Medical students ready to work
TEN future doctors are gaining hands-on experiences in clinics across South Gippsland with the support of Monash University.
The fourth year students have just commenced placement at Leongatha, Foster, Wonthaggi and Korumburra healthcare providers where they will learn a variety of practical skills throughout the year.
Wonthaggi’s South Gippsland Family Medicine and Wonthaggi Medical Group will host two students who will assist at both the clinic and the hospital for birthing and surgeries.
The same practices will be studied by two students at Korumburra’s Gippsland Southern Health Service and Korumburra Health.
Leongatha’s Hospital and Leongatha Healthcare will host students, as well as Foster’s South Gippsland Hospital.
Program coordinator Marlene Archbald said the placements have proven to be successful in the eight years since Monash made its partnerships in rural health across South Gippsland.
“All of the clinics and hospitals involved have been extremely supportive of the program and we have had fantastic supervising doctors working with our students at the clinics,” she said.
Ms Archbald conducts weekly tutorial classes with the 10 students on site at Leongatha Hospital in its Monash Rural Health modules.
“The students partake in classes and other studies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and spend the rest of the week at their placement gaining hands-on experiences,” Ms Archbald said.
“They get to work in paediatric health, women’s health, alongside psychiatrists and general practitioners in order to get more experiences than may have been possible had they taken placement in Melbourne.”
Ms Archbald said the program offers students the chance to work with doctors in surgery, which is rare for students in metropolitan areas.
“In Melbourne, many students are competing with fifth years to gain experience. Often fourth years may be told to stand in the corner. But our students are right there in assisting to deliver babies,” she said.
The 10 students had a celebratory dinner at Leongatha Hospital last Thursday to mark the commencement of their placement.
Jackie McDonnell, a former student from the 2010 round of placements, spoke about what she gained from the program, having been employed since at Korumburra Medical Clinic.
Head of Monash Rural Health, Robyn Langham and Head of Monash Medical School Professor Shane Bullock and program teacher Jennie Casey also attended.
Future doctors: from left, Robyn Langham, Katie O’Donoghue, Professor Shane Bullock, Monique Bihari, Andrew Stainsby, Pietra Dekker, Emily Pryor, Jackie McDonnell, Adam Dubrava, Jayden Kelly, Beau Wilson and Ash Garin-Michaud and Michael Taylor celebrated the commencement of the Monash Rural Health fourth years’ medical placement on Thursday evening.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Feb 6 2018. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
