Deakin medical students start clinical training in Geelong

Deakin University's first medical students have started the third year of their course, with 60 of them undertaking full-time clinical training in Geelong.

The students have completed the first two years of the medical degree at Deakin's Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds and will spend the next two years in clinical placements at Barwon Health.

Associate Professor Ross Carne, Deakin's Director of Clinical Studies in Geelong, said this was an exciting phase for the students.

"Moving into full-time clinical training is an exciting and challenging time for the students," Associate Professor Carne said.

"They will be rotating through a range of medical specialties, from general medicine and surgery to women's health, children's health and mental health. The clinical years of the course require a change in the way that students approach their studies; they are more challenging, more demanding and more rewarding. They reflect much more closely what the students will be doing for the rest of their careers in medicine.

"This is also an exciting time for the staff at Deakin and Barwon Health who have worked long hours to develop the clinical training program, building on the material the students have studied in the first two years of the course. We have an enthusiastic and expert team who are looking forward to working with our first cohort of Deakin students."

Barwon Health Acting CEO Paul Cohen said the arrival of students from Deakin was important for the future health care of the Geelong community.

"Historically, doctors who train at the Geelong Hospital tend to return to the region once they have completed their training. This can only be a good thing for our region and hopefully a trend that will continue," he said.

"It also represents the growing relationship between Deakin University and Barwon Health, positioning both organisations as leaders in education."

A purpose-built training facility is nearing completion at the Geelong Hospital. It will provide sophisticated, technologically advanced services to support students during clinical placements, including a dedicated clinical simulation area.

The Deakin Medical School was officially opened by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in May 2008. As Victoria's first rural and regional medical school, it aims to train new doctors who are skilled and motivated to pursue a career in rural and regional areas.

Deakin Medical School students spend the first two years of the program in a purpose-built, state-of-the-art building at Deakin's Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds. The last two years of the course are completed in a range of hospitals, general practices and healthcare facilities attached to Deakin's Clinical Schools, in Geelong, Warrnambool, Ballarat, Box Hill and across Western Victoria.