16 July 2006
Monash University will work with Victorian rural and regional high schools to make it easier for students from these schools, which are under-represented in the tertiary sector, to access medical courses.
Currently, 25 per cent of students in the medical courses at Monash University come from a regional or rural background.
However, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University, Professor Ed Byrne, said that number would be lifted under plans to engage with rural and regional schools about how best to encourage young people to enter medicine courses.
The Federal Government has allocated a further 30 medical training places to Monash University in Bendigo and 30 places to the University of Melbourne in Shepparton under the Monash/Melbourne Northern Victoria Regional Medical Education Network.
Monash will offer undergraduate entry while the University of Melbourne will offer undergraduate and graduate entry ensuring a range of entry routes into medical training for northern and central Victoria.
"New admission routes will be crafted to directly meet the needs of Bendigo and central and northern Victoria," Professor Byrne said.
"We have a number of mechanisms we are looking at that would help ensure local students would have greater access to medical courses."
Professor Byrne said the university planned to work with local communities in the region to identify the best methods of encouraging students to access medical courses.
"This would include having local community members sitting on interview panels and holding interviews in the region," he said.
For more information or to arrange interviews contact Ms Diane Squires, Media Communications on 9905 9315 or 0417 603 400.
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