The first cohort of graduates from Curtin’s Medical School are ready to join WA’s new generation of doctors after completing the five-year, full-time Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).
The 51 graduates were inaugural domestic students at Curtin Medical School when it opened in 2017, offering the only undergraduate entry program available in Western Australia.
Renowned health researcher and advocate Professor Fiona Stanley AC was keynote speaker at the Curtin Medical School graduand celebration event on November 26.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne said the new graduates had been trained to meet the needs of currently under-serviced areas of health care, with a strong emphasis on primary care, chronic disease, ageing, Indigenous and regional health.
“Curtin first established its Medical School to help address the health and workforce needs of West Australians. We are now incredibly proud to celebrate the first graduating cohort of Curtin-trained doctors, who are eager and ready to provide competent and compassionate medical care, particularly to those people who currently have inadequate access to healthcare,” Professor Hayne said.
“They have had the benefit and privilege of being able to train, and gain practical clinical experience, at hospitals across the State, and in Curtin’s own purpose-built health campus at Midland and recently our new Kalgoorlie Rural Health Campus.”
Medical School Dean, Professor Sandra Eades said the graduands had been trained to the highest standards of the Australian Medical Council, and were ready and capable to take on internships and future specialisation anywhere in WA or across Australia.
“We are excited to be celebrating this significant milestone with our first cohort of graduating students who are a credit to themselves and to our School,” Professor Eades said.
“The key purpose and mission of the Curtin Medical School has remained unchanged from the time it was established- that is to increase the availability of high-quality medical care and to educate doctors that are well-prepared for primary care, rural, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare settings.
“We are very proud to have nurtured this first graduating cohort of cared and skilled doctors who can now transition into their chosen profession and into the communities they serve.”
As part of their studies, many of the graduating cohort have completed clinical placements in rural areas across the state, including Broome, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton and Albany.
Graduating student Christopher Chi of Carlisle said he was looking forward to beginning his medical career.
“Practising medicine has been a life-long dream of mine and after five years of excellent teaching and learning, I am excited to be able to put it all into practice when I begin my internship at St John of God Midland Public Hospital,” Mr Chi said.
“As the first graduating class of Curtin Medical School, we have had the privilege of learning from one of the best medical programs in Australia.
“Our smaller cohort size has created a collegial atmosphere of trust and camaraderie between students. This has enabled us to learn, develop, and practice the skills necessary to become capable doctors for the future.”
Medical School student Amie Ringuet is just one of the Curtin graduates heading to the regions.
“I am delighted to have a placement at Bunbury Hospital and I will live and work among the Bunbury community,” Ms Ringuet said.
“Through Curtin Medical School, I spent much of the last few years embedded in WA hospitals where I learned from some of the best doctors in Australia and was able to talk with and learn from many wonderful patients.
“These experiences have given me genuine insight into the healthcare needs of Western Australians and have inspired me to do my part to address the disadvantage that many country people face in terms of access to healthcare.”
Since its opening Curtin Medical School has attracted wide interest from students, with the University now offering 120 places for next year.
It has quickly become a school of choice for aspiring medical practitioners, with students consistently rating it number one in Australia in its field for overall experience, according to the 2022 Good Universities Guide.
For more information on the MBBS visit here and Curtin Medical School, visit here.
