It's a long way from the Ural Mountains in Russia to suburban Perth. But it's only part of the distance that Dr Julia Shkolnikova has had to travel to become a surgical resident at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne. In cultural and language terms, she has had to bridge divides that most people would find hard to imagine, let alone to cross.
Dr Shkolnikova's home town of Chelyabinsk is poised at the midpoint between Europe and Asia, at the foot of the Ural Mountains.

After completing her undergraduate training in 2003, she began a PhD in physiology. But it was pure science, with no clinical work which was not satisfying.

After meeting her future husband at a New Year's Eve party in Russia in 2003, she began to question her decision not to learn English as a student. ``It hadn't occurred to me that I would need to learn English, as I had no intention of leaving Russia before I met my husband,'' she says.

But after following her heart and marrying a New Zealand man, she found herself living in suburban Perth with no choice but to learn the language. ``I studied English for eight months. I had to learn to communicate before I could think about doing anything else,'' she says.

Looking back, Dr Shkolnikova recalls a hard journey to get into the Australian medical system. It was made more complex than usual as she had not undertaken an internship in Russia. The first challenge was to pass the Australian Medical Council's MCQ exam, which she did in 2006.

Without an internship or any practical clinical experience, Dr Shkolnikova believed the only possible way to pass the AMC clinical exam was by taking the VMPF clinical bridging course. So she moved from Perth to do it.

``The VMPF was extremely important in what happened next. Without it, I couldn't imagine I would be where I am now. I would not have received the clinical experience.''

With her fellow course participants, Dr Shkolnikova established a study group that worked together for 12 hours a day, six days a week. She passed her AMC clinical exam in July 2007.

The VMPF bridging course enabled her to become an observer at a metropolitan public hospital for six months. During that experience, she met doctors who were willing to act as referees.

``Through those contacts, and after passing the AMC clinical exam, I was offered an internship at FrankstonHospital, which was extremely lucky,'' she says.

While Dr Shkolnikova talks a lot about luck, it seems that extraordinary hard work and commitment are more relevant to her success. She is also absolutely clear about the importance of the VMPF in achieving her goals.

``It has been essential for me. Apart from gaining the necessary medical knowledge, the tutorials and the role-plays are so useful. It helps you get an exposure to the Australian health care system and to understand how things work here.''