Summit sparks students’ rural interest

An event backed by the RACGP has helped almost 200 medical students get a taste for the challenges and appeal of a career in rural generalism.

The Rural Health Summit, which is run by the Australian Medical Students’ Association and includes the RACGP as its platinum partner, was held last month in the regional New South Wales city of Armidale.
 
Around 190 medical students interested in rural clinical careers were joined by five RACGP members who facilitated hands-on clinical scenarios and a rural career panel, sharing their career journeys and the motivation behind their work.
 
The summit included the Rural Rescue Challenge, which was solely sponsored by the college, and involves GPs and medical educators facilitating practical scenarios.
 
Among them was RACGP Rural GP registrar Dr Codie Miller, who said he did not hesitate when he was invited to return to the area where he grew up.
 
‘Bringing such a well-known medical student conference to a town like Armidale raised an ideal opportunity for me to promote rural medicine in the Hunter New England as an ideal career choice to these future doctors,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘It also highlights the positives of being a doctor rurally, as well as the impacts you can have on the community, which you simply don’t get in the city.’
 
The hands-on experience aims to strengthen the rural GP pipeline, particularly supporting medical students with a rural background or an interest in the area.
 
The summit’s deputy convenor James Ng said the organisers had received ‘nothing but glowing feedback’ about the rescue challenge.
 
‘Attendees were particularly enthusiastic about the hands-on experience, which really brought the unique clinical scenarios of rural medicine to life,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘A major highlight for the students was having experienced [rural generalists] there to guide them and share their expertise.
 
‘By showcasing the incredible lifestyle, culture, and warmth that defines regional practice, you could see the exact moment a student’s perspective shifted from “I could never live here” to “I can absolutely see myself thriving here”.
 
‘It’s these authentic connections with both the locals and their peers that plant the seed for a future career in rural medicine.’
 
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Armidale medical students rural generalism rural medicine