Kb'ers lend me your keyboards
Some of you may have heard about 7EFTS and medical students in the media over the last few days. This thread is to give some background and insight into the issue and hopefully convince some of you to share and sign this petition:
https://www.change.org/p/minister-of...dical-students
Background:
The Minister of Education Steven Joyce has implemented a policy on student loans which sets a cap of 7 years as the maximum amount of years one can borrow for (7EFTS). This policy was intended to prevent students who were changing between degrees, often failing, and often not completing one in a field that would result in them getting a job at the end - people considered to be "career students".
The policy certainly has it's merits, and seems fair given the government is operating on a tight ship and student debt is significantly high running into the billions. But this policy will impact negatively on the medical field which is why medical students are seeking an exemption for their qualification from the cap (rather than getting rid of the policy entirely).
Studying Medicine
Medicine is the longest degree and arguably one of the hardest degrees to complete in NZ. It requires six years of full time study, it is not possible to complete it in a shorter amount of time, unlike other programmes study cannot be undertaken part time or over summer school.
Entry into medicine is via two pathways - first year Biomedicine or Health Science, or as a Postgraduate. For the first year option, the majority of these students are straight out of highschool and they need to score a GPA of 8.0+ (so on average A to A+ in 8 papers) approximately 1300 students aim for this alone at Auckland University.
Postgraduates however can get entry with a slightly lower GPA but need to have completed certain Science core papers with very good grades. They still need to have a very high GPA (B+ to A+)
Every student needs to meet the high academic requirements to apply for selection. Selection is then based on a review of ones academic performance in conjunction with panel interviews of applicants. Out of 600 - 700 selected Auckland Uni takes about 260 students each year. Of which one third are postgraduates.
The University likes to take a lot of these students as they are more mature, have more life experience and social skills than their younger "first year peers" but are also more likely to come from diverse backgrounds, lower socio-economic areas, and more likely to work in high needs areas, as GP's, and in rural areas - where we have significant shortages. Many of these students have already contributed to the medical and scientific fields through medical related research.
In many other countries (for example US) postgraduate entry is the only way to get into medicine.
So why the issue?
Most postgraduates have already completed 3 years of study minimum (for example someone who has completed a Bachelor in Health Sciences, Biomedicine, Physiology etc). Some have completed more (if they have done honours/masters etc).
As stated previously one third of medical students are post-graduates - so with the 7EFTS they can only borrow up until that cap. Many students are now faced with the prospect of trying to some how find money to fund their last or other years of study (fees = $15,000 per year).
If they could take a gap year off they would, but that is not possible as the government funds medicine based on "places" per year of intake, so the Universities are strict on how many students are studying at a particular year.
Steve Joyces view:
The Minister says that students should be able to borrow from other sources to pay for the study for example: bank loan, family, or from their 6th year internship, and says "they'll be fine as they earn the most of any graduates anyway". However these suggestions are unrealistic and OIA's show the minister knows for a fact that no bank will loan to students to complete a degree. The majority of students families do not have a spare $15,000 lying around to pay for each year, and to qualify for the 6th year internship one has to actually pay their $15,000 per year fee's first! And the last point about getting paid heaps when they graduate - if they don't pay fees, they cant study, then cant graduate, then cant be doctors to pay back the loan!!!
Left vs. Right?
This is not really an issue of left vs right politics. Yes politicians from opposition parties are making a fuss (Labour, Greens, NZFirst), and yes many of you will point me out as a rabid lefty - however the Young Nats have also put their voices behind the call for a reconsideration by the Minister. Our cohort and many postgraduate students themselves are involved in political groups of both sides.
Why care?
From my point of view, I care about my colleagues obviously. But also from a patients perspective - having people from a diverse background results in better outcomes for diverse communities and like I said these students are more likely to be more mature, work in harder/more high needs areas etc. If the cap remains in place, then it is likely to go back to the days of only rich kids getting into med school (because they can afford to go to the good schools, and get the $50 per hour private tutoring which is required to get a GPA of 8-9 in first year).
But even for you as a taxpayer, you are getting ripped off. Each year millions of your taxes are invested into our training, with a significant subsidy of our fees. If hundreds of these students don't graduate as doctors - your money is going down the gurglar and its more likely that in the not too distant future you will be faced with staff shortages and in turn a poorer quality of care. By giving them an exemption, it is not likely they are going to abuse it, medical school has one of the lowest failure rates and once they graduate they will pay off the loan within a couple of years.
To give you some perspective - a lot of you older ones would have heard of Fred Hollows - the kiwi legend who helped restore sight for thousands of people all over the world.
Hollows actually completed a BA before studying medicine at Otago. So if he was having to study medicine today, he would be affected by the 7EFTS and most likely wouldn't have been able to afford to graduate and become a doctor and go onto make such an impact like he did.
Cheers for your time.
Ride hard.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Akzle
I didn't think!!! I experimented!!!
Guess who failed the test 
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