180 future doctors gather in Manly to foster and celebrate the future of rural health

Following on from the success of the launch of the Cadet Alumni Program and celebration of 35 years of Cadets on Friday night, Manly welcomed nearly 180 medical students on Saturday 30 November for the 2024 Medical Student Rural Inspiration Conference. The Conference was a collaboration between RDN and the NSW Regional Training Hub Networks and was sponsored by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) as a one-of-a-kind event designed specifically for medical students with an interest in rural medicine.

This year, the Conference welcomed its largest ever number of medical students, and featured an array of topics spanning from Navigating Regional Specialty Training Pathways to International Perspective: Healthcare Access in Remote Indonesia, creating a unique opportunity for students to learn and interact with a diverse range of speakers during workshops and panellist sessions, preparing them with knowledge, networks and experience as they begin their careers in rural health.

RDN CEO Richard Colbran spoke to the significance of bringing students into the mix of multidisciplinary rural health delegates at Rural Health Month, to foster, encourage and celebrate the future rural health workforce.

“For me personally, one of the great highlights of this event this weekend is the fact that we’ve got close to 180 medical students coming to work and participate and engage with the rural network of doctors and other clinicians in preparing themselves and their training through to their career and their professions,” Mr Colbran said.

The Conference was conveniently co-located with the Rural GPs Conference, creating a space for students to network with delegates, sponsors and potential future colleagues. The students’ attendance at the GPs dinner on Saturday night was sponsored by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, and was yet another opportunity to bring together the long-serving and current practitioners with the future rural medical workforce to collaborate, learn and celebrate together.

ACRRM Regional Director of Training NSW/ACT, Dr David Leaf, said of the event, "ACRRM's support is a demonstration of our commitment to fostering the next generation of rural healthcare professionals. By supporting this event, we aim to inspire and empower medical students to pursue fulfilling careers in rural medicine, helping to improve healthcare outcomes in under-served communities."

The Conference itself was filled with laughter, spontaneous applause and many nodding heads as medical students listened and connected with the stories and anecdotes of speakers’ experiences in rural medicine. RDN’s Chair and Director of Thuru Indigenous Health Unit, proud Wiradjuri man Professor Peter O’Mara, led a panel session on the importance of cultural awareness in rural health and its impact on patients’ experiences alongside Richard Colbran and medical student from the Australian National University Natalie Gordon.

The session created an open and honest platform from which studets were able to listen and discuss the importance of challenging biases in a rural health setting, both in their experience as young doctors and medical students and as their career progresses. As was noted by Mr Colbran in response to a student’s question about the best approach to challenge their own biases, the session itself created change by opening the conversation.         

Thriving as a regional medical student and intern was the topic of discussion for a panel of regional junior doctors from Albury, Wagga Wagga and Tamworth, who shared their insights and experiences with students on thriving and surviving as a Junior Medical Officer (JMO) in a regional location. Dr Joe McGirr, MP Chair of the NSW Select Committee on Remote, Rural and Regional Health, led the Rural health workforce interactive session which engaged with rural health workforce policy and building an understanding of rural health advocacy.

Dr Shannon Nott, Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Chief Medical Officer, led students in a simulation session which explored the vital role RFDS plays in rural healthcare, which created an interactive hands-on setting for students to apply knowledge and interact amongst peers.

Rural generalist registrar Dr Sarah Woodford delivered the Sponsor Address on behalf of RACGP, with other RACGP speakers including Dr Kay Kyaw and Dr Sam Hemer as panellists in a session on Untangling Rural Generalism and General Practice: A Range of Perspectives.

Many of those in attendance, as well as those speaking and forming the panels, are proud RDN Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadets who have, through the Cadet program, already begun dedicating their careers to rural medicine. The significance of fostering the future workforce in the early years of their careers through educational and networking events such as the Medical Student Rural Inspiration Conference, is no better exemplified than by the retention rate of the RDN Cadets, over 60% of whom have continued practicing rurally, following the completion of their return of service in rural areas.

Speaking live at the event, Lindsey Eiffler, Manager of Conferences and Events at RDN, spoke to the excitement of bringing together the largest numbers of students yet to attend Rural Health Month.

“We have our GP Conference starting, we have our Medical Student Rural Inspiration Conference happening, with bigger numbers than ever before for those events, so its super exciting to have everyone coming together to be able to learn, to be able to connect with each other, and most importantly all of us celebrating the great work that’s happening in rural health.”

The future is looking bright for rural health!

The Medical Student Rural Inspiration Conference took place as part of Rural Health Month, a series of multidisciplinary training and networking events hosted by Rural Health Pro, a social enterprise of RDN.

The Conference was proudly supported by NSW Regional Training Hub Networks, the National Rural Health Student Network, the Australian Medical Student Association, Rural Doctors’ Association of NSW, Rural Health Pro and RDN.