FAQs

Why is there an evidence supported resume for Interns?

In order to make the short listing process as fair and transparent as possible, Austin Health have moved to an evidence supported Resume. This gives all applicants an equal opportunity to provide support for their achievements in a fair and transparent way.
The evidence supported Resume also allows points to be awarded for achievements other than academic marks, which can assist applicants who have not excelled academically to achieve additional points in the short listing process.

Why is the Resume given so much weight in the short-listing process and in the selection process?

The Resume, when provided with support for achievements, is an objective measure across a number of fields of achievement, not just work or academic related fields. The evidence supported resume allows all applicants to provide as much or as little information as they feel is necessary, and can be scored objectively, making the document a useful tool in the short listing process.

What was the average mark (out of 100) for the evidence supported CV 2013?

The average score from last years evidence based CV was 34.8. Working on this we would expect most scores to fall between 20 - 65 for 2014 evidence supported resume applications.

What do I do if I am unsure whether or not one of my experiences fulfils the specific criteria?

It is best to include your experience if you are in doubt.

How do I submit the completed resume and all of the supporting evidence?

The completed resume and all of the supporting documentation/evidence needs to be uploaded onto the Austin Health medical recruitment site: www.austindoctors.org.au ; you will need to scan and upload all the documents as a complete application, as we will not be accepting single documents to be added to applications; with close to 700 applications expected, we cannot handle single pieces of support coming in.

Once the resume is submitted is there a chance to change anything?

Please take your special when preparing your application, as unlike last year - once your application has been submitted you will not be able to update and/or amend your information.

What sort of things can I put as my ‘Personal achievements, outstanding achievement and demonstrated leadership’. How do I provide evidence for some of these things?

This is probably the most difficult section of the evidence supported resume process. Personal achievements, outstanding achievement and demonstrated leadership may be supported with photographs, for example, but this will not be possible with all submissions. A short paragraph outlining your achievements may be submitted to support your claim. Whatever evidence you can provide will be considered.

As for what sort of things can you put as personal achievements, outstanding achievement and demonstrated leadership: nearly anything that you are proud of or have achieved significant recognition in. Some examples might be completing a marathon for the first time, achieving a dean's commendation for academic achievement, joining the army reserve and training to serve your country, managing a cardiac arrest in the community, and the list goes on.

Can I claim each criteria multiple times?

Yes. For example, if you have published 3 papers where you are first author you can claim this criteria three times. However the maximum marks for the category cannot be exceeded. With regards to employment, you cannot claim the same job twice even if you have had a year off in between. Remember there are minimum requirements for each category and achieving the minimum requirement does not guarantee the maximum mark.

Am I guaranteed maximum marks in each criteria?

No. The minimum requirements for each criteria of each category are to be eligible for the maximum marks. Someone that works 5 hour week for the last 12 months is less likely to achieve maximum marks in this criteria as someone who has worked 8 hours per week for the last 36 months.

The Intern Interview process: Will I get asked a specific hospital based clinical scenario?

No, you will not be asked a specific hospital based clinical scenario as a part of your interview.

When can I expect to hear if i have secured an interview?

Intern applications will close on the 7th June 2013. Upon marking the evidence supported resume's as part of our shortlisting process, we will send emails to all applicants to inform them of the outcome of their application.  If you have been successful in securing an interview, we will email you an invitation to select your interview time and date online.

How long will the interview go for?

The interview will last between 10 and 15 minutes for each successfully short listed candidate. We expect around five questions for each interviewee, so try to pace your responses so you don't finish up within the first five minutes. On the other hand, it is also very impressive to keep to time.

What educations opportunities are available for interns in 2014?

All interns have protected training time each week. Those on rotation to a rural health care service also have protected training time. As well as the formal weekly education sessions, there are a number of other educational opportunities for interns, including attending specific workshops (surgical skills, the deteriorating patient) and career preparation evenings, as well as organisation wide education sessions such as the surgical audit and the medical Grand Round held each week.

Are there any research opportunities for interns in 2014?

Yes, there are research opportunities available for interns. The research opportunities can be discussed with the Supervisor of Intern training, Dr. Natasha Holmes, or the Medical Administrator, Clinical Education Unit, Dr Sam Radford. Either would happily assist in putting those interested in clinical research in touch with the relevant departments.

Will I have a rural rotation?

Of our 55 intern positions, we expect 15 to have the opportunity to undertake a rural rotation. We are currently in the process of arranging rural rotations, and will update the website as the arrangements are confirmed.

I did my clinical training at a hospital other than Austin. Does this affect my chances of being selected as an Intern?

No, this will not affect your chances of selection. What might affect your chances of selection is whether you are eligible for selection as a Group 1 or Group 2 candidate; Group membership is determined by the PMCV eligibility criteria (see PMCV website). Group 1 candidates are all eligible for selection at Austin Health, Group 2 candidates will also be eligible for selection, although in much smaller numbers than Group 1.

I have a special event that I need specific annual leave for in 2014. Can this be accommodated?

If you know in advance of a special event, you will need to notify the Medical Workforce Unit staff via email as well as on your rotation planner selection sheet as soon as you can after the selection sheets are sent out. This gives us the best opportunity to meet your needs. We cannot do this for everyone, and so only genuine special events should be notified: family reunions overseas at Christmas unfortunately do NOT meet the requirements for specific annual leave allocation.

If I am successful in securing an intern position can I choose my rotations?

All successfully matched interns have the opportunity to select a rotation planner for the year that matches 1) their annual leave requirements, and 2) rotations of interest. The rotation planner comes out mid August, and notification of your rotation planner happens around early September. In most cases, we are able to give people one of their top ten choices.
For those with specific requirements re leave (eg. your own wedding), please advise when you submit your choices, as this will obviously be given priority when allocating rotations.

Am I eligible to apply for an HMO 2/3 position?

All HMO2 positions at Austin Health are  recruited through the computer match, coordinated through the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria (PMCV).  Eligibility criteria are available on the PMCV website.

HMO3 positions for the medical stream are also filled through the Computer matching service off the PMCV.  Once again, eligibility criteria are available on their website.  HMO3 General and HMO3 Surgical streams are recruited directly through the Austin Health/Northern Health joint recruitment program.  Please see the Medical Careers page for more information.

HMO2 and HMO3 positions are jointly recruited with Northern Health.

What streams and rotations are available to HMO’s at Austin Health and how are they allocated?

Streams available for HMO's include surgery, medicine, general practice and psychiatry.

We have well developed training programs in physician training coordinated through the Central NorthWest Consortium.  Each year, candidates are supported with unpaid study and exam leave to attend preparation courses (BPT2 year) in preparation for the Physician exams in their BPT3+ year.  Unpaid study and paid exam leave is also well supported for both the final basic physician exams.

Our general surgical training program is one of the largest and best supported across Victoria, with rotations to rural and interstate hospitals included in the program.  The general surgery education program is aimed at providing a comprehensive series of tutorials, seminars and journal club sessions to surgical trainees at all levels.  The program is successful due to the commitment and dedication of members of the Division of Surgery who share their time and expertise willingly with all trainees.

As well as general surgery, Austin Health offers training in specialty surgery areas such as orthopaedics, neurosurgery, vascular surgery, cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, spinal surgery, urological surgery, plastics and ENT, and other specialty areas.  Please see the Austin Health website for further specific information.

Should I answer the selection criteria within the body of my cover letter?

No, you need to answer the selection criteria electronically as a part of your application.  Your answers will assist us in the short listing process, and need to be easily identifiable within the body of your application paperwork. 

Each answer is also awarded a score; we cannot score fairly if formatting differs, so please answer the selection criteria as requested in the electronic application.

Please note, selection criteria are NOT required for intern applications, as you are providing an evidence supported resume; this document is not yet required for applicants to PGY2 and above.

I'm an interstate medical graduate; how can I get a job with Austin Health?

All intern positions in Victoria are matched through the Postgraduate Medical Council of Victoria (PMCV).  Victorian and interstate medical school graduates, and graduates of New Zealand medical schools (including full fee paying students of New Zealand medical schools) all need to register an application and meet the eligibility requirements of the matching process through the PMCV to be eligible for a position in the intern computer match.

Once the interview process has been completed and the selections entered into the match by Austin Health and the individual candidates, the PMCV will determine the proportion of Australian Trained (Permanent Resident) Graduates of Victorian Medical facilities, and "other" graduates allocated to Austin Health; in 2013, this split was approximately 55 Australian Trained (Permanent Resident) graduates of a Victorian Medical Facility and 2 from the remaining candidates.  The proportion in 2014 may differ from these proportions slightly, depending on the final number of Group 1 candidates graduating in 2013. 

I attend a University that awards a non graded pass/fail; how will this be assessed?

You will be awarded a standardised mark based on the average mark from the university.  This score will be combined with your score from the evidence supported CV and referee reports to provide a final score for ranking in the interview selection process.

The same process will be undertaken for the ranking of final candidates for the computer match, but will include your interview score.

How long should my cover letter be?

Your cover letter should be no longer than one page in length. There is no exact word limit, but anything much over a page is probably too long.

Remember, this is your opportunity to shine and promote yourself, and whilst there are no marks attributed to this section of your application, the cover letter can "set the scene" for your application.

In what format should my application be submitted?

All applications are to be submitted electronically via www.austindoctors.org.au website.  Please follow the prescribed format guide with your application.

Who should I address the cover letter to?

For positions that are not jointly recruited, the cover letter should be addressed to the Doctors in Training Manager of the Medical Workforce Unit at Austin Health - Ms. Sarah McConchie and Recruitment Co-ordinator of Medical Workforce Unit  Ms Emma Saggese.

In the pre-vocational positions that are jointly recruited with Northern Health (PGY2, some PGY3 and some Registrrar positions) the letters should be addressed to both the Doctor in Trainig Manager , (Ms. Sarah McConchie) Recruitment Co-ordinator Ms Emma Saggese, and the Operations Manager, Junior Medical Workforce Unit, Northern Health (Ms. Lora Davies).

Who can I use as a referee when I apply to Austin Health?

Referee requirements differ depending on the position type you are applying for.  For interns, Austin Health require referees to be nominated through the PMCV online computer matching process. 

We would prefer a "balance" of referees rather than all referees coming from the one specialty.  This will enable us to review your performance more broadly across the various medical specialties available.  We do not mind if referees are Consultants or Registrars.

If the Clinical Dean is one of your referees, please ensure your other reference is completed by a clinician who has worked with you in a clinical setting recently.

Is a poster counted in "Research, Publication, Presentations" Section?

Yes, a poster is viewed as an achievement and is awarded points based on evidence supplied. Evidence will be a confirmation letter by the conference/workshop organiser.

Is the AMS year counted/scored?

The AMS year is recognised in the evidence supported CV as an additional achievement and will be scored accordingly under the "Additional Qualifications" section of the assessment sheet.

What evidence needs to be provided for special consideration?

This will depend on the nature of the special consideration. For example, if you have suffered with a medical condition which has affected your studies, please provide a letter from your GP substantiating this.

I am self employed; how do I provide evidence of this for the evidence supported resume?

Evidence of self employment is challenging, but can be provided.  We request that you provide an ABN and a statutory declaration regarding hours worked as a part of your evidence supported resume.

In the case of tutoring, we request that you also provide contact details of those you have tutored so that confirmation of the work claimed can be made.  It is likely that self employment details will be audited when reviewing the evidence supported resume.

If I provide evidence in each category to substantiate my resume can i expect to receive maximum marks?

Maximum marks for each criteria are not guaranteed, these will be graded on content of evidence (ie. publication marks - a well known peer reviewed journal will attract higher marks than that of a less recognised journal)

I am unsure whether some of my claims should be included in my evidence supported resume - what should i do?

If you are unsure as to the appropriateness, we encourage you to include it and we will make the decision when processing.

Some of my personal achievements have already been used in another section of the evidence supported resume. Can I use them again and get "double" points for the one achievement?

The idea of the personal achievements section of the evidence supported resume is to highlight achievements that do not fit into one of the categories listed on the evidence supported resume (additional qualifications, work and volunteer employment, committees/leadership roles, teaching/workshops/conferences, research/publications/presentations).

We will NOT award points for a personal achievement listed that has been awarded points in one of the above categories.

I only have one letter from my employer outlining my hours and work ethic; is this OK?

One letter from your employer that outlines both your average work hours and a high recommendation for employment is fine. We do not require two copies of this document to support your evidence supported resume.

What can be included as an "additional qualification"?

Points for an additional qualification will only be awarded for tertiary or TAFE qualifications. Qualifications such as music achievements which were achieved during your secondary schooling will not be considered in this section, but can be added as a personal achievement (in the appropriate section of the evidence supported resume).

What happens if i dont get an interview?

If you are not successful in securing an interview at Austin Health, you will be advised via email. Unfortunately due to the large volume of applications we receive (we anticipate over 900) we will not be able to provide a breakdown of your application score. Every effort has been made to streamline the application process to make it a fair and transparent process.
We wish you well in the coming year and encourage you to apply for a position the following employment year.

How much leave are interns and HMOs given and how is it allocated?

Interns are allocated leave in the rotation planner for the year. Two weeks are allocated throughout the year, usually in the Emergency Medicine term, and three weeks is paid out at the end of the appointment year.

Leave is built into the rosters upon appointment.  HMO's are entitle to 5 weeks annual leave and may be entitled to one week of approved conference leave if the course of study relates to enrolment in a recognised training program and is a training requirement for a College you are enrolled with.  Evidence of membership may be requested to accompany your application.  All requests for conference leave  need to be submitted to the Medical Workforce Unit by the end of March each year.

All junior medical staff are asked to allocate leave preferences with their rotation preferences.  Whilst we endeavour to provide the leave you have requested, the priority at all times is to ensure that adequate patient care is provided across the organisation and across our rotation partner hospitals.

I am experiencing problems uploading my documents for my intern application due to the file size limit?

The file size limit has been increased by Emercury to 10MB, this will allow applicants to upload all documents for thier evidence supported resume.