Karratha welcomes new Rural Clinical School of WA students for regional experience

The new batch of enthusiastic fresh-faced medical students are in Karratha to put their skills to the test and learn valuable skills as they work with The Rural Clinical School of WA. Coming from across WA from towns such as Geraldton, Albany, Busselton and Esperance, students all arrive with the common goal of gaining new experience and working to enhance their skills to become the best medical professionals they can be. The Rural Clinical School of WA helps rural communities sustain a locally trained and loyal medical workforce by placing medical students in country regions for a year-long program undertaken in the second last year of their medical degree. Students are placed at one of 15 sites around the State, eager to experience all that country living has to offer, while gaining valuable hands-on experience in clinical settings. Research shows students who undertake an RCSWA placement are four times more likely to return to work in the country when compared with others. RCSWA district medical officer Lucia Wang said the program offered students the chance to immerse themselves in a clinical setting in several healthcare disciplines. “The goal is for them to understand the challenges and strengths of working in a rural setting,” she said. Students participating in the program work in small teams with local academic staff, doctors, medical professionals, and in health services including paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, internal medicine, Indigenous health, and general practice. RCSWA academic services officer Lehna Mclean said feedback from past and present students had shown the value of the program’s operation “They are all having a great time and are all very happy that they got to come to Karratha this year.” “There a great bunch of students, everyone is well and truly on task academically to have a very successful year,” she said.