Gearing up for the big national seminar are (from left) Administrator...

Seminar to address ‘time bomb’ in rural health

Organisers of a national seminar for health students, to be held at the University of Wollongong in April, say it has been prompted by a “demographic time bomb” affecting rural health services.

The national seminar is being sponsored by the Graduate School of Medicine (GSM) at the University of Wollongong. The GSM’s MBBS degree began in January 2007. One of the school’s key objectives is to help address the existing critical shortage of doctors in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia.

The seminar’s organisers say there is an urgent need to develop the leadership skills of a new generation of health professionals to fill the void that will be left by the retirement of ageing country doctors and other health workers.

In South Australia, for example, it is estimated that 26 per cent of rural and remote GPs will retire within the next five years. Similarly, in Tasmania it is estimated that 40 per cent of current GPs will be aged over 60 within 10 years.

“This demographic time bomb is ticking away which means we need to find people now who are passionate about careers in rural and remote Australia,” according to Shannon Nott, co-convener of the first National Rural Leadership Development Seminar (NRLDS).

More than 100 hand-picked medical, nursing and allied health students from around Australia will meet at the University of Wollongong from 8-10 April for the seminar which has been designed to foster skills for enduring careers in the bush.

The seminar has been organised by Australia’s two largest health-based student organisations, the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) and the National Rural Health Students’ Network (NRHSN). A series of workshops, guest speakers and open sessions will give students the chance to hear from some of Australia’s leading innovators in rural health.

“We want people to come away from this seminar with a feeling that there is a wealth of opportunity in rural health and the commitment to make a difference,” co-convener Tim Bromley, said.

Tim is the Rural and Indigenous Officer for the Australian Medical Students Association, the peak representative body for Australia’s 14,000 medical students.

Shannon Nott is Co-Chair of the National Rural Health Students’ Network, which has more than 9,000 members located at universities throughout Australia.