Our graduates
Ryan Palfreyman, Medicine
"Spending my final year at the Tamworth Education Centre, and Tamworth Hospital, was likely the best decision I made during medical school. The learning opportunities, clinical experiences and incredible support from both university and hospital staff is unmatched by any other placement I have had. I would wholeheartedly recommend Tamworth as a placement for any student who wants to get the most out of their clinical years and put themselves in the best possible position for internship."
James Dowton and Tasmyne Spurway, Physiotherapy
“Our goals have always been to contribute to addressing the health inequities and barriers that face rural and remote communities within Australia. We opened our practice to help achieve this. Undertaking placements in Port Macquarie during our studies provided us with increased opportunity to deliver care to a varied and complex caseload. It also gave us a broad scope of practice, professional development support and extra-curricular community engagement activities that helped to develop our real-world skills."
Danielle Kennedy, Speech Pathology
"My placement was paramount in gaining my current position. Not only did it help to further develop my skills as a clinician but it also gave me further insights into the profession. I also received a lot of information and guidance when completing my application to ensure that it reflected my clinical skills and that I had a passion for rural and remote health. My placement also fostered my love for rural health and all the advantages and challenges it has to offer."
Cale Lawlor, Medicine
"Rural placement really gives you that grounding in patient care that goes on to affect how you practice. My placements around the New England, the Northern Rivers and overseas greatly helped to shape how I see medicine, its place in the world and how I aim to help the health system. I think that doing rural placements really helps you to see the impact you can make on a sometimes resource-poor scenario and helps you become inspired about the work you can do. I believe that it was due to rural placements that I have become solely interested in my future career path."
Cassandra Small, Physiotherapy
“Completing all my final-year placements within Tamworth was incredibly helpful once I started working as a new graduate physiotherapist locally. It allowed me to gain an understanding of local services available to patients and families, build connections with staff members within these services, and build an understanding of who these services cater for and how they operate. This certainly made it easier to start liaising with services and staff when I first began work as a new graduate.”
Emma Bohringer, Nutrition and Dietetics
"Completing the Year-long Rural Immersion Program gave me a broad understanding of some of the factors people living in rural and remote areas face. These include cultural, socio-economic and geographical issues with accessing healthcare and constructing a nutritious diet. I really got to know the local food supply in terms of access, availability and cost of foods, typical meals consumed and cooking methods used, and climate and other lifestyle factors impacting on people's health and ability to adopt a healthy lifestyle in rural and remote areas."
Hannah Foster, Speech Pathology
"My rural placement in Tamworth provided diversity and the opportunity to manage a generalist caseload. It prepared me in so many ways. My paediatric placement at community health was a really similar setting to my current workplace, which gave me an idea of the benefits and challenges of managing a generalist caseload. Also, having the opportunity to participate in community activities such as after-school learning centres gave me excellent experience in working with the community and developing those important relationships!"
Alex Svigelj, Speech Pathology
"My rural placements at Tamworth Rural Referral Hospital and Tamworth Community Health helped me develop skills in terms of being flexible with my time, being independent due to fewer resources, working closely with families to develop goals, and generally understanding the importance of being involved in the community of a small rural town."
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.