Why is the course fee different for Tasmanian doctors employed by the DHHS, than for those doctors from elsewhere?
PMCT has been contracted by the State Government to provide educational support services for IMGs working in the public
hospital system, and receives a small budget which we use to fund the bridging courses. This funding does not extend to
doctors in other states. We are more than happy to welcome doctors from interstate, but must therefore make a small
charge to cover our costs.
What is the course cost for doctors not employed by the Tasmanian Public Hospital System ?
$440.00 per candidate per day
How long is the course ?
Currently the PMCT IMG Bridging Courses are 1 day courses consisting of an 8 station Practice Clinical OSCE style exam
and 2 concurrent teaching sessions. We have previously run longer courses weekend courses but after considering candidate
feedback from previous courses, have reduced the length of the course to 1 day. (Candidate feedback indicated that the
Practice AMC Clinical exam was the main reason for attending the course)
Why are there only 8 stations instead of 20 as in the real AMC exam ?
There are several reasons for this. It requires a large amount of preparation and planning to stage an OSCE: even one with only 8 stations. New questions are written for each exam, and examiners must be found from the pool of locally available doctors. Our organisation, and our pool of examiners, does not have the capacity to create more stations.
Increasing numbers of IMGs are wishing to attend our courses. By keep ing the number of stations at 8, we are able to run three concurrent sessions and therefore accept up to 48 participants for each course.
The concurrent sessions approach allows us to provide focussed teaching that is directly relevant to passing the OSCE stations. These sessions are as helpful as the practice exam in preparing for the real thing.
Why are there only 4 courses per year ?
The answer to this question is similar to that for question 2. It takes a lot of time and effort to put on one of these courses. All of us have other jobs that compete for our time ! We have a limited pool of doctors who are able to contribute as teachers and examiners, and they too have other clinical and teaching duties. We simply do not have the capacity to put on additional courses. Bare in mind that until a year ago there were only 3 courses per year each accepting 15 - 20 participants. We have increased our capacity significantly such that we can now provide 4 courses per year and accept 48 participants on each course.
Why are some doctors observers ? Why can't everybody be a candidate ?
Again this relates to supply and demand. Some candidates prefer to be candidates, some, usually those in an earlier stage of preparationfor the exam, prefer to observe. Preference for being a candidate is given to those doctors who have an imminent exam date. This is why we ask you on the form to indicate when you will be sitting for the AMC Clinical Exam.
How do I enrol in a PMCT IMG Bridging Course ?
Information about upcoming courses are circulated to Tasmanian IMGs employed by the Tasmanian public hospital system as soon as it comes to hand. We also forward course enrolment forms to these doctors at least 1 week prior to posting it to the PMCT website. We are funded by the Tasmanian Government to provide these courses for the Tasmanian Overseas Trained Doctors, and therefore need to give these doctors every opportunity to attend. After 1 week, we offer any remaining places to all by placing the enrolment form on the PMCT website.
- To enrol, simply post the completed enrolment form and your cheque or money order made out to Postgraduate Medical Education Council of Tasmania to: IMG Program Officer, Postgraduate Medical Education Council of Tasmania, GPO Box 1916, Hobart, Tasmania 7001. We will then return to you an electronic letter of enrolment and receipt.
- Please Note: Full payment needs to be received by us before we can offer you a place. Hard copies of your enrolment confirmation letter, invoice/receipt and an 'attendance certificate' will be issued to you at the completion of the course.
Why do I have to pay before my place is confirmed ?
It's not because we a money-grabbers ! It is simply that we have had previous experiences with doctors who have promised to pay on the day and then not even turned up to the course ! This selfish behaviour obviously deprives others of the chance to attend the course. The payment up front approach helps us to guarantee the best use of available places.
Why can't I pay by credit card ?
We are a small organisation with only a small proportion of our activities funded on a fee for service basis. It is not financially viable for us to acquire credit card facilities.
Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to attend the course, please let us know in writing via email as soon as possible (sandy.mcmanus@dhhs.tas.gov.au
