About the School of Rural Medicine
Welcome to a Career of Life Long Learning
School of Rural Medicine
I am delighted to welcome the first cohort of students enrolled in the Bachelor of Medicine - Joint Medical Program offered by the University of Newcastle and the University of New England, in partnership with the Hunter New England (HNEAHS) and Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Services (NSCCAHS). The development of the JMP expands on the long term commitment of many medical and community stakeholders within the region to improve equity of access to health care for our patients and improve health services in rural areas of Australia. It offers a unique opportunity for students to train in remote, rural and metropolitan regions of Australia to obtain a recognised world class medical degree which will prepare you for work in clinical practice or research throughout Australia and the world. We hope some of you will continue your association with regional and rural Australia as you progress in your careers.
The innovative course of the JMP based on problem based learning will prepare you for the ever present certainty of change in medicine. Sir William Osler recognised this stating, “The philosophies of one age have become the absurdities of the next, and the foolishness of yesterday has become the wisdom of tomorrow.” I recall back to commencing my own medical training with some hesitancy and trepidation. Many of the facts presented didactically and committed to memory have since been challenged and changed and many of the new techniques and medications we prescribe in everyday practice were not around.
So what qualities do you need to develop as you enter the early stage of your medical career? Some qualities have endured and this is based on our patient needs. Professor Per Fugelli has reflected on the roles of healers and medical practitioners. Professor Fugelli has studied different groups of patients from Norway to the Kalihari desert and has found more commonalities than differences. In our daily work, the two qualities our patients expect of their doctor is to be competent and to be caring or personable. With this combination we can instill trust as we provide the continuum of care for our patients in both health and illness. Central, to our clinical competence is our capacity to take a relevant history and examination. Again this is reaffirmed by Sir William Osler who stated “There is no more difficult art to acquire than the art of observation.”
In rural Australia, the Australasian College of Remote and Rural Medicine has recognised the ARTS of rural practice. To optimise the clinical outcomes for our patients we need to Assess the patient, consider Resources, Transport and Supports.
I thank the students who elected to be enrolled in this innovative program and wish you every success in your studies. You are important pioneers and your feedback and input into developing the program is essential. The linkage of the JMP with HNEAHS and NSCCAHS is a first in Australia and links medical education with the health workforce needs of this region. There is great potential to develop innovative projects which will offer the student body increased skills and training which will prepare you for the needs of the ever-changing health workforce.
I invite you to reflect on your future career goals and share them with your family and peers. During the course you will come in contact with academic staff at both universities and remarkable medical practitioners teaching in the community and in hospitals. You will also meet with community members and patients. All of these people can act as mentors and provide support for you. The development of the JMP has been a team effort. I thank everyone involved for their contribution and efforts. But most importantly, I invite the student body to play an active role in the further development of the JMP.
“To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals - this alone is worth the struggle” Sir William Osler.
Welcome and every success in a career of life long learning.
Professor John Fraser
Transitional Head
School of Rural Medicine
JMP Newsletters
Please download the following JMP newsletters which provide information and updates on the JMP. (The newsletters are "pdf" files. A pdf viewer, "Acrobat Reader", can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
Contacts
For further information please feel free to contact either
Professor John Fraser, Transitional Head of School, via email (jfrase22@une.edu.au) or phone +61 2 6773 2751, or
Associate Professor John Nevin, Associate Professor in Rural Clinical Medicine, via email (jnevin@une.edu.au) or phone +61 2 6773 3849.
Other enquiries can be directed to
Trish Battin, Office Manager, via email (pbattin@une.edu.au) or phone +61 2 6773 3877
Jo McRae, Year 1 Manager, via email (jmcrae@une.edu.au) or phone +61 2 6773 2949
Peter Burr, Clinical Administrative Assistant, via email (pburr@une.edu.au) or phone +61 2 6773 3886
Amanda Lang, Technical Officer - Anatomy, via email (alang13@une.edu.au) or phone +61 2 6773 3087
Photo Gallery
View images of the new School of Rural Medicine Anatomy Lab and PBL tutorial rooms
Media Release
Commonwealth Minister announces new funding of $3.5 million for the School of Rural Medicine:
http://www.une.edu.au/news/archives/000871.html
Information about the Bachelor of Medicine
The following link provides you with information about the Bachelor of Medicine, the Joint Medical Program, between the University of Newcastle and the University of New England:
Bachelor of Medicine, Joint Medical Program