An educational road trip through regional NSW has challenged the perceptions and perspectives of 20 healthcare students — and may have changed the course, and location, of their future careers.
It is a critical shift as rural Australia continues to struggle with a decades-long health worker shortage.
First year medical student Christopher Katsinas said while growing up, living or working rurally was not even on his radar.
Now, thanks to a program organised by the Rural Doctors Network (RDN), he may just change his mind.
"The learning opportunities in a rural health are unparalleled to the scope you'd see in a metro hospital, because you're exposed to so much more, you can do so much more," he said.
The RDN recently took 20 medical, nursing and allied health students on a number of immersive excursions to GP clinics, hospitals and multipurpose services.
The trip's western region leg spanned from Dubbo to Nyngan, Cobar, and Wilcannia.
While visiting rural practices was eye-opening in itself, it was the community immersion the students got to experience that spurred Mr Katsinas to reconsider his perspective on a rural career.
"In a metro setting you're treating strangers, essentially," he said.
"Out here, you're treating your family, your friends, people that you love and care about, and that's so much more rewarding."
Effort to address doctor shortages
Findings from an inquiry into rural, regional and remote healthcare handed down to the NSW Government last month found people living outside cities had "significantly poorer health outcomes, greater incidence of chronic disease, and greater premature deaths".
A cross-party committee made 44 recommendations, following hundreds of hours of evidence heard across NSW, to try to overhaul the system.
Staff shortages in the regional health sector caused the RDN to form the program in the first place, and the disparity was not lost on Mr Katsinas during the trip.
"I've seen the harshness of rural life, especially rural practice," he said.
An example of that disparity the students heard about was an at least six-week wait to see a dermatologist in the western region, versus a one or two week wait in metro areas.
"[It's] something that needs to change … just because these communities aren't sprawling cities it doesn't mean that they deserve a lower standard of care," Mr Katsinas said.
Education key to understanding
Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia showed rural exposure during medical training was key to getting medical students to consider leaving capital cities for the bush after graduation.
A massive part of that effort is educating, familiarising future healthcare workers with the unique healthcare needs Aboriginal people living regionally.
RDN Future Workforce Manager Chris Russell said communicating the importance of Aboriginal Medical Services, and the role they played in the whole community, was best done in person.
RDN was tracking student attendees to assess how successful the program was in attracting and retaining staff to the regions.
