When a LIC came to town: the impact of longitudinal integrated clerkships on a rural community of healthcare practice.

Introduction: Two small rural towns in Australia, where medical practitioners provide primary care to the population, including emergency, anaesthetic and obstetric services, were early adopters of an innovative year-long integrated clerkship (clinical placement) designed to foster medical student skill attainment and a commitment to underserved rural communities. Primary care vocational trainees had previously trained in the region. Engaging with the university to participate in the clerkship initiative for undergraduate medical education offered the local healthcare service an opportunity to really integrate education with service.

The telehealth skills, training, and implementation project: an evaluation protocol.

Background: Telehealth appears to be an ideal mechanism for assisting rural patients and doctors and medical students/registrars in accessing specialist services. Telehealth is the use of enhanced broadband technology to provide telemedicine and education over distance. It provides accessible support to rural primary care providers and medical educators.

Factors affecting medical students' sense of belonging in a longitudinal integrated clerkship.

Background: Longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) have been shown to be effective educationally and may assist in promoting rural career choices when undertaken in rural communities. Despite these merits, some students find LICs challenging.

Methods: Students from a regional medical school undertaking a LIC participated in semi-structured interviews.