Rural medical education: five medical students spend a year in rural Port Lincoln, Australia

Susan Baillie

qualifications: MBBS(Hons)

contribution: designed the project, original concept, wrote the first draft

position: Lecturer

Australia

rural general practitioner ,medical educator SGRHS

Jenni Matena

qualifications: BA(Nsg)

contribution: designed the project, wrote the first draft

position: Port Lincoln student coordinator

Australia

I am a Registered Nurse now working with Medical and allied health students as a Student Coordinator and a clinical facilatator for student nurses. I work for Uni SA and Adelaide University. I am interested in rural health education, rural nursing education.

John Yerxa

qualifications: PA

contribution: original concept, designed the project

position: Lecturer

United States

Physician Assistant, Rural Primary Care, Workforce utilization, Health Worker Education

Jonathan Newbury

qualifications: MD

contribution: original concept, literature review, contributed to drafts

position: Professor of Rural Health

Australia

Professor Jonathan Newbury has held the position of Professor of Rural Health at the University of Adelaide since February 2006. His previous academic responsibilities have been the Rural Undergraduate Support and Coordination program (1997 to 2006) and the Rural Clinical School (2002-2006) and he continues in part time general practice at the Investigator Clinic, Port Lincoln. Professor Newbury has undertaken substantial empirically based research, using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. His MD thesis was a randomised controlled trial of preventive Health Assessment of the people aged 75 years and over (75+HA). This research work included GP supervision of nurses providing home assessments was the Australian evidence base for the introduction of the Enhanced Primary Care policy and the Medicare item number for 75+HA. Internationally this evidence is included in the latest systematic review and meta-analysis of preventive aged care in primary health care. Professor Newbury's work in rural medical education has been part of the Australian governments Rural Health Strategy. While this is starting to deliver a new rural health workforce this is no longer seen as the only solution to adequate health workforce for rural and indigenous Australia. Hence his future research is directed to models of health service delivery in communities in partnership with Country Health SA. Through the development of these roles Professor Newbury brings an in-depth understanding of the relationships between clinical service delivery of primary health care and primary health care policy, especially in the areas of multi disciplinary practice and training, and workforce planning and training.