An extra 30 medical students will do their medical studies each year in the University of Wollongong’s end-to-end rural medical program as part of a $90 million Australian Government investment to support rural medical students nationally.
Students in the rural end-to-end program, undertake all of their studies in a rural or regional setting, including the West Nowra Campus.
UOW Dean of Medicine Professor Zsuzsoka Kecskes said “The Graduate School of Medicine
was a recognised leader in the provision of medical education in rural areas.”
The Government is providing an additional 15 Commonwealth Supported Places to UOW each year for students to undertake the end-to-end rural medical program.
The University will match and potentially exceed that number from its existing allocation of medical student places.
The additional places and funding were announced by Health Minister the Honourable Mark
Butler MP.
Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips said, “The initiative is designed to train more students in rural areas in order to attract more doctors to work in regional and rural Australia.
“Evidence shows that medical students who are placed for a year or more in rural and regional settings are more likely to stay and practise in rural and regional areas after they graduate.”
The Government is also providing $16.3 million funding to UOW to invest in infrastructure and staff rurally, which will be used to increase medical classrooms, equipment, facilities and staffing to accommodate students in the end-to-end rural medical program.
