• A new Doctors for the Future Fund will support students enrolled in the Charles Sturt University and Western Sydney University Joint Program in Medicine
• Fund to be launched on Tuesday 1 December will provide financial support through scholarships for students during their studies
• Donations sought to assist students towards opportunities to work in regional Australia

Charles Sturt University has established a Doctors for the Future Fund, launched on National Giving Day (aka Giving Tuesday) on Tuesday 1 December, to support new students enrolled in the new Charles Sturt University and Western Sydney University Joint Program in Medicine.

The Joint Program in Medicine is a five-year undergraduate entry Doctor of Medicine based at Charles Sturt in Orange, NSW, starting in 2021.

Charles Sturt Advancement Development Officer Mr Justin Williams said the aim of the Doctors for the Future Fund is to create a resource to help future regional enrolled students in the joint medical program to overcome financial barriers and hurdles when studying.

“The fund will ensure that medical students, particularly those from rural and regional Australia, are not disadvantaged by the costs of studying at university for many years,” Mr Williams said.

“Our new medical students will face many challenges while completing the course, and there are many costs, from textbooks to living away from home for extended periods.

“We believe no student should be left behind because they did not have the financial backing.

“In establishing the Doctors for the Future Fund, it is our vision to ensure that students have access to financial support through scholarships to steward them through the course.

“In addition, we aim to maintain equitable access to learning resources equal to their metropolitan counterparts.

“We know that by training doctors regionally there will be a greater chance of them remaining to work in regional Australia.

“However, our best chance is people from the regions studying medicine and we know they are already at a disadvantage compared to their city counterparts.

“Therefore we need to try and reduce this gap through financial assistance and equal or better learning facilities and methods.”

The funding for the Charles Sturt and WSU Joint Program in Medicine was announced in December 2018, and the development of courses, buildings and facilities have been ongoing since, with applications opened to prospective students in August 2020.

The inaugural Dean of Rural Medicine for the Charles Sturt School of Rural Medicine

Professor Lesley Forster, AM, said, “The School of Rural Medicine will change the way medicine is taught and practised in country areas by training doctors in regional Australia for practice in regional Australia.

“The course’s curriculum and additional vocational programs will steer students towards opportunities to work in regional Australia at the completion of their studies.”

Mr Williams explained that when we think about sub-standard access to healthcare we often think of places beyond Australia’s borders, to war zones and developing nations. However, there are many in our country that have inequitable access to adequate healthcare resources, and these communities face a future of uncertainty on their longevity and quality of life.

“Your generosity will alter this future and impact the lives of rural communities by donating today to the Charles Sturt Doctors for the Future Fund,” Mr Williams said.