Our Rural and Remote Medicine (RRM) team are bringing the “country to the city” this Intro week.
Over fifteen RRM academics and rural and remote preceptors including doctors, nurses and indigenous health educators from locations such as Theodore, St George, Emerald, Laidley, Roma and Bundaberg are ready to deliver clinical skill and cultural sessions to 47 metropolitan students at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, and the Mayne Building at Herston, over the next three days.
Traditionally, Intro week sees Year 3 metropolitan based medical students travel to our Rural Clinical sites to undertake their clinical skills and cultural sessions with rural doctors nurse and aboriginal educators from those sites, before commencing their six-week rural and remote placements.
The decision to switch up the teaching location came after many of the RRM preceptors noted they were attending the annual Rural Doctors Association Queensland’s (RDAQ) conference in Brisbane later in the week.
Mayne Academy of Rural and Remote Medicine Head, Professor Bruce Chater OAM is looking forward to the change in scenery.
“This year, we are bringing a bit of our country classrooms to the city for Intro Week, which will prepare students for their placements in our small townships and communities.
“It is wonderful opportunity for our hardworking rural doctors’ nurses and aboriginal educators to get to together to share teaching ideas at the same time.
“It’s also a great week for us to highlight and encourage students to consider the varying medical professions in our rural and remote communities.
“Having country doctors teaching them provides wonderful role models. You cannot be what you cannot see.
“The rural and remote placements that students go on to experience in the following week will end up being lasting memories of their education.
“They will learn what it’s like to have the support and gratitude of a community and the feel marvels of the country living, but they also get an insight into challenges and joys of practicing medicine in remote areas and providing holistic patient care,” Dr Chater said.
