As the Schools structure develops, Professor Anderson is confident that any residual worries about a possible loss of discipline-related identification will be allayed. In time, he believes, all its members will enjoy the benefits of, and come to feel an identification with, the 'School', rather than with any one of its component parts. Luke Carter, a fifth year medical student, describes his experiences in a rural hospital. Situated two hours from Melbourne, just this side of Traralgon, Latrobe Regional Hospital services a catchment area encompassing most of Eastern Victoria. On the wards, staff and patients were overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming.
Patients never turn students away due to the 'student-fatigue' so common in the big city hospitals.
Staff-members go out of their way to find experiences difficult to obtain in the city and I quickly came to feel like a member of the team. When not assigned to an official university timetable, a student can fill his or her days with valuable learning experiences, drawing on the knowledge and experience of staff extraordinarily enthusiastic in their desire to teach. As well as regular specialist tutorials open to anyone wishing to take part, students have the immense resources of the Centre for Rural Health available to them. These include 24-hour access to the CRH library complete with video lecture series and Internet access, regular teleconferences and lectures in the auditorium, and the significant research and teaching experience of the CRH staff. After a day on the wards, you have the full menu of options laid out for you by friendly patients and staff.