Frequently asked questions
Note – this information is for students currently selecting their clinical school for 2010. This excludes Extended Rural Cohort (ERC) students who have already been accepted to the RCS.
Q. I was wondering if I were to choose Shepparton as my clinical school would I still have a chance to do some of my rotations at Ballarat? And vice versa?
A. We currently allocate semesters 8 and 9 to the one site for 12 months at each of the 3 RCS (plus Monash University, Bendigo) campuses. There will be a possibility of spending further semesters at rural sites.
Q. I was wondering what the minimum semester requirement is when selecting the RCS?
A. At this stage the minimum requirement is 3 semesters at the RCS.
Q. What is the possibility of spending 5 semesters at the RCS?
A. Unless you are an ERC student, this will not be possible due to the increased number in ERC student numbers.
Q. What options are there in relation to location and duration of placements in rural clinical locations? Can I choose which semester or rotations are spent at the RCS?
A. Semester 8 & 9 must be at the RCS. The remaining semester can be either semester 10, 11 or 12 at the RCS. This is established using your initial preference card.
Q. Can I go to the Rural Clinical School in Bendigo? (Monash University)
A. This year semester 8 and 12 students went to Bendigo.
Q. How is the curriculum structured for students attending Bendigo?
A. Monash University and the University of Melbourne have completed a thorough curriculum mapping exercise that revealed minimal gaps between the two curricula. One difference is that the Monash Year 3 students start in February unlike UoM which begins semester 8 in July. This means that the UoM students will integrate into existing Monash tutor groups “half way through” but will carry on with a new Monash group the following year. Bendigo students will sit the same exams as all UoM medical students.
Q. Where can I do Semester 10/11 Women’s and Children’s Health studies?
A. Currently WCAH (Women’s, Children’s & Adolescent Health) studies are offered in Shepparton and Ballarat as well as at the metro clinical schools.
Q. Where can I do Semester 10/11 Specialty Health Rotation (SHR) studies?
A. SHR comprises three different rotations – Psychiatry; RAPP (Rehabilitation, Aged Care, Palliative Care and Psychogeriatrics); and Rural Health Module (RHM) / Emergency Medicine (EM). SHR can be undertaken at RCS or the metro clinical schools. Psychiatry can be undertaken at each of the three UoM RCS campuses depending on the student numbers. Currently RAPP can only be undertaken in Ballarat. RHM/EM can be undertaken in either Ballarat or Shepparton. This means that when you undertake RAPP with the RCS you would be in Ballarat for the six weeks.
Q. Also what are the chances/likelihood of me getting my preferred rural and metro hospital (eg Shepparton and St Vincent’s) and what is the likelihood of being allocated my preferred 2 semesters in a metro hospital?
A. On entry into the RCS you are required to complete a preference card indicating your priorities in order of importance. We take all requests and reasons into account and last year spent several days trying to do the best for every student. It’s not just luck; we do try to balance requests with balancing the class and so on. We do hope we can give everyone at least some of his or her first choice. (e.g. which RCS campus or which semesters they want to be metro, etc) For the 2009 intake of students almost everyone received their first preference.
Q. Will the number of students at the RCS remain low in comparison to metro clinical schools?
A. We receive 25% of MBBS students (excluding international students). The 25% includes ERC students.
Q. Since I’ll be based at the RCS for the majority of my clinical years and have less time in the metro hospitals, how does that impact on my chances on getting into intern spots at RMH, Western, St. Vincents, Austin or Northern if I decide I want to apply for my internship there?
A. Being a RCS student does not disadvantage you from obtaining an intern position of your choice. The vast majority of RCS Graduates obtained their first preference for internship locations in both metropolitan and rural locations in 2009.
Q. I was just wondering whether RCS provided any additional exam preparation leading up to exams at the end of each semester or even throughout the semester, and if so, what this exam preparation entails.
A. We do MCQ review sessions and case-report sessions (where students get a chance to discuss cases from the wards with one of the academics). As part of this we do “mock long cases” where we ask questions as if the student were being examined. We also hold practice exams and OSCEs. However, we do not want you to focus only on exams, but on learning and participating in the day-to-day work of medicine, which is the best way to learn.
Q. How is the RCS able to deliver all components of the course when it does not have some of the specialities… are the students still able to cover what they need to cover?
A. It’s a very important issue. In 2008 the students at the RCS did equally as well as the metropolitan students in exams. We recognize we do not have access to as many neurologists, oncologists, and a few others. We are trying every innovative method we know to overcome this. We use videoconferencing successfully, have “neuro days” where patients with neurological conditions come in for a special “student clinic” etc.
Q. What are the timetables like at the clinical school?
A. It is expected that you are available from 8am-5pm Monday to Friday. Occasionally tutorials are held later in the evening when tutors have finished clinic. Timetables include tutorials, ward rounds, attendance at a variety of clinics and theatre. It is also your responsibility to know when semester commences and be in attendance on day one. Unapproved non-attendance is viewed very seriously.
Q. What student clubs are at the RCS?
There is the RHMSS (Rural Health Medical Student Society) and Moovin Health, which are student organized clubs that cover both social and medical activities.
Q. What student support is available at the RCS?
We have a Student Support Officer.
Q. Is the RCS student accommodation available at all RCS campuses?
A. Yes.
Shepparton – We have five pods, 11 bedrooms in each pod.
Wangaratta - We currently have a 32 bedroom residence, 16 of these bedrooms are brand new.
Ballarat - We have a 34 bedroom residence in Ballarat plus other share accommodation.
Q. What is the distance between accommodation and school for each RCS site?
Shepparton – accommodation is attached to the RCS and across the road from the hospital.
Wangaratta – accommodation is situated 3 km’s away from the RCS and the hospital.
Ballarat – accommodation is situated 3-4 km’s away from the RCS and the hospital.
Q. What do I need to bring to the RCS A. You will need to bring your own bed sheets, pillow case, doona/blankets, towels, food and all personal and study items. The kitchens in each residence are fully equipped. The Laundry facilities include 2 x washing machine and 2 x dryer plus clothes line if required.
Q. What is the cost to stay at the RCS accommodation?
A. As at Semester 2 2009, RCS Medical students pay $800 per semester (semesters 8 -11) which is $40 per week to stay in RCS accommodation. Applications for private rental assistance (appropriate documentation is required prior to approval)
Q. I am writing to enquire about the Resident Student Advisor (RSA) position. I have two questions; are the positions full-time on weekends ie. at each campus where there are a number of RSA’s would it be possible to take a weekend off?
A. A number of RSA’s undertake their duties on a rostered basis. Generally an RSA would be on duty approximately one weekend in four. You would need to ensure, with the other RSA’s that the position is always covered. Currently RSA’s have their accommodation fees waived.
Computer availability
Shepparton –
Computer lab - All students have availability to the computer lab 24/7
Accommodation – if a student has a laptop they can use this in the accommodation once IT have configured.
Wangaratta -
Computer lab - All students have availability to the computer lab 24/7
Accommodation – if a student has a laptop they can use this in the accommodation once IT have configured.
Ballarat -
Computer lab - All students have availability to the computer lab 24/7
Accommodation – if a student has a laptop they can use this in all accommodation sites.
Library access
Ballarat
Monday–Thursday 8:30am – 6:00pm
Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
Bendigo
Monday–Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
(after hours accesswith Bendigo Health swipe card)
Shepparton
Monday–Thursday 8:30am – 6:00pm
Friday 8:30am – 3:30pm
Sunday 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Wangaratta
Opened Mon-Fri 9:00am - 5:00pm (Tuesday night open until 8:00pm)
Student have 24/7 access code