Gippsland Medical School sees first cohort of country-trained doctors

Monash University’s commitment to increasing the numbers of doctors in country Australia has been further strengthened with the inaugural graduation of 45 medical students from its Gippsland Medical School in Churchill, Victoria.

The students, who began their studies in 2008, graduate as the first ever cohort from Monash University’s Gippsland Medical School, a purpose-built facility designed to specifically address the shortage of doctors and health professionals in regional areas of Australia.

Professor Judi Walker, Head of Monash University’s School of Rural Health – which oversees the operations of the Gippsland Medical School – said the graduation marked an important milestone not only for graduating students, but for Monash’s increasing profile as a provider of regionally-focused health and medical education.

“The Gippsland Medical School has allowed us to extend our education and research footprint even further, and enhance our medical curriculum with an understanding of the specific needs of communities outside of big cities,” Professor Walker said.

“The result is a medical school that brings together local and global knowledge to produce medical graduates with the insight required to not only meet the challenge of working in regional areas, but to make an exceptional contribution to any community they work in, be it at home or abroad."

Given the increasing research suggesting the location of medical training and clinical placements has a strong influence on where graduates choose to work, Professor Walker said Monash University expected the Gippsland Medical School would make a growing contribution to increasing the number of doctors in regional Australia in the years to come.

“While our training equips graduates equally well for practice in the city or country, we are seeing more students recognising the many opportunities of working in regional areas as a result of their time in Gippsland.”

Since being opened just four years ago, the Gippsland Medical School has quickly built a profile as one of the country’s leading graduate medical schools, attracting students from across Australia and around the world.

From an initial cohort of 57, student numbers at the School have grown strongly, with 100 students expected to commence their Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) next year. Alongside returning second, third and fourth-years, the Gippsland Medical School will have a total enrolment of almost 350 students in 2012.

Before being accepted into the Gippsland Medical School, students are required to have successfully completed an undergraduate degree, with the first graduating cohort coming from a diverse range of backgrounds, including psychology, engineering, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, journalism, biomedical sciences, arts, and social sciences.

For more information contact Tim Grainger, Marketing & Communications Gippsland on 0419 655 533.

Professor Judi Walker can be contacted for an interview on 0418 508 680.