VICDOC Autumn 2023 - Magazine - Page 47
I
n the 129 years since Iza Coghlan
and Grace Robinson became
Australia's first female medical
graduates, significant progress
has been made in the representation
of women in medicine. In terms of
sheer numbers, medicine has become a
female dominated industry, with females
now comprising ~52.8% of Australian
medical students. Of course, we’re still
seeing gender inequality in various
specialties and positions of leadership,
with ongoing issues surrounding
flexibility of training programs and
the gender pay gap. But progress is
being made, more so than for other
marginalised groups.
Approximately two thirds of
Australian medical students hail from
the top socioeconomic quartile of our
population. In contrast, In contrast, low
socioeconomic status (SES) students
make up less than a tenth, despite
representing 17% of undergraduate
university students overall. Unfortunately,
the medical education and training
system is heavily biased against these
students at every stage of the training
pipeline, from medical school to
specialty colleges. This is despite the
heavy emphasis placed on equity for
other marginalised groups such as First
Nations and rural candidates, for which
there are numerous access schemes,
scholarships and support programs
in place.
Consider Appadurai’s theory of
aspirations as a capacity. Low SES and
first in family students are less likely
to have the guidance, opportunities or
'hot knowledge' to navigate the complex
admissions process, partake in the desired
extracurriculars, or even consider medicine
as a viable career option. Meanwhile,
affluent students more often tap into
their social networks to land invaluable
application advice and work experience,
attend high performing schools promising
high Australian Tertiary Admission Rank
and pay for University Clinical Aptitude
Test and interview coaching to skew the
very measures put in place to reduce the
bias in their favour. While shifts towards
graduate entry programs has helped, it
doesn’t completely level the field and
there is something to be said about
the impact, costs and 'lost time' in the
industry associated with undertaking
an additional degree.
For the few who make it into medical
school, the transition to university is
often a difficult and isolating process,
with many forced to either move out or
commute long distances without the level
of government support afforded to rural
students. Likewise, scholarships are few
and far between, and seemingly the first
to disappear when funds are tight. The
intensive structure of medical courses
pushes students out of part time work and
towards 4-6 years of financial dependence,
which for those without parental support
is a recipe for long-lasting emotional and
physical burnout. Thus, when it comes
time for specialty college applications,
these students who are often forced to
turn down opportunities due to cost or in
favour of working to make ends meet find
themselves playing catch up with research,
volunteering and leadership endeavours.
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