TWENTY-FOUR future doctors have begun their educational journey through the University of Sydney’s new Doctor of Medicine program in Dubbo.
The students are all from rural Australia, including some from the Central West region, and are the first cohort of students to study the four-year MD program in Dubbo.
The program will provide them not only with real-life experience of living and studying in a regional location, but also the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in rural and remote medical practice while accessing the latest in medical education technology including 3D modelling and virtual and augmented reality.
Head of School and Dean of Sydney Medical School, Professor Cheryl Jones, said the University was thrilled to see the high demand for the new program.
“We are really encouraged by the interest and are very pleased to welcome our first full cohort of 24 students,” she said.
“The Dubbo Stream students will be a valuable addition to our strong commitment to training rurally committed doctors and other health professionals.
“We know from our previous third and fourth-year placements that many students who study out west develop a love of rural medicine and end up staying – I look forward to seeing the impact this four-year program has on rural healthcare in the region.”
Among the students are Dubbo locals William Anderson and Shray Sinha who were both born and raised in Dubbo and Emily Turnbull who grew up on a farm near Quambone.
“I’m looking forward to being able to stay in Dubbo while I complete my medical degree,” Mr Anderson said.
“This is my hometown, I have family, mates, work and my footy club here, and it’s great to have the support of all those people while I study.”
Mr Sinha said he has worked with cardiologists during his placement as an undergrad in biomedical engineering.
“(I have) always felt they had the resources to help people directly. I knew from there I had to do medicine,” he said.
“I wish to see more doctors working in country areas, and so studying medicine in my hometown will be an exciting journey.”
The Dubbo stream has been developed under the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network (MDMSN). As part of the new program, the School of Rural Health in Dubbo is undergoing a $7 million expansion involving new buildings and state-of-the-art facilities.