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I was fortunate enough to spend 2020 as an ERC (extended rural cohort) student through The University of Melbourne in the beautiful Echuca-Moama township. I absolutely adored my experience both within and outside of the placement itself- so much so that I am returning there to complete my internship in 2022. As an ERC student we are primarily placed in a GP (General Practice) Clinic for 8 sessions per week. Personally, I and three other students were based at the EMFMP (Echuca Moama Family Medical Practice) with the alternative practice being Rich River. EMFMP provided me with many wonderful ..read more

The beautiful border town of Corowa, NSW is located on the banks of the Murray, and is one of the only ERC sites located interstate! Corowa is 3.5-4 hours from Melbourne, and ~45 minutes from Wangaratta and Albury. There’s a Woollies & IGA in town and plenty of servos, cafes and restaurants, so you can get pretty much everything you need without needing to leave town! There’s plenty to do both in Corowa and surrounding areas, including going the whiskey & chocolate factory for a tasting, ducking down to the Green Bean for a coffee, and checking out the new pool! Corowa is also part of ..read more

I completed my ERC in MD3 at Wangaratta in 2020. Even though the year was somewhat limited due to COVID both in terms of placement and the ability to explore the region, I can say, I thoroughly enjoyed being rural and my time there!   The town: Wangaratta is a great rural town, and I’m not joking when I say it is ALWAYS sunny! Even during winter, the majority of days you can bask in the sunshine which is a lovely escape from the grey skies of Melbourne. Wangaratta is approximately 2 ½ hours out of Melbourne and an easy drive straight up the Hume Highway, which is good if you want to duck ..read more

Benalla is located centrally to most other ERC sites and is only 2hrs from Melbourne, 30mins from Wangaratta and 50mins from Shepparton. There is lots to do including running around the lake, visiting the botanical gardens, art gallery and participating in social sport. It is also not far to get to the mountains to hike and ski. The town also offers the full range of supermarket options - Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and an IGA! Both of the ERC clinics in Benalla are linked to the local hospital. The hospital has an urgent care, an acute ward, maternity ward and operating theatre. There is opportun ..read more

Cobram is 3 hours from Melbourne and  50 minutes north of Shepparton, situated right on the Murray River. It is a small town, with a tight knit community. It allegedly has more sunny days than the Gold Coast so make sure you bring your hat and sunscreen. Both the locals and the GP clinic will make you feel right at home. You’ll have the opportunity to parallel consult from day 1 (if you’re up to it!) and will see and do everything. You’ll be removing skin cancers and suturing every week, doing back slabs and lots of injections. The GPs will normally pick out their patients for you to see ..read more

Murchison has been one of my most favourite placements in my course so far. It The town is cosy and warm with a very welcoming attitude. The patients are more than happy to chat with you and make sure that you have learnt something from their experiences. It has truly been an enjoyable and rewarding time!   Murchison Medical Centre (MMC) is the GP clinic in the town. All the doctors, nurses and admin staff are extremely friendly and you feel part of the team from the moment you start. The doctors have a fantastic reputation in the community and have built strong rapport with the patients ..read more

For those currently (or soon to be) starting their clinical rotation years in the RCS (either at Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, or Wangaratta), you will be faced with a choice mid-year MD2 to preference Metro or Ballarat for MD3. I won’t go much into the Metro preferences, but I will say that if you are allocated Metro, you will preference again from a pool of Metro hospitals that have additional capacity for MD3 students. Approximately 15 students will be placed in Ballarat for the year, with rotations in O&G, Paediatrics, Mental Health, Aged Care, (and if preferenced, GP).   I wasn ..read more