A group of 10 second year medical students recently spent time with SES and Ambulance Victoria members as part of their one-week program in Bairnsdale.
The two emergency service agencies ran a session through which the students were provided with a hands-on, immersive experience of response to medical and trauma situations in rural areas.
Through the Monash Rural Health program, the students learned about the local economy and local demographics and the role that this knowledge can play in patient management.
Response from the students was positive, appreciative and engaged.
“An activity I enjoyed was the SES/AV morning,” one student said.
“It was incredible to see the very first steps of healthcare in action. The patient retrieval process with SES equipment and getting to know the SES as people is something I’ve never been able to do.
“Also, understanding how AV works and how qualified the paramedics are was eye opening. Seeing the MICA drug bag was a great revision session and fascinating to see the suite of drugs they have and the knowledge they employ.”
Donna Warr, the year two regional clinical administration officer with Monash Rural Health, Bairnsdale said that during the week-long program the students have their first clinical experience shadowing doctors and nurses at both hospital wards and GP clinics.
“Many of the group have never been outside a large city, so it gives them all a taste of life in rural Victoria and hopefully enough to return in their later years of study and as future doctors in the region,” she said.
The innovative program involving Monash, Ambulance Victoria and VICSES conceived in Bairnsdale in 2017 will host another cohort of Australia’s emerging doctors in early 2025.