Build rural medical-career pipeline, not another medical school
The University of Sydney's School of Rural Health is calling on the federal government to redouble its efforts to increase the number of doctors working in regional and rural Australia.聽
, it has also rejected claims that establishing a new medical school in central western NSW will solve the rural doctor shortage.
In March, the Federal Government for 60 junior doctors to access rural-based training positions in primary care settings, such as general practice. A month later it announced funding for , another instalment of its Rural Training Pipeline intended to attract and retain medical graduates in rural areas.
鈥淲e commend these initiatives because rural training experience increases the likelihood that doctors will commit to working in rural locations long term,鈥� said , , a rural clinical school of the University of Sydney with campuses in Dubbo and Orange.
鈥淏ut more effort is needed to extend the rural training pipeline, so that medical graduates wanting a rural career can gain intern and residency jobs and also progress to postgraduate specialty training, including rural generalist training, in rural and regional sites.鈥�
There鈥檚 no shortage of medical graduates and junior doctors wanting to train and establish careers in regional Australia.
Dr Arnold, who is also a rheumatologist working in Dubbo, Gloucester and Orange, said proposals to establish rurally-based medical schools as a way to increase rural doctor numbers were well-intentioned but misguided. He also rejected claims that urban based medical schools were not helping to build a rural medical workforce.
The Federal Member for Calare, Mr Andrew Gee MP, said in the the University of Sydney is taking an to training a rural medical workforce. He also claimed in parliament that 鈥渂ig urban universities鈥� and had failed to 鈥減roduce doctors willing to practice medicine in the country.鈥�
Mr Gee MP is supporting the establishment of a new rurally based Murray Darling Medical School with campuses in Orange, Wagga and Bendigo, claiming it will solve the rural doctor shortage.
Dr Arnold said he understood the Member for Calare鈥檚 concerns but said building a rural medical school would not solve the rural doctor shortage.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no shortage of medical graduates and junior doctors wanting to train and establish careers in regional Australia,鈥� Dr Arnold said.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 needed is a bigger, sustainable rural medical career training 鈥榩ipeline鈥� for junior doctors who want to work in regional and rural areas, long term.
What鈥檚 needed is a bigger, sustainable rural medical career training 鈥榩ipeline鈥� for junior doctors who want to work in regional and rural areas, long term.
Dr Arnold said the entrance to this rural medical-career pipeline was oversubscribed.
鈥淭his year, there were more than six applications for every intern job commencing at Dubbo Base Hospital and the Orange Health Service. Clearly, there鈥檚 no need for another medical school to feed the entrance to the pipeline.
Commenting on claims that the University of Sydney and urban universities were failing to produce doctors willing to practice medicine in the country, Dr Arnold said:
鈥淭he University鈥檚 School of Rural Health has a longstanding commitment to training the next generation of rural and regional healthcare workers, including doctors. Our track record speaks for itself.
鈥淏y the end of this year, over 800 of our medical students will have graduated after doing extended rural placements at our Orange and Dubbo campuses. At graduation, 90 per cent of these students tell us that they would prefer to work in rural areas,鈥� he said.
Dr Arnold said students who complete extended rural placements were more likely to seek a career in a rural area than either students who had not done rural placements, or students who had a rural origin.
In April, the University of Sydney聽聽in Broken Hill, Dubbo and Lismore to boost rural-based training and career pathways for trainee doctors.