Effect of medical student preference on rural clinical school experience and rural career intentions

Prof Lucie Walters

qualifications: PhD

contribution: original concept, designed the project, devised survey tool, supervised data collection, wrote the first draft

position: Academic coordinator

Australia

Dr Alexa Seal

qualifications: BSc(Med)

contribution: statistical analysis, contributed to drafts

position: Research assistant

Dr Joe McGirr

qualifications: PhD

contribution: supplied data, statistical analysis, contributed to drafts

position: Associate Dean

Australia

NSW State MP for the seat of Wagga Wagga Interests include osteoporosis, rural health workforce, climate change, medical education

Prof Ruth Stewart

qualifications: PhD

contribution: statistical analysis, contributed to drafts

position: Director rural clinical training and support

Australia

Role and profile Associate Professor Ruth Stewart MBBS (Uni Melb 1985), FACRRM, DRANZCOG Dr Ruth Stewart is the Director of Rural Clinical Training and Support, Associate Professor of Rural Medicine at James Cook University School of Medicine, Australia. She works clinically at Mareeba Hospital in far north Queensland as a Senior Medical Officer, is a Director of Rural Generalist Training with the Queensland Rural Generalist Program and is a member of the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service board. Ruth worked for twenty-two years as a procedural GP in South West Victoria, Australia. And between 2008 and 2012 she worked with Deakin University where she developed and implemented the Integrated Model of Medical Education in Rural Settings (Deakin IMMERSe) for Deakin University. In December 2013 Ruth was awarded a PhD by Flinders University Faculty of Health Sciences for her thesis "Lessons from the development of a maternity managed clinical network in a low Volume rural context" Teaching Responsibilities Associate Professor Stewart is the academic lead for the Rural Internship rotation at James Cook University College of Medicine and oversees all rural placements at JCU. She is also course director for the Masters of Rural and Remote Medicine post-graduate course at JCU Research Interests Ruth's research interests are rural maternity care and policy, rural health service and rural medical education.

Prof Dawn DeWitt

qualifications: MD

contribution: supervised data collection, designed the project

position: Vice Dean

Canada

A/Prof Denese Playford

qualifications: PhD

contribution: supplied data, statistical analysis, contributed to drafts

position: Co-ordinator MD scholarly activity

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.