Charles Sturt University (CSU) Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Vann today welcomed the support of the federal Senate’s Community Affairs References Committee for CSU’s planned medical school to be based in rural Australia.

 

The Committee released its report on Rural Health and Medical Workforce Shortages on Wednesday night, 22 August, stating in relation to CSU’s rural medical school proposal:  

 

“The committee was impressed by ... the model proposed by Charles Sturt University for a new rural medical school.

 

“The provision of a full-scale medical school based in regional Australia would have a significant impact on the numbers of doctors, nurses, allied health and other essential health professionals that would come from rural areas and would therefore be likely to remain in those areas after they complete their training,” the report stated. 

 

While introducing the report to the Senate, Senator Fiona Nash stated the committee was looking for things outside the square.

 

“We were particularly impressed with the Charles Sturt University proposal for a full-scale medical school. Obviously, students from a rural background studying in a rural area are far more likely to stay in a rural area to practise their profession,” Senator Nash said.

 

Professor Vann noted that the Senate Committee thoroughly investigated the options for addressing the continued resistance of city-trained medical graduates to relocate to rural practice, despite significant investment by the federal government in various forms of rural exposure programs.

 

“The Committee acknowledged the overwhelming national and international evidence that a rural doctor is significantly more likely to have come from a rural area, and have been educated and trained in a rural area,” Professor Vann said.

 

“Its endorsement of the Charles Sturt University model recognises the strong track record of the University in recruiting and retaining rural and regional students in rural employment, and the success of universities like James Cook, which is now educating doctors in rural areas.”

 

Professor Vann said existing rural exposure strategies are not delivering anywhere near the number of Australian graduates to the rural health workforce compared to the rurally-based health programs operated by institutions like CSU and James Cook University (JCU).

 

“More than 70 per cent of Charles Sturt University’s oncampus health students come from a rural or regional area, and more than 80 per cent go into rural employment after graduation,” Professor Vann said.

 

“By comparison, the Committee found that in some instances as few as five per cent of metropolitan trained medical graduates are moving to rural practice.

 

“However, it would be wrong to assume that the problem will be solved by city medical schools opening branch campuses in the bush.”

 

Professor Vann believed the reason why universities like Charles Sturt and JCU are successful is because they are unashamedly ‘regional’. 

 

“We live here, and the consequences of poor planning and poor program design have a lasting effect on our communities,” he said.

 

“Being regional gives us a unique understanding of the needs of rural and regional students and professions. It is the reason Charles Sturt University has successfully delivered workforce outcomes in regional areas where others have not.

 

“It is not surprising that importing and adapting medical programs designed for the city into the bush hasn’t solved rural medical shortages.”  

  

Professor Vann said there are many reasons to commend the work of Rural Clinical Schools and the commitment of their staff.

 

“While we certainly see them as an important part of the rural landscape into the future, I think the Senate Committee has recognised that we need to do more than expose students to rural areas if we are going to get doctors into rural practice.