Getting down to grass roots

October 2004

Monash University medical students are working closely with metropolitan and rural communities -- and there are rewards all round. Ros White reports.

The number of Monash medical undergraduates choosing to undertake their clinical placements in one of Monash's four regional clinical schools has grown dramatically over the past couple of years. And in turn, country Victoria is welcoming these doctors-in-training with open arms, hoping that some will return once they are qualified.

Focus on community care: Monash medical student Mr Jim Robertson learns the art of general practice as he assists Dr Vaughan Speck consult with a patient at Tanjil Place Medical in Moe. Photo: Dan Clancey

Mr Vernon Knight, a member of the Monash University Advisory Board in Mildura and a councillor at Mildura City Council, says the establishment of the regional clinical school in Mildura has long-term importance for the region.

"It is very pleasing that so many Monash medical students are choosing rural placements. We want to help them have such a positive experience that they will return when they graduate," he says.

Monash's commitment to rural health grew dramatically in 2001 after the university won a $9 million grant from the Commonwealth and Victorian governments to establish four clinical schools in regional Victoria.

The School of Rural Health, which receives ongoing funding from the Federal Government, operates regional clinical schools in Bendigo, Mildura, Gippsland and East Gippsland.

This commitment follows a collaboration entered into with Latrobe Regional Hospital in 1992 to establish the first rural health academic unit of its kind in Australia.

School of Rural Health manager Mr Robert Clough says the clinical program at each of the four regional clinical schools evolved out of existing strengths.

"In Bendigo and Gippsland, we make use of the region's excellent hospitals and focus on hospital training, whereas in Mildura and East Gippsland the emphasis is on community-based medical care that allows for outstanding training opportunities in clinics and small practices," he says.

Third-year student Mr Jim Robertson is spending the year at Latrobe Regional Hospital in Traralgon, Gippsland. While he said his first preference had been to stay in Melbourne, he now felt lucky he had been posted to regional Victoria.

"We get a breadth of experience here that I don't believe we would get in Melbourne; the staff are very enthusiastic, and country people make wonderfully accessible patients. I tell all the second-year students they should choose a country placement for third year," he says.

Mr Clough says the students quickly become an important part of the health care team in rural regions, giving them hands-on experience they find invaluable.

And the numbers speak for themselves.

Under its funding agreement, Monash must ensure that 25 per cent of its medical students spend 50 per cent of their clinical years in rural areas. "This equates to 60 students in the country at any one time, but we have 80 selecting the rural option for next year, and it keeps growing," Mr Clough says.

"Part of this is due to the faculty's increased focus on rural health, but we are finding that students are jumping at the chance of combining clinical training with a unique opportunity to experience country life."

Action

For information on the School of Rural Health, go to www.med.monash.edu.au/mrh/.