Medical students are due to arrive in the western region as part of a regional placement scheme run by the state’s Rural Doctors Network.
The Goulburn, Parkes, Orange, Condobolin, and Brewarrina councils are participating in the Bush Bursary program that will see students spend two weeks working with local medical practitioners.
Students will shadow local doctors as well as spend time in allied and community health facilities like pharmacies, aged care facilities and Aboriginal medical services.
Project officer, Melanie Lewis, said students get thrown into the deep end, pushing them to broaden their skills.
“Quite often when they’re doing placements in a metropolitan teaching hospital they get exposure to quite specialised skills,” she said.
“When they’re in these rural GP clinics and rural hospitals members of the community walk in off the street with any broad range of illnesses and conditions and the GPs there are the only ones that can treat the illness.”
Councils involved in the program as well, as the Rural Doctors Network and the Country Women’s Association, have provided sponsorship for the program.
Ms Lewis said the program will give the students positive exposure to rural, medical life.
“For many students this is their first experience in country towns and definitely their first experience finding out what it’s like to work as a rural doctor,” she said.
“So it’s a great opportunity for them to have that positive exposure which then leads onto them seeking out additional rural experiences.”
Sarah Viccari is a Sydney University student travelling to Brewarrina in December, as part of the program.
She hoped her time in the town will enable her to gain a better understanding of being a rural doctor.
“I want to improve [my] understanding of the challenges that rural doctors practicing medicine in country areas,” she said.
“I’ll be attached to Dr Hosni, who’s the GP in town and I’ll be spending my time between the medical practice, the hospital, and the Aboriginal health service.”
Ms Viccari, along with the other students involved in the program, has also received $3,000 to go towards her study.
She said students are usually open to moving to country towns during their studies.
“There are plenty of opportunities and my understanding is that people are very open to going and experience rural practice during university,” she said.
“I guess it depends a lot on circumstances whether they take up the opportunity after our studies.”