Medical Undergraduate Rural Clinical ProgramThe Rural Clinical School is one of three Clinical Schools delivering the last two years of the University of Tasmania's medical undergraduate degree program. Students in Years 4, 5 and 6 of the program will be allocated to one of the three Clinical Schools in the State. All three Clinical Schools are integral to the Tasmanian School of Medicine. The medical attributes and outcomes of the program at each School are the same. The Rural Clinical School offers an integrated program delivered in a range of acute and primary care settings in rural north west Tasmania. The program is designed to provide a continuum of learning through the fourth, fifth and sixth years of the MBBS. The RCS program provides an excellent preparation for the intern year through the development of a strong foundation in basic clinical skills, fundamental to future practice in any branch of medicine, and particularly relevant to future rural or remote medical practice. Year 4/5 ProgramFourth and fifth year medical students spend the majority of their time in hospital-based settings where learning takes place through attachments in the disciplines of Medicine, Paediatrics, Surgical Specialties, Emergency Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Mental Health. Weeks 1 and 4 of each attachment are Group Learning Programs which incorporate CBLs and tutorials,complemented by skills sessions in the Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre. Students also spend one day per week gaining experience in Integrated Primary Care, and are attached to two General Practices over the course of the year. Students are allocated to a practice located between Latrobe and Wynyard during Semester 1, then to a different practice for Semester 2. One day per fortnight will focus on general practice consultation, clinical skills and follow-up patient management.
Year 6 ProgramThe final year of the MBBS has an emphasis on attaining practical and decision-making skills. The Year 6 RCS program is based around six-week clinical attachments in Medicine, Surgery, Emergency Medicine, Anaesthetics/ICU and a Palliative Care attachment. RCS students also undertake a remote medical attachment at two sites at either the West Coast (based at Queenstown), Smithton or King Island, and choose a five-week Selective in consultation with the Associate Head of School. The last week of each six-week block is a "Group Learning Week" where the majority of CBLs and tutorials are delivered while all students are on-site in Burnie. In the preceding five weeks, the focus is on maximising student participation as a member of the clinical team in the relevant attachment. This provides hands-on practical exposure to total patient management, with supervision and support from the hospital team or practice principals and GP registrars while in remote practice. Features of the RCS program - The program is well supported by a committed team of academic staff from hospital and community-based health care facilities across the region, complemented by visiting specialists.
- Students experience the clinical benefits of exposure to rural and remote practice provided through our location in the north west region of Tasmania.
- There is good integration of acute and primary care clinical teaching and learning in a range of settings.
- A well-equipped Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre provides additional opportunities for learning clinical skills. Skills sessions can be linked to the CBL and tutorial program, or undertaken in interprofessional and self-centred learning sessions.
- The medical education program actively promotes learning between medical students, interns, junior doctors and registrars ("vertical integration"), as well as encouraging "horizontal integration" of the curriculum through learning among a variety of health professional peers.
- Students are allocated an academic mentor to assist identification of individual learning needs and to monitor progress in the learning objectives.
- Community-supported learning opportunities, such as the Emergency Skills Weekend and the GPNW weekend, add an extra dimension to student learning.
Information for Teaching Clinicians or Potential Teaching CliniciansFor more information please contact: Professor Judi Walker Clinical Skills and Simulation CentreThe Clinical Skills and Simulation Centre promotes collaborative learning amongst health professionals to achieve excellence in the teaching and learning of clinical practice. More information
Educational Resources The Buttfield Library at the North West Regional Hospital has a collection of journals, books and online resources. The Rural Clinical Schools' Teaching and Administration Facility at the Mersey Community Hospital has a library/resource room.
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