Education Activities

	Jamestown Intern program
	Mt Gambier Area placements

Jamestown RRAPP Internship (PGY1)

General Information
Presentations and Articles
Photographs
Further Information
Contacts

General Information

The Rural and Remote Areas Placement Program (RRAPP) is an innovative program which enables up to one hundred junior doctors throughout Australia to undertake a high quality rural community-based term during their first three postgraduate years.

The original concept for the Intern rotation was the Cleve Pilot Programme, developed for Flinders Medical Centre by Cleve GP's Dr Clive Auricht and Dr Talina Vizard and Professor Paul Worley from Flinders University in late 1996. The idea was developed and envisaged to be a vital step in providing continuity between undergraduate and postgraduate initiatives in rural medical education and it was hoped that it may form part of our strategy to redress the medical workforce maldistribution in Australia. Even in its first year it was clearly demonstrated that the interns gained vital rural General Practice experience with its pressures and benefits as well as experiencing a truly rural community lifestyle.

In 1999 the programme was transferred to Jamestown to be coordinated by Dr Jack Shepherd and Dr Rowena Conway from the Jamestown Medical Centre and Dr Bruce Mugford from Flinders University.

From 2000 the internship has been administered by the Australian Council for Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) under the Commonwealth funded RRAPP scheme. This scheme is funded by a grant from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. The program is centred on the three monthly rotation of interns based at the Jamestown Medical Centre (four interns per year).

The Jamestown Medical Centre is centrally located with easy access to the main street and the Jamestown Hospital. It is staffed by a full time practice manager, several other receptionists, a practice nurse, a midwifery nurse and a primary health care nurse. The Mid North Division of General Practice provides invaluable support to both doctors and staff in the way of CME activites and workshops and practice meetings and general support. A video conferencing unit has been provided for the interns and is also available for public hire. The hospital provides asthma and diabetic clinics and a physiotherapist all of which are located at the Jamestown Medical Centre. The Jamestown Medical Centre attracts many visiting specialists, eg orthopaedic, ophthalmologist, paediatrician, psychiatrist and allied health professionals including a dietician, a speech pathologist and a podiatrist. The ambulance centre and office is attached to the Jamestown Medical Centre with a hydrotherapy pool being built next door. A large well-equipped meeting room with kitchen facilities is also available for hire by the general public.

Jamestown is a well-known friendly community less than three hours drive from Adelaide which welcomes all interns to participate in local sporting activities. Sporting activities available include football, cricket, tennis, netball, basketball, lawn bowls, darts, volleyball and croquet (we are more than happy for interns to play sport, even when on call). The central mid-north location provides interns with a chance to visit nearby attractions such as the beautiful Flinders Ranges and Mt Remarkable, Peterborough's historic steam town, historic Burra and Quorn and an impressive number of wineries in the Clare Valley (too many to visit in one day!).

Feedback from the doctors, the Jamestown Medical Centre Doctors and staff, the Jamestown Hospital staff and the general community has been nothing but positive towards the intern program and we look forward to it continuing for many years to come.

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) is proud to have been asked by the Commonwealth to bring together a coalition to coordinate this exciting initiative that includes the Confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Councils, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges. More information on the RRAPP is available from the ACRRM Website.

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Presentations and Articles

RRAPP Article October 2001: "The Jamestown Intern Program", Dr Bruce Mugford

RRAPP Article March 2002: "Team Approach" and "A RRAPP Experience", Dr Ben Butson

RRAPP Article June 2002: "Life as an intern at Jamestown", Dr Hilary Dixon

RRAPP Article June 2002: "Keeping Balls in the Air", Dr Wilton Braund and Dr Ann Martin

For full versions of RRAPP Articles please refer to the RRAPP Newsletter on the ACRRM Website

"Rural Intern Training" Authors: Mugford, B.V., Worley, P.J. , Braund, W., Martin, A.

(Article in the International Electronic Journal of Rural and Remote Health)

Jamestown Rural Intern Demonstration Project - Poster Presentation (May 2001)

(You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the .pdf version - freely available from Adobe)

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Photographs

Dr Jack Shepherd	Dr Rowena Conway	Paul, Rowena and Jack
ACRRM Visit to Jamestown Hospital	Jamestown Hospital	Jamestown Hospital
	Left: Outside Jamestown Hospital Right: ACRRM Visit to Medical Practice
Jamestown Medical Practice	Medical Practice Waiting Room	Medical Practice Treatment Room
Picturesque Jamestown

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Further Information

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) and the confederation of Postgraduate Medical Education Councils jointly manage the Rural and Remote Area Placement Program (RRAPP).

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