Mia Bek of Year 10 is preparing to become a specialist doctor – perhaps an anaesthesiologist, paediatrician, or even a specialist in emergency medicine. Alongside her, 63 other students in Years 10, 11, and 12 are on a similar journey, exploring life as future doctors and dentists. For these budding medical professionals, a new co-curricular course was offered this term, unique to Santa Sabina.
Our inaugural Introduction to Medicine/Dentistry Program, offered on Wednesdays after school in Term 2, aimed to demystify the often complex requirements of entry into undergraduate medicine and dentistry, provide tips on approaching the UCAT exams, and clarify expectations about the coveted careers in the medical and dental fields.
Santa Sabina is proud to be the only school in Sydney’s Inner West offering such a comprehensive course. Indeed, courses like this are rare across Sydney schools.
Course aims
- Gain familiarity with undergraduate and postgraduate university entry pathways into studying Medicine and/or Dentistry.
- Understand the organisation and structure of UCAT testing, including question types.
- Connect with practising doctors and dentists and engage with them on working in the profession, career progression, and further study.
- Build confidence through timed practice.
- Reflect on readiness for a future in medicine or dentistry.
Delivered across eight weeks, amounting to 15 hours of tuition, the course was attended by 64 students. They engaged with eight medical professionals, heard from representatives of four universities, and almost unanimously recommended Santa Sabina’s unique approach for giving students a deep dive into medical and dental courses and careers.
Not a coaching course or cheat sheet with answers to the UCAT exams, the program, costing a mere $50, allowed our students to gain an understanding of the patterns of thinking that lead to success in UCAT as well as the subjects to pursue at HSC or IB level.
What is UCAT?
The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is a computer-based admissions test used by many universities in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand to select applicants for their medical and dental undergraduate degree programs. The test assesses a range of mental abilities identified as important for success in these fields, including problem-solving, empathy, and abstract reasoning. It is a notoriously difficult test! Our experts advised our students to practise, practise, practise.
Expert mentorship
Sessions in the Santa Sabina course were led by mentors from our community of ex-students and current parents who are recently graduated professionals in medicine or dentistry. They were joined by a local GP in collaboration with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and all mentors were able to share up-to-date information about both the academic journey and real-world practice of these professions.
What took place in the sessions?
- Week 1 – Program overview
- Week 2 – UCAT 2025 overview including how to book the test, test tools, advice, and question types
- Weeks 3 & 4 – Mentored support focusing on verbal and quantitative reasoning, situational judgement, and decision making
- Weeks 5 & 6 – University connections
- Week 7 – Q&A with practising professionals
- Week 8 – Practice test in timed conditions.
Course designer Lauren Imber, our Director of Studies, surveyed students after the course and reports that the interactive sessions with practitioners and the final week’s practice test were the most appreciated and popular.
Mia confirmed this: ‘The most stimulating aspect of the program was the Q&A session with practising medical professionals,’ she said.
‘Their willingness to articulate the realities of their journeys – both the academic diligence and the personal resilience demanded – offered rare and invaluable insight into the professional landscape of contemporary medicine and dentistry. Their helpful responses to the group’s inquiries characterised medical practice as not only an accessible journey but one, when completed, profoundly aspirational.’
What new skills or knowledge did students gain?
According to Mia, the program provided significant exposure to the cognitive demands of the UCAT, particularly in relation to time-pressured decision-making.
‘I developed strategies to efficiently evaluate information, draw quick inferences, and apply logical reasoning under considerable time constraints,’ she said.
‘The presenters enriched the experience considerably. Their intellectual authority and ability to contextualise theoretical content within real-world medical settings greatly enhanced the depth and relevance of the material.’
Our particular thanks to our mentors:
- Julia Cummins – medical student
- Christopher Farag – medical student and UCAT coach
- Dr Peter Hoang – specialist orthodontist
- Dr Dina Jamil (current parent) – GP
- Dr Natasha Koelmeyer (Class of 2011) – dentist
- Dr Philip Lam (current parent) – child and adolescent psychiatrist
- Dr Aparna Sharma – RACGP representative
- Dr Clare Stewart (Class of 2002)
And presenters from:
- Macquarie University
- University of Notre Dame
- University of NSW
- Western Sydney University
Inspiring future health professionals
Brainchild of College Principal Paulina Skerman and devised by Director of Studies Lauren Imber with Head of Future Pathways & Partnerships Eva Guirguis, our program is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of health professionals, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed. After such a successful start, the program will run again as an annual or biennial course.
It has proven to be an invaluable resource for our students, providing them with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration to pursue their dreams in the medical and dental fields. We look forward to continuing this journey and supporting students such as Mia as they strive to become the healthcare leaders of tomorrow.
