AS MOST university students sit their final exams for the year, ready for the summer break, 20 student doctors are preparing to spend a chunk of their holidays gaining experience in rural medicine at 18 towns throughout the State.
Eighteen rural councils along with the Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW are sponsoring medical students to undertake placements in NSW country towns as part of the NSW Rural Doctors Network’s (RDN) Bush Bursary program.
The NSW RDN administers the Bush Bursary and CWA scholarships, which provide students with $3000 for one year, during which time they spend two weeks in their sponsoring rural area experiencing work and life in a rural community.
The 20 participating students are from the universities of Wollongong, Sydney, Notre Dame, Western Sydney, Newcastle, New England and the Australian National University.
The placements will run for two weeks each between November and January.
Rural Doctors Network project officer for education and training Melanie Lewis said evaluations of the bursary in 2012 found that a significant number of recipients sought out other rural placements and a quarter are now working in regional areas.
“Overall, it’s a really successful program,” she said.
“The program gives students that extra confidence early on in their degree.
“And it’s a community based degree, not so much clinical.”
She said as well as spending time with local general practitioners and other medical specialists, the scholarship recipients visit allied and community health services including a pharmacy, an aged care facility and Aboriginal medical services.
Temora Shire Council general manager Gary Lavelle said like many regional councils Temora had been through stages where medical practitioners were very light on the ground.
“We took the view that something needed to be done and if we want this to change then we have to help make it happen,” he said.
“By being a part of the Bush Bursary program we’re helping to make medicine a more attractive profession in the bush.”
He said Temora council had been involved in the program for many years, as well as other programs to attract doctors to the bush.
“We’ve got a good number of doctors in town now, about 10, but we’re still committed to the Bush Bursaries because that can change very quickly.”
Narrabri Shire Council economic development manager Bill Birch said a lot of the students who took part in the program came from the city or coastal areas, where they might not get the experience or training they would get in a rural environment.
“We are endeavouring to have a situation where doctors studying can come to a regional town and want to come back, or go somewhere else rural to work.”
Mr Birch said for the second year in a row Narrabri would welcome two student doctors, one under council sponsorship and another under the CWA.
Tumbarumba Shire Council economic development and special projects officer Mark Hill said the council had been involved in the Bush Bursary scheme since 2002 and chose its student based on their interest in rural medicine.
“We have a student from Sydney coming to work in Tumbarumba as a trainee doctor,” Mr Hill said.
“He will start his training as a student doctor on January 6 and finish his work experience here in Tumbarumba on the 17th.”
Mr Hill said the student, Johnson Tang, was already a registered pharmacist and was in Sri Lanka under another work experience program until he arrived in town for the Bush Bursary.
The 18 local councils taking part in the 2013 program are Bega, Berrigan, Brewarrina, Deniliquin, Goulburn Mulwaree, Griffith, Guyra, Gwydir Valley, Lachlan, Leeton, Moree, Narrabri, Orange, Parkes, Temora, Tumbarumba, Yass Valley and Wellington.
The CWA is also sponsoring two students, who will be placed in Orange and Narrabri.
