AURHA

Rural High School Visits

Back to School - The Rural High Schools Project

This year: 2008
Rural High School Visits this year will be in the following locations:

  1. TBA
  2. TBA
  3. TBA

For more information, please keep on reading. If you wish to sign up for one of the above visits, contact details of the RHSV representative can be found at the bottom of this page.

Bit of background information:
A long, long time ago a famous research study stated that undergraduate rural students are 50 times more likely to return to work and live in the country than their city counterparts. From this sprouted a project that has been many years in the making.

What is it?
The Rural High Schools Project aims to promote health careers to country high school students at a Year 10 to 12 level. It is hoped that this will stimulate interest among students in considering taking up a health profession once they leave school. The expectation is that they shall then bring their health profession back to the country, thereby solving the shortage of rural doctors, allied health professionals and health services in rural and remote areas of South Australia, making the world a better place!

How is it done?
Through interactive and educational information sessions presented to high school students within the different regional divisions of country South Australia. Undergraduate students studying a health course at university will be sent to schools for three main reasons:

  1. They are able to better relate to high schools students at a Yr 10-12 level.
  2. They are able to talk about what it’s like studying a health profession, the path they took to get there, and relay their experiences.
  3. They can help in breaking down the perceived barriers rural highschool students may have on choosing to study a health profession; such as concerns about university life, moving away from home, financial worries and available support.

What is meant by the term health professional?
Basically any career involved in the provision of a health service (generally anything which involves you poking and prodding people). This includes allied health careers: Medicos, nurses, physios, dentists, osteos, chiros, podiatrists, occupational therapists, diabetic educators, speech pathologists, the list goes on and on. This means any undergraduate student from any medical or allied health course is eligible to go on a high schools visit.

Who is involved?
The Department of Human Services (DHS) together with the three university rural health clubs of South Australia:

  1. AURHA
  2. FURHS - Flinders University Rural Health Society
  3. ROUSTAH - University of SA Rural Health Club

Together we are collaborating efforts and sending teams of people out to regional SA in order to trial the first batch of Rural High Schools Project Information Sessions. So far, we are looking at sending five people (3 undergraduate health students and 2 DHS staff) to talk to country high school students, promoting the various health careers and opportunities available at university (in particular in terms of scholarships and government funding, but this is something the DHS staff are there for!).

What can you do?
If you, or anyone you know (perhaps at Flinders / Uni SA / the Dental School) might be interest in being involved with the High Schools Project and going on a rural high school visit, please email us and leave your details together with the name of a country town/area/school you might be interested in visiting.

More information:
To sign up for one or more RHSVs, or for any more information, please contact your friendly AURHA RHSV representative:

Eamon Raith
University of Adelaide (MBBS III)
eamon.raith@student.adelaide.edu.au