I enjoy getting out and amongst it and Hervey Bay is great for that. I swim at the pool or the beach most days. On Saturdays I join in with a free park run with the other med students. I also try to explore local waterholes, hiking trails, and the small towns that the Fraser coast has to offer.
If you’re considering a Rural Clinical School I’d highly recommend it - I’m biased though coming from a regional and rural background.
I would suggest you familiarise yourself with the town to see if you'd be comfortable there. TROHPIQ organise trips throughout the year - they're a great opportunity see the different sites and the facilities available to students.
My most memorable moment so far has been my Medicine in Society (MiS) rotation in Emerald Hospital. It was spectacular, all of the hands on procedural work I got to partake in was fantastic – such as debriding a wound from an industrial fan.
I also did my first year observership in Brunei, which was a fantastic experience in an environment not dissimilar to the rural experience I am currently getting. The range of diseases and conditions I was exposed to was wide and the patients were often complex due to confounding problems and late presentation.
I took the graduate entry pathway into medicine. The advice I’d give to other people considering this pathway is to chose an undergrad degree that they find fulfilling and could consider a career in if they were to struggle to get an offer to study medicine on their first try.