Medicine
Medicine is an exciting, competitive and rewarding career path—and a rural placement can set you up for success. Completing a rural placement lets you try out many different career possibilities, and work closely with interdisciplinary teams, all while receiving individualised study and career support from our teaching and research experts.
You’ll be challenged academically, have opportunities to participate in community health activities and be rewarded by the value you can offer to our rural NSW communities.
Rural placement really gives you that grounding in patient care that goes on to affect how you practice. My rural placements greatly helped shape how I see medicine, its place in the world and how I aim to help the health system."
Cale, Medicine
Top reasons medicine students choose rural:
- World-class learning facilities and close academic support
- Greater patient access and small-group learning
- Interdisciplinary learning and exposure
- Subsidised student accommodation*
*Students can access subsidised accommodation during their rural placement. Read more about student accommodation in our Student Orientation Manual.
Full-year placements
Most medicine students are required to complete a full year of placement for their fourth and fifth years of study. With us, you can choose to undertake these important years of training in Tamworth, Armidale or Taree.
In fourth year, you can complete clinical placements in medicine and psychiatry, as well as in women's, adolescents' and children's health. In fifth year, placement areas are surgery, medicine, and critical care which includes emergency medicine and anaesthetics.
Alongside your training, you’ll have unparalleled opportunities to engage in community and interdisciplinary activities, and gain access to close academic support, interprofessional learning activities, advanced facilities and more.
Learn from the best
You’ll be learning, working and networking with renowned medical experts, including clinicians and mentors such as Dr Arron Veltre, who is a palliative care specialist and general practitioner, and Dr Lauren Cone, a registered general practitioner with a keen interest in mental health, family medicine and palliative care. All the academic disciplines traditionally associated with a medical program are represented.
Competitive study advantage
The Joint Medical Program is highly community oriented. Students are expected to understand and respect the community as a living entity and to identify their roles in serving community needs. A rural placement allows you to put these skills directly into practice through extensive community activities such as outreach clinics, perinatal support groups, teddy bear hospitals for primary-school aged children, and more.
Some of our medicine placement sites include:
- Tamworth Hospital
- Manning Base Hospital (Taree)
- Armidale Hospital
- Associated Community Health centres, including TACP and aged care services
- Local private practices
- Non-government organisations
Funding support
You may be entitled to a scholarship or grant to assist your studies, such as the John Flynn Placement Program, the University of Newcastle’s Betty Josephine Fyffe Rural Health Scholarships and a number of rural cadetships. To find out more, talk with your university on application.
How to apply
Contact uondrh-placements@newcastle.edu.au for more information and support. Once you have your rural placement, you must register with us via our placement portal to access community and accommodation support.
More information:
Tamworth, Taree and Armidale
Ph: +61 2 6755 3555
Email: uondrh-medicine@newcastle.edu.au
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.