Albury Wodonga Rural Clinical School
Dr Peter Vine, Director of the Rural Clinical School, based in Albury gave us an up-date on the growth and success of the school in its formative years. A very satisfying outcome with huge prospects for advancement in the future. Peter mentioned that already a number of original students who have completed their residency and additional studies are working in our area.
The Rural Clinical School Campus The Rural Clinical School Campus at Albury Wodonga started in 2000 when the then Greater Murray Clinical School, the first Rural Clinical School in Australia, was established by the Federal Government Department of Health and Ageing in Wagga Wagga and Albury Wodonga. Since then the School has flourished and two additional campuses were added at the Mid North Coast. Over the years the School has gone from strength to strength and the Campuses are recognised as excellent environments in which to complete the final years of the course. The Clinical School Campus has become the focus of both undergraduate and postgraduate education since it opened and students are invited to participate in all the activities. The Albury Wodonga campus is located at 559 East Street Albury which is adjacent to the Albury Hospital. The campus accepts full time students in Years 4, 5 and 6.
Location Strategically located on the major inland Sydney to Melbourne corridor – the Hume Freeway. With the impending opening of the last bypass, the freeway will be double divided highway from Sydney to Melbourne. – Albury Wodonga is three hours from Melbourne and Canberra and six hours from Sydney by road. Albury Wodonga is on the main rail line between Sydney and Melbourne and Regional Express , Qantaslink and Virgin Australia have ten flights daily to Sydney return and three return flights daily to Melbourne. By air, Sydney is approximately one hour and ten minutes away and Melbourne is 45 minutes.
Medical Education The Albury Wodonga campus offers students access to:• 5 Major hospital facilities• 100 plus GPs with 25 GP clinics in Albury/Wodonga with additional clinics in the outlying areas• Low student/patient ratio• More than 90 specialists including: Anaesthetists; ENT Specialists; General Physicians, with interest in Renal Medicine, Cardiology and Gastroenterology; Cardiologists, General Surgeons; Gynaecologists; Reproductive medicine; Medical Oncologists; Neurologists; Obstetricians; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon; Ophthalmologists; Orthopaedic Surgeons; Plastic Surgeon; Paediatricians; Paediatric Surgeon; Pathologists; Psychiatrists; Radiotherapist; Oncologists; Radiologists; and Urologists.
Phase 2 Twelve students per year are allocated to the Campus to do their Clinical Coursework in phase 2. This is the same program as is run in the metropolitan area. The teaching program is run over two semesters and consists of courses in Society and Health, Oncology, Adult 1, Adult 2, Beginnings Growth and Development and Aged Care.With the input of the visiting specialists and the local specialists, the clinical programme of Phase 2 can be provided very successfully at the Albury Wodonga campus.