LEARNING RURAL MEDICINE: Head of school and associate dean Tony Brown, School of Rural Health Orange campus sub dean associate professor Gabriel Shannon, Faculty of Medicine dean Bruce Robinson and vice-chancellor and principal Dr Michael Spence celebrate 10 years of rural education in Orange. Photo: MARK LOGAN 0427mlrural2
A MILESTONE has been achieved as The University of Sydney celebrates 10 years of delivering regional medical education in Orange.
For the past decade the university’s School of Rural Health in Orange has accepted students to complete a year of study in a regional location.
School of Rural Health operations manager Amanda Croft said student numbers had grown over this time, with 32 students currently studying in Orange.
Ms Croft said about 25 per cent of all commonwealth-supported students elected to study for a year in Orange.
“A percentage of students have never gone west of the Blue Mountains,” she said.
“They come here and can’t believe what great facilities we have.”
Ms Croft said the students benefited from studying in Orange for a year, with the school offering smaller clinical and theoretical settings than a metropolitan environment.
“You get a more rounded doctor at the end of the day,” she said.
“Even if they don’t come back they have the rural understanding.”
The university’s School of Rural Health in Orange has formed an integral part of a medical degree for many students, according to vice-chancellor and principal Dr Michael Spence.
“The University of Sydney was and always has been a university for metropolitan and regional NSW,” he said.
Students undertake general and special medical procedures during their time in Orange.
“It’s world-class education and rural experiences ...we are committed to growing that connection,” Dr Spence said.
The one-year placement occurs in the students’ third or fourth year of study and is part of the process of encouraging more health professionals to come to the region.
Ms Croft says the School of Rural Health is working with the Western NSW Local Health District and various medical colleges to provide some additional medical training in regional locations.
nadine.morton@ruralpress.com
