With Network chairperson Kirsty Murrell-McMillan
I was recently invited to speak to the Western Australian Rural Clinical School’s Scientific meeting in Bunbury, home to an extraordinary initiative that had been led by “a once was a Winton, Southland resident, Professor Campbell Murdoch”.
Set on a beautiful Australian bush clad, purpose-built site, the school is the rural home to two universities - University of WA and Notre Dame University. The campus also has a nursing school literally at its back door, the regional hospital and a private hospital. The Rural Clinical School now has 13 sites around Western Australia where students are immersed in a rural community for a year of their medical training. Enthusiastic rural teachers who are also practitioners in these areas are another added feature. I was privileged to spend a day with them and to hear how not only are these rural practitioners raising the next generation of rural enthusiasts but also how this has encouraged the development of new knowledge particularly about rural clinical issues. Rural colleagues from around the world also shared in this day.
The presence of students has boosted energy levels, morale and rekindled passion for working in rural. This programme has generated energy to solve problems, to research clinical issues and to lead in the development of health care planning. Rural practitioners who were also teaching in WA, were actively engaged in developing local health care plans for their communities such as in the Kimberlys, doing clinical research to solve local problems; topics too numerous but ranging from tools to measure dementia in aboriginal communities to diseases from the fishing industry. They were also involved in the leading, problem-solving and developing community health care. I saw first-hand that students do return in reinvented roles and enable teaching, and boost workforce numbers. These immersion sites also support new graduates and rural registrars.
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