Coping with increasing numbers of medical students in rural clinical schools: options and opportunities

Abstract

The critical shortage of the rural medical workforce in Australia continues. There is pressure on medical schools to produce not only more doctors, but to supply them in geographical areas of need. The latest policy to tackle these problems will increase medical student numbers while the supply of clinical teachers and patients for teaching remains static. This challenges the traditional apprenticeship model for learning medicine. Coupled with this is the requirement of medical schools to provide compulsory rural clinical placements for all students. The success of rural clinical schools and University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH) is increasingly apparent, but they must find new strategies to maintain a quality clinical experience and exposure to rural lifestyle for all medical students. The dilemma is providing this quality rural experience to all medical students in the immediate future. We suggest approaches to meet this challenge at a policy, organisational, student and teaching level.

The impact of rural outreach programs on medical students’ future rural intentions and working locations: a systematic review

“…An explanation for the prominence of studies in Australia may be due to the government focus on addressing rural workforce shortages through the RUSC program and significant government investment in undergraduate clinical training in 2008 [25, 26]. …”

“…However, these strategies have achieved mixed results, and over the last two decades there has been a focus on clinical training and education in rural areas, to encourage health professionals to work permanently in rural locations [22–24]. For example, in 1997 the Australian government funded an educational initiative, called the ‘Rural Undergraduate Support and Co-ordination Program (RUSC)‘ [25]; designed to improve curriculum design, rural placements and rural teachers. Furthermore, in 2008, the Australian Federal government committed a $1.1 billion investment in the Health Workforce, which included $500 million in Commonwealth funding for undergraduate clinical training and the establishment of Rural Clinical Schools (RCS) [26].…”

Engaging rural preceptors in new longitudinal community clerkships during workforce shortage: a qualitative study

“…One strategy to address this, an increased number of university places for medical students, has prompted reflection on clinical education [3]. How and where best to educate these students to produce skilled graduates and address workforce maldistribution?…”

Aged-Care Residents: A Resource for Student Clinical Experience

“…[2][3][4] An increase in the number of medical students and medical schools within Australia together with a lack of availability of hospital patients has forced medical schools to seek alternative learning opportunities and clinical experiences. 5,6 Residents within aged-care facilities often have multiple complex medical problems, and display excellent signs and symptoms (often better than those obtained from hospital patients) that would be useful for educational purposes. Additionally, anecdotal evidence suggests that these residents are usually available and willing to assist medical students.…”