What does 'rural return' mean? Rural-origin medical graduates do not 'go home'

Robert Buttner

qualifications: MBBS Medical Student

contribution: collected data

position: medical student

Nathan Blakely

qualifications: MBBS Medical Student

contribution: collected data

position: medical student

Sam Curtin

qualifications: MBBS Medical Student

contribution: collected data

position: medical student

Ben Wall

qualifications: MBBS Medical Student

contribution: collected data

position: medical student

Sue Pougnault

qualifications: none

contribution: supplied data

position: Student Recruitment Co-ordinator

Tessa Burkitt

qualifications: MIntRlns

contribution: Provided GIS expertise

position: Research Officer,

A/Prof Denese Playford

qualifications: PhD

contribution: designed the project, wrote the first draft, supervised data collection

position: Associate Professor Medical Education

Australia

I work as medical educator for The Rural Clinical School of Western Australia, reaching academics in 14 widely distributed sites and approximately 90 students per annum, to ensure assessment is standardised, curriculum is well supported, and evaluation is conducted each year.

I am interested in the development of a rural workforce, describing workforce trends, and building local communities of practice. I'm also interested in service learning as a way of engaging medical students' values and transformative learning as a way to change students' perspectives about what's important in their work and life.