MEDICAL STUDENTS

Medical student education is a key part of the training program at the clinic, with more than 150 students attending in the past 15 years. Federation Clinic is a teaching practice of the Rural Clinical School of the University of NSW, Albury Wodonga campus. Fourth year students spend half a day per week at the clinic for the whole year and fifth year students do the same for their General Practice term. Students join with us in routine consultations with patients, as well as being given the opportunity to meet people with problems of special interest, who come to the clinic especially to allow the students to see them.
Recognition and treatment of pigmented skin lesions forms an additional part of the student teaching program at the clinic. This is provided for fifth year and any other students who are interested. We also have students from other universities visiting periodically for GP experience terms or for specific training in areas such as obstetrics.

We are very grateful to those of our patients who allow the student doctors to be involved in their care. It is a tremendously valuable learning opportunity and we know that the students and the University hold it in high regard.

Mentoring of medical students is another area of involvement in student training and our senior doctors have been fulfilling this role over many years. We have students from the Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scheme (RAMUS), one of the programs funded by the Federal Government to try to increase the numbers of doctors in rural and regional Australia . Mentors support the students through their years of study and reinforce their ties to rural Australia .

Dr Peter Francis was honoured with one of two Australian “Mentor of the Year” awards for 2005, in recognition of his commitment to medical student teaching and support.