RDN unveils alumni program to celebrate 35 years of the Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship

A particular highlight of the Rural Health Month events at Manly over the weekend was the celebration of 35 years of the Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship and official launch and unveiling of RDN’s Cadet Alumni Program. 180 were in attendance to celebrate these two milestones, including current and former cadets alongside distinguished guests, partners and supporters.

The success of the program has once again been confirmed in a longitudinal study, the announcement of which drew special cheers from the audience, which included former cadets going right back to the program’s foundational year.

Representatives from NSW Health, including Director Health Professional Workforce, Adjunct Associate Professor Jacqueline Dominish OAM were also present to help celebrate the success of the Cadetship Program which the Ministry has funded since 1989, and RDN has administered since 1993.

NSW Health proud to support Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship Program

“NSW Health is proud to celebrate 35 years of the Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship Program, which was developed to increase the number of junior medical officers working in our rural and remote hospitals,” Director Dominish said.

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“Through our important partnership with the Rural Doctors Network, cadets are offered financial assistance, mentoring and training in a rural based hospital to build their medical skills.

“This program has produced an outstanding group of doctors who were able to start their careers in rural medicine and further enabled them to demonstrate their passion and commitment to serving rural communities with 64 per cent of doctors who went through the program still working in regional, rural and remote locations.

“We strongly encourage medical students to consider applying for the program as it is an excellent opportunity to explore a medical career in rural NSW.”

Rural Health Commissioner's message

Also delighted to be in attendance on Friday to address the audience was National Rural Health Commissioner Professor Jenny May AM, who traces her involvement with the program back to its earliest years.

“There’s real evidence, and we’ve seen it in the numbers, that spending time…in a rural location is probably the best predictor of rural return and actually trumps rural origin and rural exposure and I say that because I see the number of metro students involved in this program also as a victory...," the Commissioner said.

“I’ve been with the Program nearly the whole time - I’ve been a supporter, I’ve been a mentor…I did the first evaluation so to me, the Program is really special. It weaves budding and interested medical students into the rural cloth ….it’s not constricting, but constructive.

"If we think about that woven cloth analogy, it’s the importance of the strands, and the Cadet Program and its long-term security is vital to that cloth. Thank you to RDN. Thank you to NSW Health for investing. The tighter the weave, the fewer the holes and the warmer the cloth," she said.

Life changing experience for students

Student, Dominic Horneman attended the celebration on Friday evening and will start his internship in Orange in 2025. He credits the Cadetship for giving him the financial backing to focus on his studies.

“Rural exposure has made me a more well-rounded and community orientated doctor,” Mr Horneman said.

“The opportunities I’ve encountered through RDN have solidified my desire to pursue a career in rural health, and to advocate for the future of the rural health workforce,” he said.

RDN CEO, Richard Colbran said the Rural Resident Medical Cadetship program is one of the signature programs of NSW supporting the development of rural medical practitioners.

“The Cadetship program has seen more than 400 future doctors participate, and engage in, talent management support for their career pathways into rural and remote medicine,” Mr Colbran said.

“We also have the chance on the back of the 35 years to launch this year our Alumni Program for the Cadets. On Friday night we had a wonderful celebration not just to look back and laugh and think about the past but, probably more importantly, knowing the challenges of rural medicine today.

“We talked about what comes next and what the future holds and will continue to look at what the important strategies are and the mechanisms that are needed to support our rural doctors for the future,” he said.

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