What is a Rural Placement?
A rural placement is a placement which takes place in a rural clinical work environment. Rural placements provide students with practical opportunities to experience rural practice and life in rural areas.
Universities are governed by legislation and policies that determine how students are taught and assessed. Sending schools are expected to adhere to these policies while students are undertaking rural placements.
University and School Requirements for Rural Placements
Rural placements do not occur in isolation from the broader undergraduate curriculum within the College of Health and Medicine. They are generally part of specific theoretical units. It is important to be familiar with the undergraduate program within your particular courses. Each course will have specific expectations of students undertaking rural placements and these will be clearly documented in the Unit Outline. Unit Outlines are available through MyLO. There are some common College expectations of students undertaking rural placements in Tasmania.
The Centre for Rural Health promote rural health through teaching and supporting the clinical placement of undergraduate students by maintaining a network of learning and accommodation sites across rural and remote communities in Tasmania.
Participating with the Community
Being unfamiliar with the context in which you will be undertaking the rural placement may hamper your learning experience. Taking the time to understand the geographical features, local services and resources that are available to you as a learner will help you to plan for the rural placement. Much of this can be done before you start the placement and once you begin you can use this knowledge to negotiate options and make informed choices.
There are usually information services, such as the local tourist information centre, that can help you understand the social and political environment in which you will find yourself. Another useful source of information is the local paper or gazette. Think about what could be useful to know, what resources could be helpful, and who could share some local knowledge with you.
