Hi, welcome to Flinders University.
My name's Rosalie Grivell, and I'm the Director
of the Medical Program here at Flinders.
I was inspired to do medicine
'cause I was looking for a career
that was challenging and rewarding at the same time,
and would enable me to make a significant contribution
back to my community and society.
And now I combine clinical practice
in obstetrics and gynaecology, research, teaching,
in addition to roles in policy,
government, and global health.
One of the things I remember and highly valued
about being a medical student at Flinders
was the way the students were always seen
as part of the clinical team.
I worked alongside senior doctors and teaching staff,
and they included me in discussions around patient care.
I spoke to patients,
and was able to participate in their care,
and was valued as part of their clinical team at all times.
Flinders is where I've been supported and mentored
to realise my full potential,
and this is also where you will be mentored and supported
to become your best self in your career as a doctor.
An education in our medical program
seeks to produce a holistic and well-rounded graduate.
A career in medicine after studying at Flinders
will enable you to branch out into career paths
which include education, research, global health,
advocacy, and even government and policy work.
Doctors of the future will not be limited
to practicing in a narrow field.
They will graduate with a broad range of skills,
which will enable them to pursue
many different career pathways.
Flinders is proud to have a student-centered ethos.
At Flinders, your voice will be listened to and heard.
Students are part of a diverse student cohort.
You will study alongside people from all walks of life.
Students pursue open and critical inquiry,
which will enable you to apply those skills
in any career throughout your life.
Practical skills and critical thinking
are skills that you will develop
through your studies in medicine at Flinders,
and we know that future employers value these qualities.
Our unique setting here at Flinders distinguishes
from many other medical programs in Australia.
Our college is based at the Flinders Medical Centre,
where you will work alongside
clinicians, researchers, and academics,
and where research, and clinical practice, and teaching
all happen under the one roof.
Our close proximity enables close collaboration
between clinical staff, academic staff, and students.
Similar proximity of clinical sites and teaching spaces
also occur in our Northern Territory
and rural South Australian campuses.
Our co-location with hospital settings
enable you to commence clinical exposure
from the first year of your course,
which will increase over time.
The final two years of your degree
are largely spent on clinical placement,
again, with opportunities over rural South Australia,
Northern Territory, and also across metropolitan Adelaide.
Our parallel rural community curriculum
enables you to participate
in a community-based rural third-year program,
which is highly sought-after and highly evaluated.
Flinders was one of the only medical schools in Australia
to enable our clinical students
to remain on placement during the COVID pandemic.
This was enabled by a strong partnership
between university students and our clinical services.
For final year students, electives allow the possibility
to experience medicine and learning
on an international stage.
Our research opportunities during the program
will also enable you to present your research
on a national and international stage.
International student agreements for our year four students
include our partnership around global exchange,
with Dresden in Germany, for example,
where you may have the opportunity
to experience and learn medicine
in an entirely different setting and country.
Some of the key things that we're proud of at Flinders
are our collaborative learning,
where you will learn via a team-based learning approach.
We also facilitate early clinical skill development,
where you will start to learn clinical skills
with the opportunity to practice these skills
from the very first parts of your course in year one.
We have diverse and skilled academic and teaching staff,
many of whom are well-recognized
on the international and national stage.
And many of our academic staff
are themselves active clinicians and researchers.
We are proud of our caring and committed approach
to student support,
and our Medical Education team
has always been at the forefront of innovation.
Our medical course at Flinders
is the number one in Australia in medicine
for full-time employment.
Our support for students is enhanced
with our Learning Coach program.
This program has been in place for four years,
and currently, all students in our program
are linked with a learning coach.
A learning coach will walk alongside of you
throughout your program, enabling you to enhance
your professional development and your reflection.
Your learning coach will create a safe environment,
often being the first port of call
where you might require assistance
or need additional support.
Our advanced studies program is a research component
that runs through the four years of the course.
This opportunity provides you with learning
throughout your course, increasing your research skills.
There is also an opportunity to work
alongside many of our renowned researchers,
and possibly even consider working towards a PhD
after your medical program.
Further research opportunities during your MD
will be provided by our co-location
with our research institutes,
including the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer
and the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute.
Our medical course at Flinders is accredited
by the Australian Medical Council,
and recognised by accreditation bodies internationally.
I hope that learning in medicine at Flinders
will form part of your life journey,
where you develop into the person that you want to be,
and develop into a doctor
who can improve the health of our community.
Thank you for visiting Flinders University.
I look forward to meeting you on campus soon.