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Adelaide Rural Clinical School provides hands-on learning experiences for medical students in rural and remote locations.

Pursuing a medical career in regional South Australia can be a unique and rewarding experience. As a student, we will prepare you for rural and remote practice, by helping you to develop the skills needed to address common medical situations. You will become part of a community, supported by staff and health professionals in a high quality learning environment.

We welcome all Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery students with an interest in rural practice. Our aim is to improve access to health care for patients throughout South Australia by supporting you to further your career in rural practice.

Study with us

Our programs are based in rural hospitals, community-based clinics and general practices, where you will have close contact with experienced teachers in a safe and supervised environment. We are committed to developing your professionalism, leadership, teamwork skills, scholarship, and cultural and social awareness.

Develop your skills through rural and remote clinical placement programs

We facilitate rural and remote clinical placements during Year 4 to 6 of the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. You can spend four, nine or thirty-six weeks on placement at a range of locations throughout South Australia and in Broken Hill, New South Wales. We use distance education platforms and technologies to promote both interprofessional learning and a lifelong pattern of learning. We place a strong emphasis on problem solving and clinical reasoning through our placements. On placement, you will participate in the provision of comprehensive care to a wide variety of patients and clients in multidisciplinary environments. This will help to prepare you as a future health professional and leader for the 21st century workforce.

Build your career in rural and remote health care

South Australia is a vast and beautiful place to live. It provides numerous outstanding learning environments for you to develop academically, personally and socially. Many of our graduates have returned to practice in our region and other rural areas. Living and working in rural or remote South Australia offers a relaxed lifestyle, greater autonomy, uniquely diverse work, and a great community and supportive network that starts with placement. You will experience the many benefits of rural and remote health care and learn skills that will make you workforce ready.

Gain experience at different locations

We facilitate clinical placements at twelve sites, with each focusing on different areas of medicine. Some sites—such as the Barossa Valley, Clare and Mount Barker—are only a short drive from Adelaide city. If you are seeking a change of location, we have multiple teaching sites across South Australia’s Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas—including Kadina, Port Augusta, Whyalla and Port Lincoln, through to Broken Hill in New South Wales.

Be guided by our rurally-based educators

Adelaide Rural Clinical School has a wide range of rurally-based academics and health professionals who are involved in the administration and delivery of health education. You will also benefit from the dedication and expertise of our extended team of clinical titleholders, who are medical professionals from a wide range of specialist areas.