Rural Health Workforce Australia (RHWA) asked 1,000 health professional students from Rural Health Clubs, consist of a mix of medical, nursing and allied health students what they thought was most important when undertaking a clinical placement. The number one response was “opportunities for hands on learning.”

RHWA has said that it’s the Fear of Missing Out, aka FOMO that is a key driver of health students including medical students and junior doctors as they strive to get an edge over their peers in a highly competitive environment. Given that they are competing with twice as many of their peers as a decade ago for hospital placements, preferred rotations and specialist training places, they need to decide whether the prestigious city placements with better facilities and exposure to the latest technology are actually more advantageous compared with rural opportunities to work in small teams, have more attention from supervisors, have a broader scope of practice and more responsibility.

RHWA have also found that the millennial generation characteristics are as follows:

• Tech savvy
• Value life balance
• Thrive on social connection
• Question the status quo
• Competitive and are prepared to shop around

More articles and resources on My Health Career:

• Medical students go rural to get a professional edge
• If we can Go Rural, you can too! Dr Gerry Considine & Dr Melanie Considine
• I decided to Go Rural and it helped me smash my med school exams and advance my career
• How a Short Rural Placement can Change Medical Students’ View about Rural Practice
• On being a rural optometrist

Image: Tim J Keegan – flickr