Developing a rural medical school in Australia

The James Cook University School of Medicine was established in 1999, building on political and community support for rural communities and the success of the North Queensland Clinical School and regional general practice training collaboration in North Queensland. The School was able to learn from a substantial international research evidence base, and was innovative in the way that it applied that evidence to all facets of the School’s activities.

The mission is closely linked to serving the workforce and health care needs of dispersed communities in northern Australia. The flagship themes of the programme – rural and remote, indigenous and tropical health – are essential to this regional mission. There is strong community engagement in student selection, teaching, assessment and evaluation. Selection processes target regional and rural background students and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

An innovative curriculum design reinforces interest in, and relevance to, regional health needs. Curriculum delivery and assessment practices ensure that learning outcomes can be achieved throughout the dispersed clinical training network. Faculty recruitment and development focuses on exposing students to strong rural role models. Postgraduate specialty training opportunities are being expanded to ensure that the ‘pipeline’ of local graduates is able to make longer-term contributions to the regional medical workforce.

The innovative approach has attracted widespread international interest. Although it is too early to tell if the longer-term school objectives have been achieved, early indications suggest that graduates are choosing to work in rural and regional Australia.