A new Sunshine Coast medical program could help alleviate a shortage of doctors in the region and beyond.
The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) has announced plans to offer the first fully local medical program: an “end-to-end” training pathway.
UniSC vice-chancellor and president Professor Helen Bartlett said the university had a responsibility to help provide more staff in healthcare.
“UniSC’s first medical program will provide opportunities for local students to become local doctors, while alleviating workforce shortages,” she said.
“Students will be selected from predominantly local schools, with a focus on upskilling in primary healthcare and building on UniSC’s track record of delivering allied health graduates and world-class health research.
“With Queensland set to require 6000 more medical practitioners by 2032, the time is right to offer an end-to-end local medical program that allows more students to become doctors closer to home.
“Importantly, locally-trained students are attuned to the community’s specific needs. They build networks and partnerships with the people and industry networks and often choose to stay to raise a family, ensuring their communities retain vital medical expertise and services.
“We know that the majority of students who graduate directly from our healthcare programs stay in this region.
“In healthcare, it’s the community connections and the passion for the people that make all the difference, and we are so excited to share our commitment to offering that opportunity to future doctors right here on the Sunshine Coast.”
Want more free local news? Follow Sunshine Coast News on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, and sign up for our FREE daily news email.
Professor Bartlett said a lot of work needed to take place to get the program running.
“Our next step is to establish the best model of delivery, in consultation with Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Health and key community partners,” she said.
“What we know already is that our selection process will target schools in our campus footprint to ensure local students can enrol, and we will seek Commonwealth Supported Places to enable this.
“We also hope to begin with a cohort of 100 students. We understand that this is not going to be easy, but we have to make this happen for the long-term benefit of the Sunshine Coast.”
In 2017, UniSC launched a Bachelor of Medical Science, partnering with Griffith University and Sunshine Coast University Hospital, providing a pathway into Griffith’s Doctor of Medicine program.
“(But) it was always the intention that we would have our own program one day,” Professor Bartlett said.
“We are ready to take over the role of delivering new doctors to our regions – from day one to graduation day.
“We are committed to working with our partners to ensure our community has access to the full end-to-end educational pathway to becoming a doctor, and they do not have to leave town to achieve this.”
Sunshine Coast Health chief executive Dr Peter Gillies welcomed the announcement.
“We are committed to investing in our future health workforce by building strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including the university sector,” he said.
“Within the next 10 years, our health service is projected to need 44 percent more health workers, or 6500 new staff, to support the increases in demand and population growth.
“Junior doctors benefit from working directly with experienced medical practitioners, and our facilities offer the benefit of both regional and tertiary healthcare learning environments.”
Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli commended the move.
“The Sunshine Coast is one of Australia’s fastest growing regions and it is critical that we have enough frontline health workers to support our community, this includes GPs and doctors working in our local hospitals,” she said.
“A Sunshine Coast-based medical program, led by our local university, training local young people – that is a trifecta I would love to see happen and I encourage the Australian and Queensland governments to support UniSC in their ambition.”
Federal MP for Fisher Andrew Wallace also supported the announcement.
The announcement comes as the university’s first doctors graduated, via UniSC’s partnership with Griffith University.
Graduate doctor Carlos Bray, who entered the program from Kawana Waters State College seven years ago, said studying on the Sunshine Coast allowed him to live at home while building a strong industry network and a great group of friends.
“I enjoyed the whole journey. The doctors I met were friendly and the coastal lifestyle is good,” he said.
“It’s a seven-year journey, so it’s long compared to other courses. But you make lifelong friends along the way and, even though it’s difficult at times, it’s so rewarding.”
He plans to complete his two-year internship in Townsville and is considering Sunshine Coast as a career destination, possibly specialising in surgery.
The UniSC graduates about 1000 healthcare professionals per year, including nurses, midwives, paramedics, occupational therapists, psychologists, dietitians and other health specialists, with the majority staying in the area to work.
It is supported by a program of research at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute, in partnership with the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, mental health experts at the Thompson Institute and the new National PTSD Research Centre.
UniSC’s Clinical Trials Centre has conducted 12 globally relevant trials this year.
“By adding a medical program to our health offerings, we really are completing the suite,” Professor Bartlett said.
