Mildura’s Mini Medical Academy Days
Mildura Regional Clinical School have developed Mini Medical Academy Days (MMAD) to expose local secondary school students in the Sunraysia region to rural health careers. The days involved hands-on clinical experience run by medical students and Monash University staff to raise awareness of pathways to further studies in health. The students have the opportunity to engage with current medical students at the clinical school and to learn about what it is like to study in the rural setting.
The half-day program consists of four stations focused on a different skill required of a medical student, which the students rotate through over the course of the session. These involve a grand tour of the hospital, plastering, a simulation session with SimMan 3G and basic life support. For some students this may be their only exposure to life at university, which may otherwise be offered at open days in Melbourne. It gives them a chance to ask questions and experience a day in the life of a medical student.
One of the highlights of the program so far is the stories from Monash medical students about their personal journeys at university and the application process. This highlights to the secondary students that attending university is a real and achievable goal. To date, four local secondary schools have participated in the initiative and in future years this will be offered to all schools in the Sunraysia region.