From 2025, the Rural Clinical School will train future doctors for the whole Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine (BMedScMD) degree through the Tasmanian Rural Training Stream.
Students currently enrolled in Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) or BMedSCMD at the University of Tasmania can preference the Rural Clinical School for their clinical years.
Studying at the RCS is ideal for future doctors interested in rural health and working and living in smaller communities. RCS students experience rural placements and are provided with a high level of hands-on learning opportunities alongside patients and clinicians. They gain professional development while leading community engagement activities in schools and at local events. Our students are well-equipped to work in rural, remote or metropolitan hospitals as interns after completing their studies, and each year, our graduates are extremely successful in gaining internships at their hospitals of choice, including the nearby North-West Regional Hospital.
Overview of the Rural Clinical School medical education program
The curriculum and outcomes are the same for every student across all University of Tasmania clinical schools, however each site delivers the program according to local resources. RCS students experience placements across the North-West in Burnie and Latrobe, with a particular focus on rural medicine, emergency care and integrated primary care.
Students spend time at the North-West Regional Hospital, Mersey Community Hospital in Latrobe and visit general practices across the Coast. Final-year students experience rural medical placements in the communities of Smithton, Queenstown and on King Island.
