Deakin University School of Medicine - Deakin University IMMERSe Program

Deakin University IMMERSe Program

A cohort of students will spend all of third year attached to a regional general practice where they will complete a 'parallel rural community curriculum' through the Integrated Model of Medical Education in Rural Settings (IMMERSe). Students will cover the same material as those studying in hospital settings. Third year Deakin University medical students in the IMMERSe program are currently hosted in general practices in regional and rural Victorian towns including Bacchus Marsh, Daylesford, Colac, Ararat, Camperdown, Casterton, Horsham, Stawell and Hamilton. Teaching is provided through a combination of face-to-face instruction by general practitioners, clinical skills trainers, visiting medical and surgical specialists, and online lectures and tutorials. A unique aspect of the IMMERSe program is that students perform "parallel consulting" in general practice. This involves having the student consult one-on-one with a patient, then presenting their findings to the supervising doctor. The doctor then completes the consultation with the student observing, giving the student opportunities to develop practical clinical skills such as history taking, physical examination, case presentation and medical management. By placing students in rural general practices rather than major metropolitan hospitals, the aim of IMMERSe is to give students exposure to primary care and country family medicine, with the ultimate objective of encouraging more medical graduates to work in regional Australia, particularly in general practice.