Sun, surf and a medical placement on a Fijian Tropical Island

As a sixth year, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) student, Andrew completed an International placement at Lautoka Hospital, in Fiji.

The trip was made possible thanks to funding received via the New Colombo Plan – an Australian Government initiative that aims to lift knowledge of the Indo Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study and undertake internships in the region.

Andrew says JCU’s focus on rural and remote medicine prepared him for his Lautoka placement. “The really good thing about the James Cook University medical course is that students have so many opportunities to go overseas and be exposed to many things that you’re not going to see anywhere else,” says Andrew.

“This was an amazing opportunity to learn and hone my skills in an international, emergency care placement.”

The Lautoka Hospital is located in Western Fiji and employs around 900 staff. The local population speak English and local languages Itauki and Hindi, requiring Andrew to work with hospital translators to navigate patient language barriers.

A keen surfer, Andrew immersed himself in the Lautokan community and explored the reefs and small villages in the surrounding area and says he “surfed the best waves I’ve ever surfed in my life” while on the island.

“Outside of the hospital, living in the community, you really become part of it.  Towards the end of the four weeks, I felt like a born member of the community from the relationships I built inside and outside the hospital.”

The College of Medicine and Dentistry’s International Placements Advisor David Belstead supports MBBS students in arranging international placements. All MBBS students complete a number of clinical placements as part of their degree, beginning from their first year, in hospitals across Australia and internationally.

Students can undertake an international placement in their third, fifth and sixth year. In 2016, 21.9 per cent of MBBS students chose to undertake an international placement, with Canada, Fiji, the UK, and Sri Lanka the most popular locations.

Andrew will graduate in December 2017. He will return to his home town in the Sunshine Coast region and has secured a medical internship role at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2018.

“Rural and remote practice really appeals to me, there is a real demand for doctors” he says.

Andrew encourages MBBS students to consider an international placement. “If you want to become a better doctor, you should apply for a MBBS international placement. I can assure you that it’s an awesome experience.”