A new socially responsible medical school for regional Australia.
BACKGROUND
Northern Australia is a geographically large region that has too few medical graduates and is a long way from Australia's metropolitan medical schools. This paper describes the establishment of a new medical school to serve these needs.


METHODS
The paper describes the steps in development and presents an overview of the innovative educational approach, based on best available educational evidence, that aims to produce a medical workforce that understand the health care needs of the region and want to practice there.


CONCLUSIONS
The result is an innovative, highly integrated programme with different aspirations and a different student profile from other Australian medical schools.
Hays
Richard
R
School of Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville Qld 4811, Australia. richard.hays@jcu.edu.au
Stokes
John
J
Veitch
Jan
J
D001315:Australia; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D015876:Northern Territory; D011365:Professional Practice Location; D016730:Program Development; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012941:Social Responsibility