Annual Report - ntgpe

Rural Undergraduate Support and Coordination Program(RUSC) – the Medical Student ProgramThe Department of Health and Ageing funds the RuralUndergraduate Support and Coordination Program(RUSC). In the Northern Territory this program isadministered by Northern Territory General PracticeEducation (NTGPE) as part of its commitment to verticalintegration in medical education. Most medical studentsvisiting communities in the Northern Territory will bedoing so as part of the RUSC program; however othermedical students also undertake remote communityplacements under scholarship programs.One of the special features of NT RUSC is its strongemphasis on Aboriginal Health and cross-culturaleducation. All students must attend NTGPE’s medicaland cross-cultural orientation prior to commencing aplacement.Due to the vastness of the Northern Territory theOrientation and Debrief sessions are convened at AliceSprings and Darwin to allow each centre the abilityto address the regional differences in cultural, health,access and demographics. All Top End placementsstart and finish in Darwin, while the Central Australianplacements start and finish in Alice Springs.The aims of the RUSC Program are:1. To provide an appreciation of rural general practice inthe Northern Territory by increasing access of medicalstudents to general practitioners in remote settings, andto improve knowledge of common medical conditionsand skills required for rural practice.2. To provide an appreciation of the influence of rurallocation on access to and provision of primary careservices in the NT.3. To provide an understanding of cross-culturalawareness issues, in particular those concerningAboriginal people in the NT.4. To provide an understanding of the nature, breadthand determinants of Aboriginal health issues in the NT.5. To promote working in remote settings as a careeroption for students, and6. In the long term, to increase the recruiting ofappropriately trained general practitioners in remotesettings.The RUSC Program placed a total of 147 students in 2010 comprising:RRMAClassification*# Aust MedStudents# AustralianStudent weeks# John FlynnScholars# John FlynnScholar Weeks# InternationalStudents# InternationalStudent weeksRRMA 4-7 79 422 50 162 5 28RRMA 3 8 35 5 15 0 0TOTALS 87 457 55 177 5 28* RRMA – The Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas System (RRMA) is a classification system describingthe areas of medical practice within Australia. The system divides the rural, remote and metropolitan areasaccording to city status, population, rurality and remotenessOf this total of 147 students, 59% were Australian Medical Students completing their elective or selectiveplacements through NTGPE. John Flynn Scholars made up 38% of total students placed. 5 International studentsrepresented just 3% of all students.The gender mix for these placements was as follows:Gender Australian Med Students John Flynn Students International Students TOTALSMale 39 18 1 58Female 48 37 4 89Female students represented 61% of all student placements (down from 63% in 2009).28 Northern Territory General Practice Education