Update 2

Contained within this email:

1. MSCV Resources & Dates

There are a number of ‘key resource’ links, dates to keep in mind as well as links to previous mail chimp emails to be found in the pinned post at the top of the Internship Support Group. We try to keep these as up-to-date as possible.

The PMCV Computer Match website however is your definitive source of information on the match process. Be sure to check it out soon as the application process can be quite lengthy!

The P1 process opened yesterday (1/5/17) both for the PMCV system as well as the individual hospital network applications.

The system will remain open until Friday 2nd June. Do not miss this deadline! There are no late submissions.

P2 process will commence Late July – Early August.

P3 process to follow after this time.

A refresher on the full match dates can be found here.

2. PMCV Applicant ID number vs MIPN

Knowing the difference is important!

PMCV Applicant ID Number;

This is generated by the PMCV Online Portal. It should be seen next to your name under ‘Manage your application’ (See example taken from the candidate guide below).

This is the number the hospital services will want to know.

Medical Intern Placement Number (MIPN)

This is the number that you should have received in an email from your university. It is used for the national audit process. PMCV will ask for this number but hospital networks usually will not / should not need it.

More information on both of the above can be found in the PMCV Candidates guide.

3. PMCV Candidates Guide

Speaking of the PMCV Candidates guide, we highly recommend you read it. It outlines in detail each step of the match for each of the different priority groups, as well as screen shots of the PMCV portal to walk you through their system should you encounter any issues.

It even has a handy dandy checklist!

4. Questions + FAQ

MSCV answers a lot of questions through this process which we are more than happy to do. It is likely though that a question you have has already been asked by a person in the past.

To streamline this process MSCV is looking to expand the use of it’s ‘FAQ’ page. There is also a link to this on the Internship Support Group.

We will continually update this google doc over the coming weeks as questions roll in. Both to keep it as up to date as possible as well as hand over a nice volume of knowledge for those that follow us.

5. Hospital Directory & Applications

These are to found on the PMCV website and outline everything to do with the hospital networks of Victoria, how to apply to them and the application requirements of each one.

There are a number of different documents this year;

We highly recommend that applicants read the relevant sections of each of the below documents for each of the hospitals you plan to apply to.

To reduce the likelihood of being un-matched we highly encourage every applicant to apply to the maximum number of hospitals possible. We understand this a large amount of work hence why we also encourage you to get started early!

Intern selection in Victoria is based on merit. Each Hospital network has their own definition of what merit constitutes and how they determine it. Therefore different networks may ‘weight’ some aspects of applications more than others, in a completely different way to a different hospital network.

Some Hospital networks are transparent how they do this. Some are not. Please consult the hospital directory and relevant hospital network websites for more information pertinent to 2017.

6. AMSA Internship Guide

The AMSA Internship Guide was released this week. We highly recommend everyone giving it a read. It is not meant to be a substitute for PMCV documents, rather an additional resource.

It is valuable for those looking to apply interstate as it outlines all hospital networks in the country.

For those that are that way inclined please see links below to our sister organisation Intern Support Pages;

7. Z-scores

All Victorian Z-scores have now been released. Congratulations to everyone for the completion of the formally assessed components of their Medical Degree!

For those still unsure how the score works, PMCV produces a ‘factoid’ page.

Most Hospital Networks have no specified ‘minimum’ Z-score. A handful however may. Please consult the hospital directory from PMCV as well as the hospital websites you plan to apply to to find out more.

8. CV

The Victorian Application system utilises the ‘Standardised CV’ format. The standardised CV can be found here or on the PMCV computer match website.

PMCV produces these guidelines on CVs. Please read these in detail to avoid doing anything that may adversely affect your match potential.

These guidelines are quite brief and some sections vague. This is by design to some degree as HMO managers want to be able to see how individual candidates craft their CV, similar to any other job applications.

We understand that the process can get quite repetitive uploading your CV multiple times to multiple sources. We have pushed quite hard for a number of years to reduce the double handling. Hospital networks however want to be able to access applications as soon as they are received, as well as have applications in a form that suits their own internal HR processes. We will continue to work on this into the future.

CV Photo

Prior to 2016 the photo on the PMCV standardised CV was optional. MSCV pushed hard to make this section at the very least optional on the grounds of potential for discrimination against applicants on the basis of a wealth of factors.

MSCV was successful on this front and the photo is designated optional on the Standardised CV.

HOWEVER HMO managers have not all been receptive to this change and some hospital networks have made / continued with compulsory photo submission through Hospital Network applications.

The advice that we have received from PMCV is that there is no guarantee that a non-submission of a photo will not result in flow on effects to your match potential.

MSCV will continue to push on this front in the future but unfortunately this is the state of play for the 2017 match.

9. Referee Forms

There have been slight changes to the referee form for 2017. This is largely around expansion of the sections related to non-clinical activities and attributes as well as an expansion in the use of written comments.

The new referee form can be found here.

Advice on referees can be found here.

10. Information Sessions

There are still a handful yet to come. See here;

Again a reminder please check the relevant hospital’s website to check if you need to book in advance.

11. Transfer of Information (TOI)

The TOI policy is a new aspect of the match this year. It “is designed to support medical graduates in their transition from medical school to the medical workforce. This policy supports graduates to transfer select information to potential employing health services to assist in facilitating an appropriate and supported internship.”

In essence it aims to encourage Intern applicants to self identify to health networks any increased / different requirements or circumstances prior to the match with the aim to match them with a hospital network that will be amendable to working with the applicant on a modified work plan.

For further information please see here. If you are considering applying under the scheme we highly recommend you getting in touch with PMCV.

MSCV is also happy to chat with anybody further about this. We would encourage anybody who thinks this may apply to them to really consider it.

12. Paired applications

Any pairs planning on applying as a ‘paired applicants’ have been advised to contact PMCV to discuss the procedure.

13. Deferral of Internship

Deferring your internship is possible! If you plan on doing so we recommend you let PMCV know ASAP.

For more information please see the Deferral of Internship Policy and Deferral Form.

Please do fill this form out if it applies to you as it goes along way to helping MSCV, PMCV and the Department of Health make workforce predictions in the coming years.