Year A - or the first year - of the graduate entry medical program - is taught at Monash Rural Health Churchill.
In Year A the basic professional, biomedical, social and behavioural concepts are introduced. There is a particular emphasis on clinical issues illustrated through cases presented in the problem-based learning sessions. Clinical and communication skills are developed and students undertake early clinical placements in local hospitals.
Year A graduate entry medical students also have regular teaching sessions at Monash’s Clayton campus to cover histology, anatomy, medical law and ethics. These sessions run five times each semester. You will also travel from Churchill to organisations and health services across Gippsland for your Community-Based Practice (CBP) and clinical placements throughout the year.
The Community-Based Practice (CBP) program is an exciting and innovative educational activity incorporated into medical education at Monash Rural Health Churchill. The CBP program offers students an opportunity to understand issues of social justice and equity and to relate these to the practice of medicine.
Through the completion of a rurally-based community-based practice placement, students have the opportunity to observe the outstanding human skills of multi-disciplinary teams in a community setting and through their placement, contribute to the work of the agency.
Students have the opportunity to learn how care and services are provided for disadvantaged people in their communities and the factors contributing to the perpetuation of that disadvantage. The work that is done is inspirational; understanding it and empathising with it will stand students in good stead on their ongoing pathway to becoming effective healthcare professionals
All Year A medical students have access to our peer mentoring program. You will be allocated to a small mentee group and supported to navigate your first year of medicine by a 3B student mentor.
The Gippsland Regional Training Hub supports medical students and junior doctors to live, work and train across Gippsland in the early stages of their careers.
Contact the Hub to learn about what training pathways are available in Gippsland, and how they can help you reach your career goals.
At Monash Rural Health Churchill, you have the option to undertake research degrees specialising in rural health.
If you want to add a research component to your Doctor of Medicine or Bachelor of Biomedical Science degree, Monash Rural Health offers a one-year honours program exploring clinical or data-driven projects.
Monash Rural Health supports and assists graduate research students to undertake either a PhD or Masters by Research in a relevant topic of their choosing.
"My first exposure to placement has been such an experience. When I go to shadow Dr Isaam Muller, he was so welcoming of my presence and questions and put in extra effort to explain his philosophy and approach to patient-centric healthcare."
Eva Jan
Year A Churchill, 2023