Undergraduate experiences
Gain a greater insight into being a GP through experience in the general practice environment and engagement in activities which build your contact with other aspects of general practice.
Below are some scholarship and bursary programs which can help you do this; your university may offer others, and the GP Australia links page provides other sources of scholarship information.
Schwartz First Wave Scholarship Program
Offered by the General Practice Students Network (GPSN), this is a structured program which enables first and second year medical students to get a taste of general practice.
It offers two different experiences:
- Clinical General Practice Scholarship – six sessions in a medical practice under the guidance of an experienced GP.
- Academic General Practice Scholarship – four sessions in a medical practice under the guidance of an experienced GP and work on a research project.
the privilege of patient interactionLIZ CONNOR Learning practical skills in the placement will be invaluable to Liz during her study and later working life but the experience had a more profound effect. |
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The program is designed to provide a positive and inspiring experience of general practice as well as exposure to affiliated allied health services, and the importance of the multidisciplinary approach in patient care.
The John Flynn Placement Program (JFPP)
Established in 1997, funded by the Department of Health and Ageing, and administered by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), 300 John Flynn placements are available each year.
Students are placed with a rural doctor and a local contact person for a minimum of two full weeks per year, normally over a four year period. Students work closely with a rural doctor in a wide variety of health settings and experience one on one mentoring as well as a social and community experience.
The JFPP covers the cost of travel and accommodation for students to go on placement and ACRRM provides assistance with these arrangements. In addition to this students are paid $500 per week to cover food and living expenses during the placement.
AMSA NRHN Rural Elective Bursaries
The Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) and the National Rural Health Network (NRHN) support medical students who wish to complete an elective in indigenous and remote health by providing them with assistance with a Rural Elective Bursary. Two Rural Elective Bursaries are awarded to medical students every year.
AMSA MIGA Student Elective Grants Program
AMSA and Medical Insurance Group Australia (MIGA) provide grants to medical students who are interested in completing an elective program in a developing country or community, including within Australia.
The Doctors’ Health Fund & AMSA Medical Student Bursary Scheme
The Doctors’ Health Fund and AMSA offer bursaries to assist students with the costs of texts and medical equipment, and costs arising from professional development activities such as attendance at seminars and undertaking elective placements.
Mentoring and other programs
The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) runs the Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship Support Program provides funding and opportunities for students to attend rural medicine oriented conferences, network with peers and liaise with rural doctor mentors. Students can also benefit from e-mentoring by medical experts via ACRRM’s online educational and networking platform, Rural and Remote Medical Education Online (RRMEO).
The GPRA Mentors Program aims to connect anyone, from high school and medical students to GP Registrars and overseas trained doctors entering the Australian medical workforce, with a mentor who is further along their career path.
