title: Surgical undergraduate education in rural Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surgical undergraduate education in a rural setting is feasible and sound in terms of educational outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The final-year surgical curriculum at the University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, was restructured to include the option of a rural surgical term.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five provincial center hospitals in rural South Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-three final-year medical students undertook rural surgical clerkships in 1998.
  
  
  METHODS
  End-of-year results and subjective ward assessments were compared between the group of students who completed rural surgical terms and the remainder of the student group who participated in tertiary hospital-based electives. Subjective student feedback was obtained in a survey conducted by the Clinical Education Development Unit at the University of Adelaide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant (P =.45) differences in examination results were noted between the rural and city groups. A significant (P<.01) finding was observed in the subjective assessments, indicating that it was more difficult for the rural group to obtain an A grade compared with the city group. The rural students ranked the level of teaching and supervision highly and enjoyed the overall rural experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical undergraduate education is practical in a rural setting and, for educational outcome, seems to be at least as effective as city-based surgical clerkships in preparing students for final examinations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Adelaide, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville Road, Woodville 5011, Adelaide, South Australia.
authors.forename: Martin H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bruening
authors.forename: Guy J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Maddern
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D012424:Rural Population; D013337:Students, Medical; D014505:Urban Population