RDN’s Go Rural road trip “absolutely solidified my desire to work rurally”
22nd July 2024
Last weekend, twenty medical, nursing and allied health students took part in the second Go Rural road trip for 2024, visiting the south-west NSW towns of Orange, Cowra, Griffith, Hay and Wagga Wagga across four days!
Go Rural road trips are funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care and provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to see what amazing opportunities are available in rural healthcare and experience some of the wonderful communities that hope to welcome them back one day as future health professionals.
Departing from Sydney on Thursday, the students travelled to Orange Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) before lunch at Rossi Cherries and then stopping in at Cowra Medical Associates. Every landscape has its story, and the tranquil agricultural township of Cowra has a dramatic history, having been the location for the largest Prisoner of War breakout in Australian history. 80 years ago this year, 1000 Japanese prisoners staged a deadly breakout and the township now prides itself on the journey of reconciliation that has followed.
Day two saw the students rise to breakfast at the Breakout Brasserie Café before a two-hour drive landed them at Ariah Park for a coffee break before it was time for a look around Griffith Tourist Information Centre and enjoy some local pizza. The students then broke up into two groups and went to Griffith Private and Public Hospital for a tour, before jumping back on the bus for the drive to the storied western Riverina township of Hay, on the banks of the Murrumbidgee, a Wiradjuri word meaning "big water".
On day three, the students head back off to Wagga Wagga to enjoy an enlightening cultural experience with Wiradjuri man Mark Saddler, before meeting with the Kids I Can group, a multidisciplinary allied health paediatric clinic, catering to children up to the age of 7. Day four, the last of the tour, saw the group visit Wagga Wagga Hospital before heading back to Sydney.
Reflecting on the journey, the students spoke of feeling privileged to have attended the trip with such a great group of future clinicians.
“I learned a lot, and just the ability to experience all these rural areas to get an idea of whether working rurally or not is likely to be in our future is fantastic,” wrote one for the Go Rural survey.
“For me, Go Rural has absolutely solidified my desire to work rurally moving forward and I would recommend anyone, regardless of which field they're studying, be it medicine, nursing or allied health, to attend a trip if they're able.”
Go Rural provides students with an insight into the lifestyle and employment opportunities - often unique to the towns they visit - associated with a career in rural healthcare, explains RDN Future Workforce Project Lead Sam Zelinski, who led the students on the journey:
"These trips provide students with the opportunity to see what a variety of rural communities have to offer in regards to career opportunities in healthcare and more broadly in terms of lifestyle. They have a chance to hear from those living and working in these regions, see some of the healthcare facilities, and gain a greater understanding of the needs, complexities and benefits of these communities.
These trips have encouraged many students to follow a career in rural health as they are drawn to the landscapes, cultural offerings and opportunities for adventure in rural settings.”