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Clinical Placements
About
The Rural Clinical School (RCS) offers an exciting opportunity for medical students to prepare for a career as a rural doctor. The RCS is funded by the Federal Government to encourage medical students to take up careers in rural practice, and strengthen the health workforce in rural communities across Australia.
During rural clinical placements, students have the opportunity to spend time with patients at the bedside, and to learn from senior clinicians and multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Students are mentored by clinicians, and through practice develop their clinical skills with patients. Importantly, students also have the opportunity to become a part of the local community through sporting and other activities and to try out the diverse recreational activities that each region offers.
Details about our rural campuses, which include Eurobodalla, Bega, Cooma, Goulburn, Cowra and Young, are highlighted below.
Clinical Placements
Year 3 Long-Term Rural Steam
During Year 1, students can apply to undertake the whole of Year 3 in a rural location. If accepted into the Rural Stream, students undertake their placement for all of Year 3 in an ANU regional campus at either Bega, Cooma, Eurobodalla, Goulburn or Young/Cowra. Specific details about what each location has to offer can be found in the tabs below.
Students complete an integrated teaching program that encompasses community health, medicine and surgery across all ages. In addition, students participate in four, week-long intensive teaching blocks with fellow rural students in either the Southern or Northern campuses.
Year 3 Short-Term Rural
All non-rural stream students undertake a 6-week rural placement. See a list of our short-term GP practice partners in the tab, 'GP Partners', below.
Students gain insights into the rewards and challenges of rural medicine and some of the important health issues facing people who live in rural and regional Australia.
Year 3 Indigenous Health Steam Students
Students accepted into the Indigenous Health Stream are offered a 6-week placement in a remote community or regional Aboriginal medical service.
These placements have a strong emphasis on Aboriginal health and cross-cultural education, which provides students with an understanding of primary health care, determinants of health in remote areas and enhances the clinical application of their cultural knowledge.
Year 4 Rural Placements
During Year 4, rural electives in women’s health and newborn care, psychiatry and addiction medicine, anaesthetics and intensive care are available through the Rural Clinical School. Pre-Internship (PRINT) placements are also available in regional NSW.
Other information and facilities
All student accommodation needs are organised by the Rural Clinical School who own a variety of houses and townhouses in close proximity to the rural campuses and local hospitals in each location. All rural campuses are staffed by experienced professional and academic staff with Academic Coordinators (GP’s) ensuring curriculum requirements are met.
The Eurobodalla region on the south coast of New South Wales extends from Batemans Bay in the north, through Moruya, to Narooma in the south. The Eurobodalla Region has a combined population of 37,000 people. The climate is temperate and the area abounds in natural beauty with pristine waterways, beaches and wonderful stretches of bush and national parks.
Placements are offered in Moruya District Hospital (55 beds), Batemans Bay District Hospital (31 beds), General Practice Clinics including: Batemans Bay Medical Centre, Beach Road Surgery, Queen Street Medical Centre, Lighthouse Surgery and Surf Beach Surgery. ANU has clinical training at facilities in Batemans Bay and Moruya.
The Bega Valley is situated on the Far South Coast of NSW, approximately half way between Melbourne and Sydney. Bordered on the east by the Pacific Ocean with the Sapphire Coast and to the west by the Great Dividing Range, the region’s main town of Bega is a three-hour drive from Canberra and a similar distance from the NSW snow fields.
Bega has the new South East Regional hospital which opened in 2016, that services a population of 35,000. ANU has a clinical training facility located on the hospital grounds where training is provided by ANU and hospital staff. Work is underway for a Simulation Centre to be built in the Hospital.
In addition to the hospital, placements are available in General Practice clinics including Bega Valley Medical Practice, Pambula Medical Centre, Sapphire Clinic, Sapphire Coast Medical Practice, Cobargo Medical Practice, Curalo Medical Centre in Eden and Merimbula Medical Centre.
Cooma is the regional centre of the Snowy Mountains and is a skier’s paradise being situated in between two national parks with rugged mountains and deep, wooded river valleys.
Cooma Hospital (41 beds) is the closest Acute Level 2 Care facility to the NSW snow fields and provides significant “front-line” support for treatment of skiing and related injuries, while supporting the region’s population of 6,500. ANU has a clinical training facility located on the hospital grounds where training is provided by ANU and hospital staff.
Placements are also available in General Practices including Ochre Medical Centre, Bombala Street Surgery and GP practices in Berridale and Jindabyne.
Cowra is a charming town surrounded by vineyards, waterways and pretty countryside in the beautiful Lachlan Valley. It is approximately two hours north of Canberra and is situated at the intersection of three major highways, the Mid Western, the Olympic and the Lachlan Valley Way.
Clinical Placements are available at Cowra Hospital (32 beds) and Cowra Medical Associates.
Goulburn is Australia's first inland city, and is a regional rural centre with an incredibly rich heritage and natural beauty. Goulburn and the surrounding towns and villages combine all the benefits of city services with a country lifestyle and hospitality. Goulburn is situated two hours’ drive from Sydney and an easy one-hour drive from Canberra.
The newly opened Goulburn Base Hospital (80 beds) services a population of 32,000. ANU has a clinical training facility located on the hospital grounds where training is provided by ANU and hospital staff.
Placements are also available in General Practices including the Goulburn Medical Clinic and Goulburn HUB.
Young is nestled in the cool climate Hilltops wine region of NSW and is renowned for glorious undulating countryside, vineyards, orchards, fascinating pioneering history, exciting events and as the Cherry Capital of Australia.
Clinical placements are offered through Young Health Service (32 beds) and the Young District Medical Centre.
We are fortunate to have the following general practices and surgeries assist in the training of Year 3 short-term rural, ANU medical students:
- Atherfield Medical Service, Yass
- Batehaven Medical Centre, Batehaven
- Batemans Bay Medical Centre, Batemans Bay
- Bayview Medical Cottage, Batemeans Bay
- Beach Road Surgery, Batemans Bay
- Bega Valley Medical Practice, Bega
- Berridale Surgery, Berridale
- Bombala Street Surgery, Cooma
- Boorowa Hospital Medical Centre, Boorowa
- Boorowa Medical Centre, Boorowa
- Braidwood Medical Centre, Braidwood
- Brindabella Family Practice, Queanbeyan
- Bungendore Medical Centre, Bungendore
- Bunyip Medical Clinic, Bunyip
- Cobargo Doctors, Cobargo
- Cowra Medical Associates, Cowra
- Curalo Medical Clinic, Eden
- Goulburn Health Hub, Goulburn
- Goulburn Medical Centre, Goulburn
- Gundagai Medical Centre, Gundagai
- Jindabyne Medical Practice, Jindabyne
- Katungul Medical Clinic, Narooma
- Katungul Medical Clinic, Bega
- Kruger Medical Centre, Harden
- Lighthouse Surgery, Narooma
- Lightning Ridge Medical Centre, Lightning Ridge
- Main Street Medical Centre, Merimbula
- Merimbula Medical Centre, Merimbula
- Moruya Medical Centre, Moruya
- Ochre Medical Centre Cooma, Cooma
- Pambula Medical Centre, Pambula
- Queanbeyan GP Super Clinic, Queanbeyan
- Queen Street Medical Centre, Moruya
- Rutledge Family Medical Centre, Queanbeyan
- Sapphire Clinic, Merimbula
- Sapphire Coast Medical Practice, Bega
- Snowy Mountains Medical Centre, Jindabyne
- Surf Beach Surgery, Surf Beach
- Thrive Crookwell, Crookwell
- Young District Medical Centre, Young