MED2082

Rural medicine

Professor R Strasser (Centre for Rural Health)

Objectives (1) To provide students with clinical experience and teaching around clinical problems with an emphasis on seeing patients in their rural community context. (2) To encourage students to recognise and appreciate the advantages of living and practising medicine in the country. (3) To assist students in developing an understanding of the rural culture through exploration of the psychology and sociology of rural communities. (4) To explore the structure and process of health service provision in rural and remote areas including the roles and activities of non medical rural health professionals. (5) To demonstrate the importance of the multidisciplinary team approach in the provision of rural health services.

Synopsis Students spend five days in a rural setting where they are provided with the opportunity to experience a breadth of common clinical problems, learning how they are managed in the rural context. The clinical experience is gained through visits with health professionals including nursing staff and general practitioners of rural and remote hospitals. Students may also gain experience in aspects of dealing with emergencies in the rural setting, aboriginal health, community health/public health and health promotion.

Assessment (a) A log diary of patients seen and activities undertaken during the attachment. (b) A written report (400 words) describing the role of an allied health professional in the patient problems encountered by the student. (c) A written report (400 words) describing the immediate and long term issues faced by the student, if they were to live in the community where they undertook their attachment.

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