Go West: new degree opens path for future doctors

• Students will, for the first time, be able to complete their entire Sydney medical degree in Dubbo.
• The first cohort will enrol twenty-four students who will commence study in Dubbo in 2022.
• Students will study in new purpose-built facilities including anatomy labs and simulation clinics.
• Applications are now open and close on Friday, May 28 at 4 pm.

The program, based at the University’s School of Rural Health, is part of the Australian Government’s Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network which aims to encourage more practitioners to consider a career in rural or remote medical practice by giving students an understanding of rural life, rural communities and rural health services. The Dubbo program builds on the University’s long history of close to 20 years delivering medical education in the Central West.

“More than 800 University of Sydney students have completed third or fourth-year placements in Dubbo, Orange and Broken Hill and I have met many local health staff working in the area today because of their experiences as former students,” said Professor Cheryl Jones, Head of School and Dean of the University of Sydney Medical School.

“We look forward to the added benefits delivering our four-year postgraduate Dubbo-based MD program presents for students from a diverse range of backgrounds and the flow-on impact this will have for the community. In addition, we will continue to send a proportion of students from our metropolitan program for extended placements over a full year.”

Professor Mark Arnold, Head of Sydney’s Rural Clinical School in Dubbo said; “Clinical teaching will be centered at Dubbo Hospital which is undergoing a $241 million upgrade and has a wide range of specialist capabilities. Students will also have the opportunity to undertake remote medicine placements in Western and Far Western NSW and with our other partners such as the Royal Flying Doctors Service.”

Indigenous Student Recruitment and Support Officer in Dubbo, Cheryl Ah-See said; “This is a fantastic opportunity for students from the region. We hope it will provide a pathway to boost the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the medical workforce, resulting in culturally appropriate care and improved health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.”

To deliver the program, new state-of-the-art facilities will add to the existing teaching and learning infrastructure at the School of Rural Health site at Moran Drive, Dubbo.

The new facilities, due to be completed in October, include advanced anatomy teaching labs, simulated clinical environments and diverse learning and recreation spaces and will complement existing on-site facilities including student accommodation and an outdoor gym, pool and tennis court. The new build is being managed by Patterson Building Group.

The Dubbo program and new facilities have been developed in close collaboration with the Western NSW Local Health District, the hospitals and doctors of the region, and the Dubbo community, including the Wiradjuri community, which has been generous with support and input.

For information about the program and how to apply, please visit sydney.edu.au/medicine/md 

The University of Sydney’s Doctor of Medicine program in Dubbo is funded by the Australian Government under the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network.