Cairns medical students can now embark on full study and training in their own backyard

A student cohort of 39 have commenced their journey in becoming doctors as part of Cairns’ very first end-to-end medical program offered by James Cook University at their Nguma-bada campus in Smithfield.

A student cohort of 39 have commenced their journey to become doctors as part of Cairns’ very first end-to-end medical program offered by James Cook University at their Nguma-bada campus in Smithfield.

It is hoped participants in the new program will opt to stay in the Far North to pursue their careers, rather than heading elsewhere.

Prior to 2023, JCU Vice Chancellor Professor Simon Biggs said the first three years of the six-year degree had to be completed outside of Cairns.

Chris Messina, an ex-pharmacist and diabetes educator at Green Jelly Bean Diabetes in Manoora, said a medicine degree was a means of contributing in an area of need.

Harrison Plasto, Chris Messina and Charlotte Reisinger are part of the first batch to enrol in end-to-end medical study and training at JCU's Smithfield campus. Picture: Sandhya Ram

“I’d love to be a GP or a rural generalist and go down that path,” Mr Messina said.

“Acquiring new skills and putting them to practice and supporting people who will find value in those skills, in areas of need, is what drives me to be a doctor.”

Darwin local Charlotte Reisinger said moving to Cairns and “the difficulties” in studying medicine was going to build her as a person.

“I hope to give back to my community in Darwin,” she said.

“The first three years are preclinical foundation years and the next three are more clinical, but we get to go for placements in GP clinics right from the first year. Couple of days at first but builds on from there, which is super exciting.”

Harrison Plasto, a graduate of Freshwater Christian College, said the most exciting thing for him was rural placements and he looked forward to pursuing that path.

“Probably a bit further north. My Indigenous heritage comes from Coen so way more in that sort of area,” he said.

Charlotte reisinger, first year medical student at James Cook University, started her six year degree at the Smithfield campus last month. Picture: Sandhya Ram

“The theory behind medicine – the chemistry, biology – is very interesting but ultimately the hands-on work is going to be the most exciting thing for me.”

Professor Biggs said JCU had launched Australia’s first regionally-based medical program in 2000, where students completed the foundation years of the degree in Townsville, before having the option to move to Cairns or Mackay for their final years of study.

“The expansion to include the full program in Cairns is an important step forward in making medical education available locally, producing a medical workforce for regional, rural and remote communities,” Prof Biggs said.

According to JCU College of Medicine and Dentistry Dean Professor Richard Murray, thanks to the efforts of JCU and eventually others, it was now firmly established some of the best doctors in the country could be trained from an entirely regional base.

“When we started out, the notion you would be able to study medicine outside of a major capital city was regarded as radical,” Prof Murray said.

JCU College of Medicine and Dentistry Dean, Professor Richard Murray said the new program provided access to medical training for students from a diverse range of backgrounds and regions. Picture: Sandhya Ram

“Things have moved along with regard to making high quality education training being available locally – not distance education, not online learning but locally supported learning. It is a beginning, we’d certainly like to see it grow.

“We would love to see the same thing extend to Mackay.”

Prof Murray said the expansion of the program had always been part of the plan and was enabled through government support by the allocation of 20 Commonwealth supported places.

The goal was to ensure equal opportunity for those from diverse backgrounds who might otherwise face barriers in accessing education, he said.

“One in three students in our new Cairns cohort is the first in their family to go to university and from a regional, rural or remote area. Around two-thirds of this cohort are coming to us from outside a metropolitan area,” Prof Murray said.

Originally published as Cairns medical students can now embark on full study and training in their own backyard