The University of Notre Dame Australia will open a new Broome-based medical school, providing a much-needed boost to medical services and doctor numbers in the Kimberley region.
The Kimberley Centre for Remote Medical Training will be Western Australia’s first fully rurally based medical school, and one of the most remote full medial programs in the world. It will provide up to 20 students each year with the opportunity to complete all of their medical training on country, close to home and family, and other forms of pastoral support.
The project has been made possible thanks to the allocation of 10 new medical Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) per year to the university along with almost $10 million in funding from the Albanese Government, which will enable the construction of teaching facilities and student accommodation on Notre Dame’s Broome campus. The university will match the Government’s allocation of CSPs to double the number of places on offer to 20 each year.
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Francis Campbell, said he expected demand for places in the four-year postgraduate Doctor of Medicine program to be very strong, but said priority would be given to Aboriginal people, those who were already living in the region and other groups under-represented in the medical profession.
“Attracting and retaining health care professionals in remote parts of Australia is extremely challenging,” Professor Campbell said. “This initiative aims to help reduce the workforce shortage in the Kimberley by developing graduates that are trained in the region to equip them with complex skills required to meet the diverse medical and healthcare needs of local communities is so important.
“The university thanks the federal Government for its support for this important project. We hope to welcome our first group of medical students onto our Broome campus in 2025.”
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New Kimberley Medical School a game changer for regional health (Notre Dame University)
