‘Igniting a passion’: Record number of students posted to the country through Rural Clinical School of WA

A record number of doctors-to-be have put their hands up to experience country living this year, with the Rural Clinical School of WA’s rural placements program attracting more than 130 students for the first time.

A total 112 penultimate students — in their second-last year of study — and 20 final-year students have been posted to 15 different regional towns across WA this year, the biggest number of students in the program’s 20-year history.

Albany and Bunbury proved the most popular placements, with 12 penultimate students and six final year students at each, while Collie welcomed four students from the program for the first time.

Other country hospitals involved this year include Broome, Busselton, Derby, Esperance, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Kununurra, Narrogin, Port Hedland and Warren Blackwood in Manjimup.

The RCSWA is a collaboration between the medical schools of the University of WA, the University of Notre Dame and Curtin University, and offers year-long rural placements for medical students in their last two years of study.

RCSWA director Dr Andrew Kirke said program participants had been encouraged to sign up after hearing the positive experiences of previous students.

“The program has been consistently popular, growing over the last five years with its expansion to Curtin University and the addition of the final year placements,” he said.

“Students were asking to go back again after having great time living in the country, and would talk to their mates about it who would then want to get on board as well.

“We show students all the great things about country life and medicine...from their point of view its exciting work, they recognise its challenging in the country but that attracts them.”

About 50 per cent of RCSWA graduates complete some form of rural placement as doctors, and 25 per cent embark on long-term placements, of up to five years in rural locations.

Dr Kirke said locally trained graduates were more likely to stay beyond their five year tenure than those without any previous regional experience.

Spirits were high during the students’ first day at Albany Health Campus last week, after two days of induction which included scaling Mt Melville and visiting GP practices across the city on a scavenger hunt.

Student Jessica Cant said other students had raved about their time spent in regional areas.

“Everyone says it’s an amazing experience,” Ms Cant said.

“A lot of us are interested in rural health, and the opportunities that you get here in Albany, or on another rural site, are so much greater than what you could get in the metropolitan area...where we can get a bit lost in the system.”

Students Makenzie Wilson and Naomi Jansz grew up in country WA, and said they were happy to return to regional living.

“I’m a country girl, I grew up in the Wheatbelt and moved to the coast near Bunbury, so I was really excited to get back to the country,” Ms Jansz said.

“I always wanted to work rurally, and this is definitely a good pathway for rural students to get a little bit of continuation through our schooling and get hands-on experience early.”

The students also have opportunities to continue working rurally after completing their studies, with 25 year-long rural intern placements offered through the WA Country Health Service each year.

WHERE THEY WENT

Albany: 12 penultimate students and six final year students

Broome: 10 penultimate students and four final year students

Bunbury: 12 penultimate students and six final year students

Busselton: 10 penultimate students

Collie (new site for 2023): Four penultimate students

Derby: Three penultimate students

Esperance: Four penultimate students

Geraldton: 12 penultimate students and 4 final year students

Kalgoorlie: 12 penultimate students

Karratha: Seven penultimate students

Kununurra: Four penultimate students

Narrogin: Four penultimate students

Port Hedland: Seven students

Warren Blackwood (Bridgetown): Six penultimate students