One of the largest teaching hospitals in China is the destination for Charles Sturt University (CSU) students as they head overseas to gain practical experience for their future careers in health.

 

For the first time, three students from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Orange and Wagga Wagga will join CSU academic and cardiologist, Professor Lexin Wang on one of his regular research trips to the inland city of Liaocheng in the Shandong Province, China on Friday 16 April.

 

As one of the largest teaching hospitals in China, Liaocheng People’s Hospital hosts the School of Clinical Medicine and the School of Dentistry of Taishan Medical University. It boasts 2 600 hospital beds and annual outpatients of more than 1.3 million people.

 

The Hospital’s Department of Cardiology, where Professor Wang is an Honorary Director and Professor, is one of the key research departments of Shandong Province. There are 20 professorial-level cardiologists working on research into hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia.

 

Supervised by Professor Wang, the CSU students from Orange and Wagga Wagga will rotate through the clinical departments and the laboratories to get hands-on experience.

 

“The other unique aspect of this visit is that, although the students will be largely based in Liaocheng People’s Hospital, a modern and comprehensive hospital with world-class medical facilities, they will also spend time in a rural hospital to experience rural health in China,” Professor Wang said. “I believe they will find it vastly different from what we have here in Australia.”

 

The students will accompany Professor Wang on his rounds on the hospital wards and also in the outpatient clinic.  As Professor of Clinical Pharmacology in the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU, Lexin Wang will also continue his research in China on heart failure and coronary heart disease.

Ms Amy Bishop is in her final year of a Bachelor of Medical Science in Wagga Wagga. She will join students Ms Rachel Braham and Ms Sally Plunkett, both from the Bachelor of Clinical Science program in Orange, on the China trip.

 

“I look forward to experiencing the hospital workplace, observation of trauma and surgical procedures as well as practical experience in clinical testing,” said Ms Braham who is hoping for a career in medicine. 

 

Since 2008, the Liaocheng People’s Hospital has had a Strategic Alliance with CSU’s Cardiovascular Research Group.

 

The Short Term Program to China for the undergraduate students from the School of Biomedical Sciences is supported by CSU Global. Launched to significantly increase the number of students undertaking international experiences, CSU Global recently celebrated its first anniversary. Read more here.