Going rural for medicine

If you have lived in and/or attended school in a rural area for part of your life, you may be eligible for entry into medicine under a Rural admission scheme. What this means is that your entry scores do not have to be as high as those applying locally (i.e. with no other special entry program). Additionally, you will be selected from a smaller pool of rural applicants and occasionally interviewed separately to the local candidates. This is not to say that you don’t have to try as hard, you should still consider taking a UCAT preparation course and excelling in your HSC® Exam as although everyone may be rural, this is not to say they are any less capable than local students.

Whilst this all sounds very good, one of the reasons they do decrease the cut-offs is to encourage people from the country to go back to the country. There is a major deficit in rural doctors with some rural NSW towns only having one doctor to care for 2000+ people. If you enter as a rural candidate, most universities will expect you to undertake a minimum 6 -12 months in a rural location. For some of you who attended primary school in a rural area and went to high school in a major city, it has been a long time since you have had to live rurally. There are often not as many resources, supplies and depending on how rural you go, not a lot of people; for these reasons it can seem daunting. What is important to remember however is that it is not necessarily forever. At the end of your degree, unless you are bonded to an area of workforce shortage (which is only for one year commencing 2015), you have the choice to stay in the city or practice in a rural area.

If you are a bit apprehensive about making a commitment to go rural at some point throughout your degree or in your practice, join the club! It is a big responsibility to take on! Between having to relocate for a short period and leaving your friends and family behind, it can be tricky. However, I guarantee… you would NOT regret it! Here’s why:

You get the BEST teaching in rural clinical schools
When you are at a big metropolitan hospital, often you are brushed aside and spend most of your day waiting for a doctor who is too busy to come. In the rural setting, since it is a much slower pace, the doctors have more opportunity to get more hands on with you and take the time to assist your learning.

Smaller teaching groups
This means more time to get personal with the patients and doctors. Although we take it for granted, networking is a crucial component to being successful and in a rural hospital you can get to know your superiors better than you know your best mate.

More opportunity for practical application
Since there is a shortage in rural staff, you may be placed in a position of significant authority early on. Whilst everyone else in the city is tailing their tutors like puppies, you’re helping the rural teams with triage, catheters and other more exciting opportunities.

Cheaper rent
For some of you this may actually mean having to pay rent for the first time which is probably not the selling point for going rural. But you’ll be pleased to know that you’ll be paying much less than what you would in the city (Speaking from personal experience, I am paying half of what I was in Sydney at Port Macquarie).

You get to have so much fun!
You’re young; you’re in a new and exciting town, make the most of it! Go out and get to know the locals, join a sports team and set up a good support network of close friends, and you will be set for one of the best time of your life.

For more information on any of these universities and their rural policies, you should look up their rural medicine website.