About the RCS UNSW’s Rural Clinical School (RCS) brings world-class medical education to rural Australia, training the next generation of rural doctors. With campuses across New South Wales including Albury-Wodonga, Coffs Harbour, Griffith, Port Macquarie and Wagga Wagga, the RCS has had great success training medical students since 2000.
Your Experience at RCS Students are placed at a rural campuses for up to four years of their Medicine program, starting in Year 3. Students at RCS follow the same program as the city hospitals, but rural campuses take a different approach to clinical training, developing an innovative program which caters to student needs for rural practice. We offer an integrated teaching program where students work closely with several patients, following them through their treatment and closely observing and participating in total patient care, and gaining a holistic view of medicine, and increased practical skills. Learn more about this program and how to apply by contacting: As well as clinical training in state-of-the-art • Emily Robinson at the Rural Clinical hospitals and specialist facilities, students unSchool (RCS) at emily.robinson@unsw. dertake placements in medical practices in ruedu.au or on 9385 3210 ral and remote settings. Or visiting: • RCS website at rcs.med.unsw.edu.au, or • Nura Gili website at http://www.nuragili. unsw.edu.au/pre-programs-0
For general info on RCS check out our website at http://rcs.med.unsw.edu.au, and to find out contact details for the different campuses please go to http://rcs.med.unsw.edu.au/contacts.
Rural Clinical School
What is the Rural Student Entry Scheme (RSES)? The RSES is a separate entry scheme into medicine, for applicants who are from a significant rural background. Applicants are assessed on four criteria: UMAT exam results, academic results, interview performance and rural background. The RCS offers a support program for all rural students studying medicine. This includes a tutoring program for students who require academic support.
Who are we? The UNSW Rural Clinical School (RCS) was launched in 2000 as part of a government initiative to reduce the shortage of doctors in rural and remote Australia. The RCS was established based on research that shows that people who grow up in a rural or remote area are more likely to return there in the future to practice as doctors. When students study medicine at a Rural Clinical School campus in the early years of their degree, the likelihood of them working in the country also increases. Over one third of UNSW medical students in each graduating cohort spend at least 12 months of their degree at a Rural Clinical School campus. The majority of students spend three to four years studying at one of our rural campuses.
What do we do? The RCS coordinates several programs including the Rural Student Entry Scheme, and the Indigenous Entry Scheme. The RCS has campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Coffs Harbour, Griffith, Port Macquarie and Wagga Wagga. Students are able to study four out of the six years of their medical degree at a rural campus.
What is the Indigenous Entry Scheme? The Indigenous Entry Scheme includes an intensive 4-week residential preparatory program, called the Pre-Medicine Program (PMP), which is jointly coordinated by UNSW Medicine’s RCS and Nura Gili. This program is designed to provide support and training to better prepare Indigenous students for study in the Faculty of Medicine. The PMP is an alternative pathway for Indigenous Australians to enter UNSW’s Medicine program. It is open to all Australian Aboriginals and/or Torres Strait Islanders who are interested in studying medicine.
UNSW rural campuses Medical students are able to study Phase 2 and Phase 3 at a rural campus, and there are currently over 200 students studying medicine across five main campuses. Academically RCS graduates consistently perform better in their final exams than students attending a metropolitan clinical school. The RCS coordinates the short-term placements for all UNSW medicine students in various disciplines and General Practice in rural and remote towns in New South Wales.
“The best thing about studying at a rural campus is the number of opportunities you get here, compared to city hospitals. I’ve performed so many procedures that I’ve never done before — and there are a great team of doctors out there who are more than willing to take their time to teach.” Peter Bradhurst, 4th Year Medicine Student, UNSW RCS Griffith Campus
To learn more about all our programs visit the RCS website at http://rcs.med.unsw.edu.au/future-students