Processes and outcomes for a successful engagement between a medical school and a remote Indigenous community in North Queensland, Australia.

Introduction: Medical students should be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to engage with local communities on placement, and later act as agents of change in addressing health system priorities and inequities. Determining what are the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes requires the medical school to collect input from the local communities they serve. This study describes the steps taken by the James Cook University (JCU) School of Medicine & Dentistry (SMD) to develop a systematic process for collecting input from a local Indigenous community.

Indigenous perspectives on the desired attributes of medical graduates practising in remote communities: a Northwest Queensland pilot study.

Introduction: Providing an emphasis on Indigenous health in medical undergraduate education is seen as a high priority by Australian medical organisations. A regional North Queensland medical school asked local Indigenous people to list personal attributes they want to see in graduate doctors who choose to practise in their remote community.

Methods: This 2011 pilot study used a participatory action research design, with 13 local Indigenous health professionals, elders and community members from Mount Isa participating as co-researchers in 'Yarning Circles' discussing desired medical graduate attributes.