More student doctors will learn in Murray Bridge after $19.7 million deal
Flinders University will open another 40 places for rural medical students in centres including Murray Bridge thanks to federal funding.
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More doctors will be trained in Murray Bridge as the result of a $19.7 million investment by the federal government.
An extra 40 medical students will now be able to attend Flinders University’s rural clinical schools – in Murray Bridge, the Riverland, the Barossa Valley, Mount Gambier and Victor Harbor – from 2025.
For the first time, student doctors will also be able to complete their entire four-year degrees in the country, rather than just a third-year placement.
The funding will provide for new teaching and learning facilities, plus student accommodation and extra staff, too.
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Flinders University Vice Chancellor Colin Stirling welcomed the investment.
“We know that students who study in the country are more than three times as likely to choose to work in rural areas compared to their city-based peers,” he said.
“Our rural medical students benefit from early and sustained exposure to rural health settings, and from learning alongside other health disciplines in interprofessional teams, developing strong connections which enhance their professional and personal development.
“Upon graduating they are highly sought after by employers and make a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of rural Australians.”
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler hoped the funding would help address a shortage of GPs in rural areas.
“We know that doctors that train in rural and regional Australia are more likely to stay and set up shop in rural and regional Australia,” he said.
State Health and Wellbeing Minister Chris Picton was ecstatic about the deal.
“Having a sustainable workforce is the biggest hurdle facing our health system in regional South Australia,” he said.
“Training more doctors here in South Australia, and having training taking place entirely in our regional areas, is absolutely vital to ensuring the future pipeline of regional doctors.”
The federal government will already provide a subsidy worth $12,720 to full-time medical students in 2024, an amount that is indexed each year.
A certain number of places in the rural medicine program are reserved for students who live, or were brought up, in rural areas.
- More information: www.flinders.edu.au.
