the Direct Pathway entry, you must complete your first Bachelors with a minimum GPA of 5.5, before proceeding to your Doctors of Medicine.

Interview Criteria and structure:

Students are shortlisted for an interview based on their UCAT score and their predicted/actual ATAR.

• Criteria: There are 7 criteria used for the interviews every year. The 3 constant criteria are:
  • Communication skills
  • Explaining Skills
  • Motivation/Commitment to a career in Dentistry
• The interview will test the applicant’s ability to respond to problems and measure communication skills. It doesn’t aim to test the applicant’s specific Medical knowledge
• Structure: The interview process is around 2.5 hours. The interview will be in the form of Multiple Mini Interviews consisting of 8 stations with each station being 11 minutes long (3 minute preparation, 8 minute response time). 5 stations will consist of questions based on scenarios presented in the 3 minute preparation time. The other 3 stations are allocated for Explaining Skill Exercise, Explaining Skills Preparation, and a rest station.

Other options to entry:

As this is a direct pathway, minimum requirements must be met to get offered a place.

Degree facts:

•  28.5% of the places are Bonded Medical Places.
• Approximately, 145 places will be offered through the Assured Pathway with 30% of these offers being rural applicants.

Doctor of Dental Medicine

ATAR:

• The minimum ATAR required to secure a place in this degree at the university is 99.
• The minimum ATAR required for Rural applicants is 96.

IB:

The minimum IB score required is 35-36, depending on Maths Bonus.

Prerequisites:

The degree doesn’t have prerequisites but it has a number of subjects that are recommended. These include:

• Chemistry
• Biology
• Mathematics

Entry Requirements:

There are a number of entry requirements students need to fulfil to gain entry into this course. These include:

• Satisfactory completion of the Spatial Awareness Test
• Eyesight requirements
• High UCAT Score
• Minimum academic requirements
• High interview score

Upon accepting the Direct Pathway entry, you must complete your Bachelors with a minimum GPA of 5.5, before proceeding to your Doctor of Dental Medicine

Interview Criteria and structure:

The interview criteria is the same as the criteria for the Medicine interview. If you have been shortlisted for both programs, you will give an interview for the program which you placed higher on the preference list.

• Criteria: There are 7 criteria used for the interviews every year. The 3 constant criteria are:
  • Communication skills
  • Explaining Skills
  • Motivation/Commitment to a career in Dentistry
• The interview will test the applicant’s ability to respond to problems and measure communication skills. It doesn’t aim to test the applicant’s specific dental knowledge
• Structure: The interview process is around 3.5 hours. The interview will be in the form of Multiple Mini Interviews consisting of 8 stations with each station being 11 minutes long. The interview will be in the form of Multiple Mini Interviews consisting of 8 stations with each station being 11 minutes long (3 minute preparation, 8 minute response time). 5 stations will consist of questions based on scenarios presented in the 3 minute preparation time. The other 3 stations are allocated for Explaining Skill Exercise, Explaining Skills Preparation, and a rest station.
• After the stations, applicants will have to complete a Spatial Awareness Test.

Other options to entry:

As this is a direct pathway, minimum requirements must be met to get offered a place.

Degree facts:

• 28.5% of the places are Bonded Medical Places.
• Approximately, 36 places will be offered for the Assured Pathway into the DMD program- 10% of these will be for rural applicants.

Clinical placement information

Doctor of Medicine clinical placement

In the Doctor of Medicine, almost all teaching is conducted in hospitals and clinical environments which are located in Perth and elsewhere in Western Australia, including rural locations. In all years of the course, students are required to travel to various clinical environments associated with UWA. This includes at least four weeks in a non-metropolitan setting and for some students involves 12 months in a non-metropolitan setting during Year 3.

Doctor of Dentistry clinical placement

In the Doctor of Dental Science, the teaching of Level 1 and 2 units is split between the main university campus (at Crawley) and the clinics in the Oral Health Centre of Western Australia (OHCWA). During Levels 3 and 4 of the course, students spend the majority of their time at the OHCWA, with a small portion of time spent in teaching hospitals across the metropolitan area.

During Level 5 the placements are split between the OHCWA and other teaching hospitals, community Dental Clinics and Private Practice. Options are undertaken in a range of environments including rural and remote areas, interstate and overseas.

The fourth-year requires structured independent practice which will take place in and outside of the School, with compulsory metro and rural rotations.

Clinical sites and hospitals

Below is a list of the clinical sites and hospitals used by the UWA Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health:

• Oral Health Centre of Western Australia
• Royal Perth Hospital
• Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
• Fremantle Hospital
• Fiona Stanley Hospital
• Bentley Hospital?
• Graylands Hospital
• King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women
• Princess Margaret Hospital
• Osborne Park Hospital
• Armadale Health Campus
• Rockingham Hospital
• Swan Districts Hospital
• Midland Health Campus
• Joondalup Health Campus
• Peel Health Campus

Rural Clinical School

• Albany
• Broome
• Bunbury
• Busselton
• Carnarvon
• Derby
• Esperance
• Geraldton
• Kalgoorlie
• Karratha
• Kununurra
• Narrogin
• Northam
• Port Hedland
• Any other site deemed suitable by the Rural Clinical School and in consultation with the Faculty and the Department of Health and Ageing
• A range of privately owned clinical environments including private hospitals and primary care practices in both urban and rural locations throughout WA