BACKGROUND: Rural Clinical Schools in Australia are a government initiative to help address the rural workforce shortage at the medical school level. This article reports on the approaches and outcomes from one Rural Clinical School. DESCRIPTION: The program is underpinned by an 8-week rural rotation for all 3rd-year students and a yearlong program of core clinical rotations for 25% of the Year 3 cohort. Aspects of experiential, situated, service, and self-directed learning along with interprofessional study are integrated to provide unique rural-focused learning opportunities. EVALUATION: Compared to their urban counterparts, rural students see more patients, perform a greater number of procedures, and achieve as well in exam results. CONCLUSIONS: Early indications suggest that our program is attracting more Year 3 students to explore the rural pathway as an option to a future career. The program demonstrates that rural students achieve as well as their urban counterparts.
BACKGROUND: Rural Clinical Schools in Australia are a government initiative to help address the rural workforce shortage at the medical school level. This article reports on the approaches and outcomes from one Rural Clinical School. DESCRIPTION: The program is underpinned by an 8-week rural rotation for all 3rd-year students and a yearlong program of core clinical rotations for 25% of the Year 3 cohort. Aspects of experiential, situated, service, and self-directed learning along with interprofessional study are integrated to provide unique rural-focused learning opportunities. EVALUATION: Compared to their urban counterparts, rural students see more patients, perform a greater number of procedures, and achieve as well in exam results. CONCLUSIONS: Early indications suggest that our program is attracting more Year 3 students to explore the rural pathway as an option to a future career. The program demonstrates that rural students achieve as well as their urban counterparts.
Authors: Elizabeth D Cox; Rebecca L Koscik; Ann T Behrmann; Curtis A Olson; Gwen C McIntosh; Michael D Evans; Patricia K Kokotailo Journal: J Natl Med Assoc Date: 2010-08 Impact factor: 1.798
Authors: Marietjie de Villiers; Susan van Schalkwyk; Julia Blitz; Ian Couper; Kalavani Moodley; Zohray Talib; Taryn Young Journal: BMC Med Educ Date: 2017-11-09 Impact factor: 2.463