Students completing an aged care rotation at Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) will be placed in the medical ward at Leongatha for three days per week. Students will work alongside the medical staff to provide care for in-patients and gain experience in admissions, and discharges, as well as undertake procedures and make clinical assessments. Students will mirror the responsibilities typically undertaken by interns and be well supported to practise clinical and diagnostic skills. The other days students will attend the residential aged care facilities in Korumburra, supported by GPs from Korumburra Medical.Hillside Lodge has 30 hostel beds located on the hospital grounds at Korumburra.Carinya Lodge has a 60 bed private facility, mainly low care but with services that include specialty high care and dementia support.On these days’ students will have the ability to refine their patient assessment skills, learn about geriatric healthcare, and experience a holistic approach to caring for individuals in their ‘home’. Students will also spend time with physiotherapists, continence nurses and podiatrists to give a broader exposure to the different facets of aged care.Students’ learning activities will mirror the responsibilities typically undertaken by interns and they will be well supported to practise clinical and diagnostic skills. Students completing their aged care placement in Leongatha will have access to medical education teaching sessions delivered by GSHS and the Korumburra Medical Centre.
Students completing a surgical rotation at Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) will be attached to the surgical team in the hospital. Students will be involved in all aspects of the surgical patient journey, including pre-admission, inpatient management and post-operative care. Students will be an integral member of the surgical team and gain exposure and experience in the operating theatres and consulting suites. Students will also gain insights into all aspects of inpatient surgical care, including enhancing their understanding of the patient perspective, individual care requirements and how living in a regional setting may impact illness/care needs. Students will participate in thepost-operative care of patients who require overnight or longer stays post-elective surgery. Students will work closely with their supervisors to develop the capacity to assess and manage surgical inpatients and learn about perioperative services in a regional/rural environment. Students completing their surgery placement at GSHS will have access to medical education learning opportunities that are offered to all medical staff. These sessions will be advertised across the healthcare service.
Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) provides an urgent care model of emergency medicine to the community of Leongatha and surrounding areas. The urgent care unit is staffed by senior clinicians, including doctors and nurses.Students completing their specialty rotation in the GSHS urgent care department will be supervised by a medical officer. Students will learn valuable assessment and management skills, triage processes and referrals of emergency presentations in a rural community. Students will have a hands-on experience that scaffolds their learning of the skills required of a junior doctor. This placement also provides students with a unique opportunity to experience rural emergency medicine and understand the impacts of rurality on the patient presentations, and how health services work collaboratively to support regional communities. The urgent care unit at GSHS manages a range of patient cases including, but not limited to, chest pain, abdominal pain, respiratory issues, strains, and breaks, GIT, and wounds/lacerations. Students completing their speciality placement at GSHS will have access to medical education learning opportunities that are offered to all medical staff. These sessions will be advertised across the healthcare service.