Integrated education and training for rural and remote students and doctors in the Kimberley
Dr Sarah Moore, KAMSC, Australia
A/Prof David Atkinson, KAMSC, Australia*
The Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council (KAMSC) and its network of Aboriginal health services have taken a prominent role in regional medical education since 2002. This vertically and horizontally integrated model of training and research was developed in order to attract students and junior doctors to the remote Kimberley, where they would learn valuable skills in Aboriginal health and hopefully return to work in the region. The specific educational goals of the program include broadening students’ and doctors’ knowledge and experience of Aboriginal Health, rural and remote health, primary health care, population health and research. This integrated model aims to replicate real life interactions between health care providers as well as maximize opportunities for learning.
The program encompasses Rural Clinical School of WA medical students, PGPPP residents and GP registrars. RCSWA has bases in Broome and Derby, with Kununurra to commence in 2011. The PGPPP program places residents at the Kimberley Public Health Unit, Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Broome Hospital, Derby Aboriginal Health Service and Derby Hospital. The GP registrar program places registrars throughout the Kimberley in both rural and remote settings.
Since 2002, 70 RCS students, 64 residents and 51 registrars have been part of the KAMSC training program. Of these, 31 have returned in more than one capacity, and many have extended their training placement or continued on as qualified doctors in the Kimberley region. Case studies will highlight elements of the contribution that these successes have made to the medical workforce in the Kimberley.
The comprehensive educational program KAMSC and its partners have developed over the past 8 years in a sparsely populated and remote region, provides a vertically and horizontally integrated model that is delivering an improved medical workforce. It is an example that could be modified and applied in other remote areas where workforce deficiencies are common.