Van Schaik Lachlan, Develyn Tamekha, Kelly Kait, Yazdabadi Anousha, Scarff Cate, Harvey William, Wright Julian
Department of Rural Health, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, 49 Graham Street, Shepparton, VIC, 3630, Australia.
Department of Rural Health, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Jan 9;25(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-06655-4.
The health disparities between rural and urban populations in Australia, driven by socioeconomic, environmental, and healthcare access factors, highlight the urgent need for rural-focused medical education. The Melbourne Medical School's Rural Health Discovery program addresses this need by integrating adult learning principles within a redesigned curriculum that includes the Rural Health Foundations and Integrating Rural Health topics. These Discovery topics engage medical students from diverse backgrounds through a blend of self-directed learning, problem-solving, and immersive clinical placements in rural settings. By aligning with andragogical principles-such as fostering autonomy, practical relevance, and experiential learning-the program prepares students for the unique demands of rural healthcare practice. Students are introduced to the complexities of rural health, including the social determinants affecting rural communities, through asynchronous modules, case studies, and team-based learning. This innovative curriculum, which is flexible and inclusive of rural and metropolitan students, represents a strategic model for promoting rural healthcare careers, addressing workforce shortages, and ensuring equitable health outcomes for underserved communities.
澳大利亚城乡人口之间的健康差距，由社会经济、环境和医疗保健可及性因素驱动，凸显了对以农村为重点的医学教育的迫切需求。墨尔本医学院的农村健康探索项目通过将成人学习原则融入重新设计的课程中来满足这一需求，该课程包括农村健康基础和农村健康整合主题。这些探索主题通过自主学习、问题解决以及农村环境中的沉浸式临床实习相结合的方式，吸引了来自不同背景的医学生。通过与成人教育学原则保持一致，例如培养自主性、实际相关性和体验式学习，该项目使学生为农村医疗实践的独特需求做好准备。通过异步模块、案例研究和团队学习，学生们了解了农村健康的复杂性，包括影响农村社区的社会决定因素。这种创新课程灵活且兼顾农村和城市学生，是促进农村医疗事业发展、解决劳动力短缺问题以及确保服务不足社区获得公平健康结果的战略模式。
