UTAS School of Medicine students shared lunch on the weekend with the families who help them gain valuable knowledge about childhood health.
The School of Medicine's Kids and Families Program provides important training to medical students studying to become doctors. The program acquaints students with the processes of normal childhood by introducing them to a family expecting a baby, to follow the progress of the new-born child over a two year period. This gives the students to their first long-term professional relationship, emphasising normality and the importance of the "whole person" rather than concentrating on disease.
Program coordinator, Dr Marianne Catchpole, said the Kids and Families Program is an important part of the medical course, with students greatly benefiting from the parents' experiences.
"The program provides a real-life opportunity for students before they are able to have direct contact with people who are ill.
"During visits with the families, students are taught concepts of preventative health, ranges of normal behaviour, and the special relationships and responsibilities that a doctor develops with their patients," she said.
"Students also gain a good understanding of child development, family health care issues and what is associated with a normal childhood as an essential element of effective care for children."
Natalie Nicols' husband Bradley Almond worked for Medicine and her family was asked to fill in for another family. They have a nine-month-old boy, Theodore.
As a teacher Natalie is well-suited to the role and said she treats the visits as an educational opportunity.
"The students come along, ask questions and I get to chat to them for however long; they are always very aware of things like privacy.
"It's a great opportunity for the students to get over their nerves and to learn to ask questions eloquently and respectfully," she said.
"It's a valuable interaction."
For more information visit the Kids and Families Program.
Image: Bradley Almond and Natalie Nicols with their baby Theodore, who is nine months old.