Rural opportunities
Touch of Toowoomba: UQ Rural Clinical School, January 15
THE University of Queensland’s Rural Clinical School in Toowoomba has welcomed 72 new medical students to the Garden City for a year of intensive hands-on work in the region’s hospitals and general practices.
The Chronicle dropped in on the third and fourth year medical students’ first week of classes to meet some of the doctors of the future.
Dr George Tucker
A LOT of our students have never spent much time, if any, in rural areas. And what they know about those places is largely on the basis of hearsay, which might be wildly inaccurate or biased.
We know from experience that students who spend time in rural and regional areas doing their training are more likely to come back to those areas later on.
The third years, this is their first time in what’s called a clinical setting.
They’ll be spending a lot of time not only in the wards but also in clinics and in theatres and the third years will also be spending time in general practices in Toowoomba and rural practices.
The fourth years will be building on what they’ve already done in third year, and they’ll be doing some of the extra subjects that will stand them in good stead, such as obstetrics and paediatrics for when they’re interns next year.
Paul Kim
I’M A third-year medical student. I’m feeling quite excited to be honest.
Toowoomba was one of my first preferences, so I was very happy to get this placement, and I’m looking forward to it.
I think the way the Rural Clinical School is operated here, they’re always here for extra support, they help you integrate, they even offer extra sim labs during the week to help you get more experience. I think that’s what really separates the RCS from other clinical schools in metropolitan areas, because they give you more of a helping hand, they give you more opportunities to learn, and through that a more rich experience. Alexandra Sadler
I’M RETURNING for my fourth year and I’m excited about the year ahead.
I feel coming to Toowoomba that you get to be a part of the team a lot more and make an actual contribution, a lot more than if you were in a metropolitan area.
I’ve been here a whole year now. I’m about to spend the next 12 months here. I’ve been meeting new people and putting down roots and getting to know the place. I think that’s very important.
I think if you’ve lived in a capital city your whole life and you’ve never lived rurally it could be a little unfamiliar, a little daunting.
You might have preconceptions about what rural life is like. The fact we get the opportunity to come here and experience it is really important.
I think ultimately it’s going to depend on what speciality I choose and where that takes me, but I’d be very open to working regionally and even rurally.