“The partnership has been going for 10 or 12 years through Deakin and they’ve put a good number of students through this community rural setting.”
Deakin medical student Harry McLeod said he found Horsham an inviting location after growing up in Melbourne.
“I’ve been here for a fortnight and it’s been great. I haven’t lived rurally much. Prior to this, the most rural I’d lived was in Torquay for my first two years of medicine, which is not really rural at all,” he said.
“So far I’m really enjoying it. Everyone has been so friendly. Even just walking past people, they’ll give you a wave, and if you say something at a cafe they’ll say g’day.
“Everyone at the hospital has been super accommodating as well.”
Fellow medical student Emmesyn Hassett, who grew up in Colac, said she was attracted to working in rural and regional settings.
“I knew I wanted to be rural, so I was part of the rural training stream in Horsham for this year and then Ballarat next year,” she said.
“I moved to Horsham at the start of November and I love it. My family have had to travel a lot for medical appointments and specialists, so I always wanted to do medicine and then come back to a rural town.
“Hopefully it’s one more doctor that means one less person has to travel further.”
Zoe Burns decided to study medicine after previously completing a psychology degree and working as a healthcare administrator.
She said she was thoroughly enjoying her experience in the program as a mature-age student.
“I always wanted to get into medicine but life always got in the way and steered me in different directions,” she said.
“Finally I said ‘that’s it, it’s time to do medicine’, so I applied and got into Deakin.
“I liked the fact there were more mature students and the rural focus, because for me I love the idea of the small-town doctor who knows everybody from birth.
“It’s continuative care that you don’t have when you’re in the big cities, where it’s much more consumer-based medicine.”
Ms Freckleton said it was her job to help the students settle into their new location.
“I’m a person who catches up with them and I can liaise with Deakin for them,” she said.
“You could call me their mum in Horsham.”
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