With the latest group of students arriving in the Northern Rivers to undertake placements at local GP practices and hospitals, the program run by the University Centre for Rural Health/North Coast is proving its appeal to undergrads from metropolitan universities.
During stays ranging from 4 to 18 weeks, the 39 students will gain a good understanding of what it means to practice medicine in the community, and the importance of the relationship between patients and their family doctor.
The students are from Western Sydney University, University of Newcastle and University of Wollongong. They join the current group pf 16 ‘long-stay’ students from the University of Sydney, who spend a year in the latter phase of their studies.
The UCRH has educational campuses in Lismore, Murwillumbah and Grafton. It is committed to addressing rural health workforce shortages, and these placement programs play an important role in this.
Following graduation many UCRH students return to the region as hospital interns and/or GP Registrars, bringing with them the skills and experience they have gained.
The role of the supervising clinician and the support teams is pivotal, while patient responses to medical students in the practices have been overwhelmingly positive.
