UOW medical students reflect on their Rural Taster experience

UOW medical students reflect on their Rural Taster experience

Six months into our medical degrees we didn’t anticipate that we would be removing sutures, shadowing ward rounds, cutting out skin cancers and detecting heart murmurs; but on this rural taster – that is what we did, plus so much more.

Four of us made the trip north to Lismore Ballina region to get an understanding of medical and health services in a regional area, and we loved every second of it.

The first experience was under the eye of Dr Khoo in Ballina Hospital general medicine ward. We were provided the opportunity to shadow phlebotomists, pharmacists and nurses in their daily tasks. We were able to take patient histories, perform examinations and provide provisional diagnoses for a range of patient’s health conditions. Not only was this an incredible experience, it also consolidated our learning prior to which was predominantly theoretically based.

All of us had the opportunity to go on home visits with community nurses to visit patients in their homes and provide essential healthcare services. This ranged from wound dressings and general health education to providing palliative care medication and support.

Kieren had a special opportunity to spend a day with Dr Luke at the Winsome Hotel; which provided general healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in Lismore. The stories and experiences shared with him were eye-opening as to the reality of life for some individuals living ‘rough’.

We were very fortunate to be welcomed into the Indigenous Aboriginal culture of the Ballina and Lismore region. On the second week of our stay, we were invited to the Bullinah Aboriginal Medical service and the Aboriginal Child and Family Centre. The people working there were incredibly warm and welcoming to us, and shared their successes and challenges of providing quality health care to Indigenous peoples in the area. Kieran and Maili also visited the Casino Aboriginal Medical Service during their placement.

We are so thankful to the wonderful health professionals that took time to teach us during this placement. Dr Arnot shared his wealth of experience to expand our understanding of surgery as we undertook minor surgical excisions and wound care for skin cancers. We also want to thank Dr Ann Tosomeen, for taking us under her wing at Evan’s Head Medical practice and inviting us to further explore the beautiful sights in the local area.

On this whirlwind two-week taster, we also managed to see the local sights and experience life in the beautiful northern NSW coast. It’s not often you can spend a weekend in Byron Bay spotting whales and watching dolphins catch the waves. The Bangalow markets and Lismore Lantern Festival were a massive draw card and we definitely felt part of the community spirit.

We want to express our immense gratitude to Rebekah and the UCRH for organising this unique experience for all of us, which has set the foundations for our future medical careers. We have learnt a great deal from everyone involved and would highly recommend the rural taster experience to future medical students in the Lismore region.

Many thanks,

Kieren, Maili, Thimithi and Tamara