Rhiannon Koch, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

A group of fifth year University of Adelaide medical students have left the Copper Coast with an expanded interest in rural medicine.

Chloe Elliott, Kate Pettman, Annabel Brentnall and Jasmine Crocker spent the better part of the year working with doctors during their placement through the Adelaide Rural Clinical School.

This year marks two decades since the inaugural crop of 10 rural-placement students; now there are more than 40 involved across the state each year.

“Our students become involved in activities such as sport and community events and school and kindergarten visits,” ARCS director Professor Lucie Walters said.

“This improves the supply of skilled medical practitioners who are responsive to the needs of rural people.

“This is of major importance to those rural communities being served by the additional rural doctors.

“Having more doctors working in rural communities may also lead to more rural training opportunities for medical students.”

Chloe, Kate, Annabel and Jasmine spent time learning from doctors at Copper Coast medical practices, and at Wallaroo Hospital.

They were also strongly involved in community life, playing netball and even attending the Yorke Peninsula Field Days in September before their time ended in October.

“For me, it was a great experience to come and see the region from a different perspective,” Jasmine, of Moonta, said.

“Growing up, I didn’t think I could be a doctor here because all the doctors I’d seen had moved into the area.

“Going into this experience, I was a little concerned about treating patients I knew, or seeing someone I’d treated in a different setting, but it wasn’t like that at all.

“This time has definitely confirmed my interest in being a rural GP.

“Quite a few patients also asked me to stick around, you feel wanted here.”

Kate, who didn’t have much rural experience going into her stint, said she was concerned the students wouldn’t be embraced by the community.

“Everyone really made us feel welcome, they let us come into their appointments and made us feel part of it,” she said.

“This has been a wonderful experience to see a greater number of patients than we would in the city, and develop relationships with them, as well as with health professionals.

“It’s definitely made me seriously consider a future in rural medicine, where perhaps I didn’t have much of an interest before.”

Annabel spent some of her time working at the Wallaroo Primary School OSHC, and was able to bring medical understanding to local students through the Teddy Bear Hospital program.

“I guess I was put off rural medicine before because there’s this thought that you have to be accessible all the time and it’s difficult to have a work-life balance,” she said.

“But having mentors like Dr Hannah Wellington and Dr Anna Kearney, who are young and juggle their lives and jobs, has shown us that you can live in a community and still have privacy, and that balance.”

Chloe took to the netball court with Jasmine this season, and said the best thing about the placement overall was the people.

“Everyone just made us feel welcome and were happy to help us however they could,” she said.

“It made the experience something special.”

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 19 December 2023.