Rural doctors launch mentoring scheme to close medical career gap
Two rural medical students started Rural Rounds to help regional students get into medicine and tackle rural doctor shortages.
Eliza O'Sullivan from Bendigo and Brooke McDonald from Castlemaine started Rural Rounds. O'Sullivan and McDonald help regional and disadvantaged students get into medical school.
Rural students face real barriers. Some schools don't offer chemistry.
They get little exposure to medicine. They must score 99+ to compete with city students.
City students have more resources. Research shows rural-born doctors stay in their regions longer.
This helps ease doctor shortages. O'Sullivan, 23, was named Rural Doctors Association medical student of the year.
She goes to Oxford University in 2027 as Victoria's Rhodes Scholar. She focuses on public health.
She wants to bring solutions back to Australia.
- Eliza O'Sullivan, Brooke McDonald
- Founders from Bendigo and Castlemaine
- 99+
- Required entrance score
- 23
- O'Sullivan age
- 2027
- Oxford start year
Why it mattersRural Australia faces chronic doctor shortages. Mentoring rural students into medicine builds a pipeline of doctors. These doctors are more likely to work in the bush.
AustraliaAddresses Australia's acute rural health workforce crisis by helping country students overcome entry barriers to medical training.
