The University of Wollongong (UOW) Southern Highlands will welcome its first cohort of 12 medical students to its Moss Vale campus in January 2025.
Recruitment for students to the end-to-end rural medical program at UOW Southern Highlands is currently underway.
In late 2023, the UOW was announced as the recipient of a $16.3 million Commonwealth grant to expand the end-to-end Doctor of Medicine program at UOW Shoalhaven and extend it to UOW Southern Highlands.
Students in the end-to-end rural medicine program undertake all their studies in a rural or regional setting. The program focuses on attracting and recruiting students from rural Australia to the program, with the program focusing on rural training to encourage rural practice.
The grant is being invested in the employment of local staff in both regions, along with infrastructure to be used for increasing medical classrooms, equipment, facilities, and housing to accommodate students.
Significant refurbishment of the UOW Southern Highlands campus facilities has begun, and includes a clinical lab, student learning spaces, and staff work areas ahead of students commencing.
UOW Dean of Medicine, Professor Zsuzsoka Kecskes, said the Graduate School of Medicine was a recognised leader in the delivery of medical education in rural areas.
“UOW is committed to a strong rural focus in our medical education program. Each year we know a significant portion of both our graduates and alumni will choose to work and live in rural communities
“The investment by the Australian government has enabled UOW to strengthen and grow its high-quality education of medical students in rural communities. It has allowed us to continue investing in rural communities to ensure high-quality medical training for our students. It’s a strong pathway to addressing the medical shortage in rural areas.
“Expanding the end-to-end rural medicine program to UOW Southern Highlands is an indication of UOW’s commitment to the region,” Professor Kecskes said.
UOW’s medical program is designed to encourage graduates to work in rural and regional areas.
UOW graduates are 50 per cent more likely to work in regional or rural areas than those from other medical schools. Nearly a third of all UOW medical graduates were working in rural areas in the 10 years after graduating.
UOW medical graduates, along with Southern Highlands resident doctors, will be involved in teaching.
Dr Taleitha Atkins, a UOW graduate who will be teaching medical students at the Southern Highlands campus, said the end-to-end rural medicine program is giving students the knowledge to be skilled independent practitioners.
“Working as a rural doctor means we are generalists, dealing with a huge variety of conditions. It’s very rewarding,” Dr Atkins said.
“I want to arm students with the skills to become independent practitioners. They need to be well rounded to work in the country, connecting with patients and their families as a member of the community.”
Dr Atkins said UOW’s approach to medical teaching is not just memorising content but learning to reason and problem solve as a doctor.
She credits this to the schools Simulated Patient Program, where volunteers from the community act as patients for the medical students.
“The students develop communication and consultation skills in a way that only occurs with real people who are volunteer patients,” Dr Atkins said.
The program allows students to learn and continually practice appropriate communication with real people and have immediate access to feedback.
Members of the community can play an active part in the training of future doctors in the Southern Highlands by joining the Simulated Patient Program.
