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nt support for medical students and junior doctors
The following Learning and Teaching pages have been developed by the Rural Clinical School (RCS) in conjunction with the Postgraduate Medical Education Council of Tasmania (PMCT) to promote:
- Students and junior doctors learning together wherever possible
- Good use of scarce medical education resources
Website users can expect to see links to the PMCT website.
For a simple overview, link to Introduction to the RCS Undergraduate Program (PDF 404 KB)
Program structure
- RCS students are in the final two years of the UTAS MBBS Course and undertake workplace based learning for 75% of the program.
- Group Learning Weeks (1 week blocks), account for the remainder of the program.
- There are approximately 60 students in Year 4 and 5 at the RCS in 2011. Most students stay for 2 years.
- Students are mainly Tasmanian domestic students, but there are also interstate and international students.
- Students who choose to study with the RCS may be interested in rural health, or may simply enjoy living and working in a smaller community where access to patients and teaching clinicians is excellent.
- Students are based at the RCS in Burnie, and are also located across the region for their GP and community based learning activities.
- Students are housed in Burnie but are also provided with accommodation during their Mersey Community Hospital (MCH) attachments and remote GP attachments.
Differences and similarities with the other UTas Clinical Schools
RCS Workplace Outcomes
- RCS graduates are well equipped to work in rural, remote or metropolitan hospitals as Interns.
- Graduates have, to date, been very successful in gaining employment in their hospital of choice for their Intern year and feedback from employing hospitals has been excellent.
- Students are well supported through the application process by the RCS Medical Education Advisor.
- RCS graduates generally comment on their “work readiness” on completion of the course and a number of graduates choose to take up Intern positions at the North West Regional Hospital (NWRH).
More detailed RCS Curriculum information
- The following guidelines provide good information about the current course structure and expectations of students.
RCS Guidelines 2012 Year 4 Handbook (PDF 1.6 MB)
RCS Guidelines 2012 Year 5 Handbook (PDF 1.6 MB)
SoM 2012 Handbook and Learning Outcomes Year 4 (PDF 844.6 KB)
SoM 2012 Handbook and Learning Outcomes Year 5 (PDF 992.9 KB)
SoM 2012 Learning Outcomes Year 4 and 5 (PDF 388.4 KB)
Learning support for RCS students
- UTAS provides a range of online tours and training materials for students on library skills, academic and research skills, IT support and accessing help.
- The Buttfield Library at the NWRH has a collection of journals, books and online resources. The RCS' Teaching and Administration Facility at the MCH also has a library/resource room.
- RCS students with special learning needs are supported by the academic team including the Medical Education Advisor, Ms Rose Moore.
