Hi. I'm considering going to medical school in Australia. I have three main questions:

1) I wanted to know how long it takes for an international student to graduate from medical school and complete my post-grad training/ residency to become an orthopaedic or plastic surgeon (2 fields that I am considering). I am also considering anesthesiology as well.

2) In addition, I would like to know if I would be required to work in a rural area after graduating from medical school, and if or when will i be able to practice in a major city like sydney or melbourne.

3) Finally, how hard is it for international graduates to open their own practice in a city like Sydney? Along the same lines, is it difficult for me to permanently live in Australia after graduating from medical school?

If anyone can write back with answers to these questions, it would help me out a lot with my decisions and plans. Cheers!

J