Using rural and remote settings in the undergraduate medical curriculum: AMEE Guide No. 47

Abstract

The goal of global equity in health care requires that the training of health-care professionals be better tuned to meet the needs of the communities they serve. In fact medical education is being driven into isolated communities by factors including workforce undersupply, education pedagogy, medical practice and research needs.

Rural and remote medical education (RRME) happens in rural hospitals and rural general practices, singly or in combination, generally for periods of 4 to 40 weeks. An effective RRME programme matches the context of the local health service and community. Its implementation reflects the local capacity for providing learning opportunities, facilitates collaboration of all participants and capitalises on local creativity in teaching. Implementation barriers stem from change management, professional culture and resource allocation. Blending learning approaches as much as technology and local culture allow is central to achieving student learning outcomes and professional development of local medical teachers.

RRME harnesses the rich learning environment of communities such that students rapidly achieve competence and confidence in a primary care/generalist setting. Longer programmes with an integrated (generalist) approach based in the immersion learning paradigm appear successful in returning graduates to rural practice and a career track with a quality lifestyle.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Moira Maley

MOIRA ALISON MALEY BSc, MSc, PhD, Cert MedEd is an Associate Professor in Medical Education/Technology in the Rural Clinical School at the University of Western Australia. Originally trained as a medical research scientist, a matrix biologist, then a biomedical science/pathology teacher, she has maintained a strong interest in experiential learning and sought further qualification in medical education. The rural medical education context has provided unique opportunities to work with highly motivated teachers and students trialling new approaches to improve the learning environment.

Paul Worley

PAUL WORLEY MBBS, PhD, Dip Obst RANZCOG, FACRRM, FRACGP is now Dean of the School of Medicine at Flinders University, South Australia and was the Foundation Professor and Head of the Rural Clinical School at Flinders in its formative years. He has published widely in community-based medical education and the development of rural clinical teaching.

John Dent

JOHN DENT MMEd, MD, FHEA, FRCS(Ed) is Reader in Medical Education and Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Dundee where he has had a leading role in the development of ambulatory care teaching resources and the contribution of regional and rural centres to undergraduate clinical teaching. He has publications on teaching and learning in ambulatory care settings and on staff development. With Ronald Harden he has co-edited the internationally acclaimed, multiauthor text, ‘A Practical Guide for Medical Teachers’ and with Margery Davis the popular ‘Getting started …’ series of staff development booklets for clinical teachers.