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Medicine

Gain valuable experience across a wide range of medical practice in the outback.

Are you a medical student seeking a placement?

Student placement in outback rural and remote Queensland exposes you to your potential future and training pipeline. Some specialities include:

  • general practice
  • rural generalist
  • retrieval medicine
  • occupational medicine
  • public health
  • Indigenous health
  • general medicine
  • general surgery
  • anaesthetics
  • obstetrics
  • paediatrics
  • oncology and palliative care
  • mental health and psychiatry

CRRH provides placement for 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th year medical students; and John Flynn Scholars across our sites. We also offer options for extended integrated clinical placements for 5th and 6th years.

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Low consultant-to-student ratio means more clinical opportunity, better access to clinical teaching and a wide variety of complex clinical presentations as well as telehealth and remote health services.

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These remote placements provide you an opportunity to consolidate your understanding of community and people and your professional role in community, and develop multidisciplinary networks and interprofessional skills.

Clinical academics deliver tutorials locally across the sites and by video conference. Advanced clinical skills are provided in the state-of-the-art simulation labs. 

Placements are available in:

Year 2

Rural experience provides extensive opportunity to develop deep understanding of a community, its history, economy, industry, people, health profile and services. Health services are provided by a range of professionals from nurse led to specialist consultants, all supported by telehealth – an essential skill for the contemporary health professional.

Year 4

Students undertake placement in outback Queensland and lower gulf communities where you have the opportunity to integrate your knowledge and develop assessment and clinical skills. We endeavour to provide students with a remote placement enhancing knowledge of the communities and health issues you are likely to encounter.

Year 5

Students can do any of the three paired terms. Students are encouraged to do an extended placement (24 or 26 weeks). Preference is given to extended terms (more than 12 weeks). Rotations available include: Reproductive and Neonatal Health and Child and Adolescent health 12 weeks; Adult health 1 Medicine and Adult health 2 surgical terms (12 weeks); and Mental Health and General practice (12 weeks).

Year 6

Students have the opportunity to apply for CRRH sites for selective, elective and or integrated long placements and experience community based medical education with a strong regional focus. CRRH urges students to do a minimum of two back to back placements where possible. 6th year placement sites include Mount Isa Hospital, Gidgee Healing, Cloncurry, Emerald, Normanton, Weipa, Winton, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackall and Emerald.

Integrated clerkship

Opportunities exist for year-long integrated clerkship placements in towns such as Emerald, Longreach, Mount Isa, Cloncurry and Weipa. Placements are allocated annually and depend on student numbers and placement sites available.

Hear about our placements for medical students

A Commonwealth funded Department of Rural Health
in collaboration with: