Short Term Placements
All Australian UNSW medicine students excluding International fee paying students and students who were allocated to a Rural Clinical School for an extended period during Yr 4 and/or Phase 3 are required to complete at least four (4) weeks of rural placement during their clinical years. There are a number of opportunities for students to meet the rural placement requirement during the clinical years.
Phase 3
Hospital Term
See
Rural Hospital Contact Details available sites in 2009.
GP Term
As part of the Year 5
GP/ Sub specialties term, some students will have the opportunity to undertake a four week placement in a rural area as part of the rural GP placement, some students may be required to arrange their own travel and accommodation. Please visit
further information for students undertaking a rural GP term.
Year 6
Year 6 students who did not complete their rural placement in Yr5 and are based in a clinical school in Sydney will spend four weeks in a rural hospital across New South Wales during the first two teaching periods of their final year. See
Rural Hospital Contact Details available sites in 2009.
Rural Placement in elective term
A limited number of students may be permitted to complete their rural placement during their elective term in Sixth Year. If you wish to do this, you must gain prior written approval from the Head, Rural Clinical School. Approval is not automatic. Retrospective approval will not be granted. You need to send the following information to
Genevieve McAuliffe before making any travel plans.
- Name of the Supervisor at the Clinical site
- The discipline of the term
- The dates of the placement
- The location of the placement
Closing Dates
Applications for all electives must be submitted to
Peter Herring in the Faculty Office by May preceding the proposed term.
Students who wish to apply to complete their rural placement during their elective term must apply to the Rural Clinical School by October of their Fourth Year for those who will be assigned to a rural placement during their Fifth Year of the Programme, and by May 31st of their Fifth Year for those who will be assigned to a short-term placement during their Sixth Year.
Approval is not automatic, even if the proposed term apparently satisfies the requirements of a rural placement. Early application is recommended as applications will be considered in order of receipt and a quota applies.
Students who complete their rural placement during their Elective term will not be eligible for reimbursement of expenses.
Placement must be located in rural Australia and be RRMA 3-7. A National RRMA Classification Database is available on the
Health Workforce Queensland Website. It allows you to search for RRMA classifications by town name or by postcode.
Accommodation and Transport Charges
Where possible, students stay at accommodation provided by the hospital. Charges vary from hospital to hospital but are usually less than $80 per week. Refer to the
NSW Health Department Circular 88/48 for an explanation of exemptions. Some accommodation
reimbursement is available for Australian Students on compulsory short term rural placements
Other Requirements
Please refer to
Government and Faculty Policies Relating to Placements prior to undertaking any rural placement.
Students should bring their current hospital ID badge and immunisation records with them for short term placements. Students who do not have up to date immunisation will not be allowed on the hospital wards.