Eleven medical students from across Australia are the recipients of an inaugural bursary that will support them in undertaking immersive clinical placements of up to a full year in rural or remote communities.
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) Medical Student Bursary provides each student with $1000 to make their placement more affordable and accessible. The Bursary can cover things like their fuel and travel costs, rental accommodation, clinical wear, meals, textbooks… and even childcare.
Approximately 220 medical students applied for the inaugural Bursary, demonstrating the strong interest from medical students in undertaking longer-term rural and remote placements, and the growing popularity of careers in Rural Medicine.
The recipients of this year's Bursary (and their placement locations) are:
- Phoebe Doohan, the Australian National University 3rd year medical student, placement in Gundagai NSW (40 weeks – January to December 2026)
- Ebony Higson, Charles Sturt University 3rd year medical student, Lake Cargelligo NSW (4 weeks across July to October) Ebony comes to Medicine after working for over nine years as a paramedic in rural and remote NSW, including in remote towns like Walgett and Brewarrina. She is continuing to work as a paramedic while undertaking her medical studies.
- Zoe Burns, Deakin University 4th year medical student, Apollo Bay Victoria (5 weeks from April to May 2026)
- Lauren Navarrete, Flinders University 3rd year medical student, Palmerston NT (20 weeks in first semester 2026) Lauren comes to Medicine with a background in Midwifery and Public Health.
- Tayla Roberts, Flinders University 3rd year medical student, Port Lincoln SA (10 months from January to October 2026)
- Maeve Mitchell-Weir, Flinders University NT Medical Program 3rd year medical student, Katherine NT (6 months – June to November 2026)
- India Petherick-Cocking, James Cook University 6th year medical student, Thursday Island QLD (10 weeks – March to June 2026)
- Filbert Christone, the University of Adelaide 5th year medical student, Port Augusta SA (full 2026 academic year)
- Keara Fitzgerald, the University of Queensland 4th year medical student, Charleville QLD (8 weeks – May to July 2026)
- Georgia Masters, the University of Western Australia 3rd year medical student, Karratha WA (with rotations to Roebourne and Onslow) (full 2026 academic year)
- Angus Johnston-Walker, the University of Western Australia 3rd year medical student, Port Hedland WA (40 weeks – January to November 2026)
"We are delighted to be partnering with the RACGP to offer this important Bursary to help medical students undertake longer-term clinical placements in rural and remote locations, and have been thrilled with just how awesome they tell us their placements have been so far." RDAA President, Dr Sarah Chalmers, said.
"Longer placements enable them to truly experience the wide range of presentations we see in rural and remote practice – in primary care, at the local hospital and in other care settings – while also embedding themselves in the local community, and getting to see how rewarding it can be to work and live in a rural or remote community."
RACGP Rural Chair, Associate Professor Michael Clements, said: "Often a big limiting factor in a medical student being able to attend a longer-term rural or remote placement is the cost of getting there and staying there. In an era when more people are going back to uni to study Medicine in their 20s, 30s and 40s, it can also be about giving up that part-time work while you're on placement, as well as affording childcare in your placement location.
"The evidence shows medical students who take rural placements are far more likely to work in rural communities in their career. These bursaries are a valuable investment in our future rural medical workforce. We're excited to follow these students on their rural placement journeys and see the impact they'll make in communities across Australia."
Read quotes from each of our Bursary recipients below. High resolution photos of each recipient are available on request.
Bursary recipients, Dr Sarah Chalmers (RDAA), and Associate Professor Michael Clements (RACGP) are
