Deakin University’s first medical graduates ready to help alleviate doctor shortage

Deakin University's first medical students graduated in Geelong today (Thursday 15 December).

As graduates of Victoria's first rural and regional medical school, these 109 new doctors are ready to play a role in alleviating Australia's medical workforce shortage.

Deakin's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jane den Hollander, said the graduation marked an important milestone not only for Deakin, but also for rural and regional communities across Australia.

"Our aim is to educate a new generation of doctors who are skilled and motivated to pursue a career in rural and regional areas, either as specialists or general practitioners. I have no doubt that we have achieved this with our first graduates," Professor den Hollander said.

"Our graduating class is superbly prepared to enter speciality training programs in all areas of medicine and in a variety of settings, including careers in medical research. They have already been appointed to internships in Victoria and in other states and will play an important role in easing the shortage of doctors throughout rural and regional Australia in the years to come."

The new graduates entered Deakin's School of Medicine in 2008. They were based at Deakin's Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus and at clinical sites in the Geelong area for the first two years of the course. The final two years were completed in clinical schools attached to health services and general practices in Geelong, Western Victoria and Melbourne.

Professor Brendan Crotty, the foundation head of the Medical School and now Pro Vice-Chancellor of Deakin's Health Faculty, said today's graduation ceremony was testimony to the vision and dedication of all of those who had contributed to the development of the medical course.

"The success of our graduating class is the result of the tireless efforts of many people, from our staff at the Waurn Ponds Campus and our clinical sites throughout Western Victoria, to the communities who embraced our students during their clinical training," he said

"The hard work and motivation of our graduates cannot be understated. We have all been very impressed by their clinical and communication skills, their compassion and their professionalism. We are very proud to have played a part in training such a talented group.

"The Medical School was created to train doctors who can help to alleviate the medical workforce shortage in rural and regional areas of Australia. It is very satisfying that a substantial number of our graduates will work as interns in regional Victoria next year, in Geelong, Warrnambool, Ballarat, Bendigo and other rural centres, and that some will work in underserviced sites in other states, including the Northern Territory. We are confident that these experiences will encourage them to choose clinical careers in rural and regional communities."