Rural medical education: five medical students spend a year in rural Port Lincoln, Australia.
BACKGROUND
The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia established the Spencer Gulf Rural Health School (SGRHS) as a joint venture to facilitate rural health professional education and research. Annually a cohort of medical students from the University of Adelaide volunteer and are placed in various SGRHS 'learning centres' throughout rural South Australia for the 5th year of their medical training.


OBJECTIVE
This article addresses the issues encountered in one of these 'learning centres' in Port Lincoln, rural South Australia. The challenge was to integrate five students into a general medical practice and the local hospital and to provide high quality medical education for the academic year.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical practice, student and university requirements were identified and a range of strategies implemented to address these. To date, four groups of medical students have successfully completed their rural academic year in Port Lincoln since 2003. The local systems have evolved to allow five students to integrate into the practice and hospital using a range of teaching and learning methods and resources.
Baillie
Sue
S
Spencer Gulf Rural Health School, Port Lincoln, South Australia, Australia. sue.baillie@unisa.edu.au
Matena
Jenni
J
Yerxa
John
J
Newbury
Jonathan
J
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013021:South Australia; D013337:Students, Medical