This potentially cost-neutral proposal is for the creation of additional John Flynn Scholarship Scheme (JFSS) rural work experience placements, to be allocated to Bonded Medical Place students.
It involves the redistribution of some funds earmarked for expense-paid conference trips for BMP students towards an established scholarship program that is more beneficial to students, the government, rural communities and Australian taxpayers. BMP students are in a unique position to profit from a JFSS experience due to their contractual obligations to work in areas of workforce shortage.
2. What are JFSS & BMP?
The JFSS is run by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM). The prestigious scheme allows medical students to go on 2-week placements with rural practitioners every year for 4 years. Travel and accomodation are paid and students receive a $500 stipend per week. Candidates must send in an application form and are interviewed, then ranked against fellow candidates in their university, before being awarded the scholarship.
[more from ACRRM]
The BMP Scheme is a government initiative providing students a place in Medicine in return for working in an area of workforce shortage for a bonded period equal to the length of their medical degree. Up to half of this can be served after internship; the rest must be served after obtaining fellowship (ie. full specialist or GP qualification). The area of shortage depends on the chosen specialty but most are outer-metropolitan and beyond, not necessarily rural areas. The scheme aims to address the imbalance in distribution of doctors in Australia. [more from the Department of Health]
The BMP Support Scheme is also run by the ACRRM and was recently implemented in 2007. It involves web-based mentoring and education modules, as well as expenses-paid attendance of health conferences and seminars. [more from ACRRM]
[more from ACRRM]
The BMP Scheme is a government initiative providing students a place in Medicine in return for working in an area of workforce shortage for a bonded period equal to the length of their medical degree. Up to half of this can be served after internship; the rest must be served after obtaining fellowship (ie. full specialist or GP qualification). The area of shortage depends on the chosen specialty but most are outer-metropolitan and beyond, not necessarily rural areas. The scheme aims to address the imbalance in distribution of doctors in Australia. [more from the Department of Health]
The BMP Support Scheme is also run by the ACRRM and was recently implemented in 2007. It involves web-based mentoring and education modules, as well as expenses-paid attendance of health conferences and seminars. [more from ACRRM]
3. Benefits
For the government & rural communities
- Provides an incentive to prospective medical students to apply for and accept bonded places
- Provides an incentive to BMP students to apply for the JFSS
- Promotion of rural medicine to student doctors who are obliged to work outside of cities anyway
- Preparing such students for future rural practice and extend their geographical comfort zone
- Boosts current BMP student morale
- More efficient use of taxpayer funds
- Demystifies rural medicine for BMP students who are often not of rural background
- Clinical experience
- Mentorship by a rural practitioner
- Development of a relationship with a community where they may work in the future
- Prestige of the scholarship
- Financial incentive
4. Why BMP students?
BMP students are in a unique position to benefit from the JFSS for the following reasons:
- Many BMP students are not from rural areas and so would gain from early and consistent exposure to rural medicine. This differentiates them from students who already have a firm rural background, for whom a JFSS would only be of marginal benefit.
- Due to their contract, BMP students may choose to work in outer metropolitan areas or beyond. The JFSS would help convince them to work further afield. This distinguishes them from students with standard Commonwealth-funded places, who are not obliged to leave capital cities.
5. Why JFSS?
The JFSS already has the necessary infrastructure for rural placements, with established contacts with mentors and communities willing to take medical students. It is a long-term committment and thus helps students gain a deeper appreciation of rural health over a number of years.
The practical and immersive nature of the JFSS is appealing to medical students. Furthermore, the skills learned and understanding of rural issues gained would help prepare BMP student doctors for future rural practice.
The prestige of the scholarship would aid in making the BMP scheme more appealing to current and prospective students. There have been efforts to make BMP more fair recently, in relaxing the bond conditions and implementing the Support Scheme. This JFSS-for-BMP proposal follows in that vein while having the added bonus of attracting students to rural practice.
The practical and immersive nature of the JFSS is appealing to medical students. Furthermore, the skills learned and understanding of rural issues gained would help prepare BMP student doctors for future rural practice.
The prestige of the scholarship would aid in making the BMP scheme more appealing to current and prospective students. There have been efforts to make BMP more fair recently, in relaxing the bond conditions and implementing the Support Scheme. This JFSS-for-BMP proposal follows in that vein while having the added bonus of attracting students to rural practice.
6. How could it be funded?
Ideally there would be extra funding from the federal health budget. However, this JFSS-for-BMP proposal could be almost cost-neutral. This could be achieved by redistributing some of the funds from the BMP Support Scheme earmarked for conference attendance.
While conferences are excellent for networking and academic educational opportunities, the practical experience that the JFSS offers is more valuable to medical students. Additionally, it is a more efficient use of taxpayer money. Not only do BMP students personally benefit, but the larger problem of rural health workforce shortages is also addressed.
While conferences are excellent for networking and academic educational opportunities, the practical experience that the JFSS offers is more valuable to medical students. Additionally, it is a more efficient use of taxpayer money. Not only do BMP students personally benefit, but the larger problem of rural health workforce shortages is also addressed.
7. Who could run it?
It seems most logical that the JFSS-for-BMP program should be run by ACRRM's BMP Support Scheme group, seeing as ACRRM also runs the JFSS. Little organisational change is required; only the addition of a new pool of BMP candidates to be ranked against one another.
8. Q&A
Aren't BMP graduates bound to work in rural areas anyway?
No, BMP graduates have the option of working in outer metropolitan areas, or even inner metropolitan if their specialty is in demand. In the future, competition may effectively force BMP students to rural areas. In this case, the JFSS will have helped prepare them for rural practice instead of being thrust into the bush without previous experience of rural life.Would the prestige of the JFSS be diminished?
No, the application process would be just as rigorous, with an application essay and interview. The only difference would be that as well as being ranked with fellow candidates in their university, BMP students would be also be in competition against each other for BMP-allocated scholarships.Would other JFSS candidates be disadvantaged?
No, since the same number of JFSS places would be available for non-BMP students as before.Should conferences not be funded?
No, they are a worthwhile part of the BMP Support Scheme. However, a few conference trips could be given up for JFSS placements.
