USQ science graduates reducing rural doctor shortage

The University of Southern Queensland's (USQ) Biomedical Science program is playing its part in helping to reduce the shortage of rural doctors and medical practitioners.

Dr Amos Moody and Dr Charles Mudimu both studied Science at USQ, and are now practicing medicine in the Darling Downs.

Dr Moody works as a registrar in paediatrics at the Toowoomba Base Hospital and said his training at USQ provided him with a solid foundation to work in rural medicine.

'There was a great class to lecturer ratio which was excellent. Andrew Hoey was awesome, he's a brilliant lecturer. I had him for pharmacology and am still using some of the things he taught me in my work today,' Dr Moody said.

Dr Moody said having the opportunity to begin his study towards a medical career in a rural area was important.

'I'm from Toowoomba, I grew up here and did my undergrad here at USQ. Having the University in Toowoomba meant I didn't have to move to Brisbane and could live at home.

'Rural medicine is general in natures and gives you the opportunity to sample different aspects of medicine.'

Dr Mudimu works as a Medical Officer in Goondiwindi and said he also enjoys rural medicine.

'Anything that comes through the door is your problem and you just deal with it,' Dr Mudimu said.

Head of the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences Professor Andrew Hoey said having the Bachelor of Biomedical Science program based in Toowoomba gives rural students the chance to do their undergraduate degree in a rural setting.

'They can then do their first and second year of postgraduate study in a metropolitan area and return to a rural clinical school for their third and fourth years allowing continuity back in a rural area.

'So of their seven years of training they can do five of them in a regional city which is a huge asset in terms of rural areas which are desperate for health professionals. It is a major strength of the program.'

Professor Hoey said the Biomedical Science degree was a solid grounding for a range of different areas of health.

'It is a very important foundation for a whole range of areas. Some students go on to do post-graduate medicine. For this they sit the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT).

'We also have a number of students who have gone on to study in allied health areas such as pharmacy, genetic counselling or radiography. Others gain employment in related professions such as pathology labs or clinical physiology.

'The third cohort can enter the area of biomedical research in research laboratories as research scientists while others progress onto Honours Masters or Doctoral research programs.'

For information on Sciences at USQ visit the website www.usq.edu.au/sciences or call 1800 269 500.

Media Contact: Jane Urquhart USQ Media +61 7 4631 2559