MEDICAL students from Australian universities are for the first time missing out on the internship places vital to complete their training

The situation has triggered warnings that the problem will worsen in coming years.

The Australian Medical Students Association says it is aware of three or four cases so far of final-year students failing to find an intern place, without which they cannot work or be registered as doctors.

So far, those being shut out are believed to be full-fee paying overseas students, after Australian health ministers in February agreed to guarantee places for only commonwealth-funded medical and nursing students.

But AMSA's president, final-year student Ross Roberts-Thomson, has warned that Australian students may be in danger in coming years as the hospital system struggles to keep up with rapidly increasing numbers of students.

The annual output of medical students is forecast to reach 3500 by 2012, double the level of just over 1500 recorded in 2005.

"We have received many reports of Australian-trained international students missing out on internships," Mr Roberts-Thomson said. "This is a big problem . . . although confined to some states at the moment, this will become a national issue and needs to be a priority for all state and federal health departments."

He said intern place shortfalls were so far evident in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania.

One student, signing herself only as Heather, posted a comment on a medical website last week that she had received three rejections for internship places, despite being told when she chose Australia to study that this would not be a problem.

"Now, with over $300,000 (in) debt over my head and no job prospects, I can't help but feel defeated in this whole experience," she wrote.

"I have completed the same course as your local students and will graduate with an honours degree and an impressive resume, but this means nothing because I was not born here."

Australian Medical Association president Andrew Pesce said without extra resources for training, "more and more graduates will miss out on an intern place and be forced to look overseas to complete their training".