Trust’s Work Makes Significant Contribution to Mentoring Tomorrow's Rural General Practitioners
For the third successive year, the Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust is offering an undergraduate scholarship to
fund up to two sixth year medical students’ trainee intern elective in innovative and challenging overseas situations.
“Since 2011, 15 medical students have benefitted from the Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust’s scholarship
programme. The latest scholarships will bring the total amount awarded by the Trust in scholarships and grants since
2011 to more than $50,000,” saidMr John Farry, Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust Chairman.
The annual Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust Travelling Scholarship awards up to $10,000.00, which may be divided
between two recipients, to students of the University of Otago Faculty of Medicine to travel internationally to a rural
situation to observe new concepts, develop their own skills and share their learning when they return.
“Just as Dr Pat Farry did in his career, the Trustees expectation is that scholarship recipients will return and their
experiences will contribute to them becoming the next generation of rural health leaders here in New Zealand,” said Mr
Farry.
Four of the 15 recipients to date have been awarded the Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust Travelling Scholarship
and the other 11 recipients have benefitted from grants that fund the Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust
Monash/Western Australia Exchange.
“My elective helped me further appreciate the difficulties of providing healthcare in isolated settings. It was really
interesting to see how local needs were met with the resources available and altogether it again affirmed my desire to
do rural medicine,” said Mr Neynens who is completing his University of Otago Faculty of Medicine 6th Year studies based
at Kew Hospital in Invercargill.
Fellow 2013/2014 Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust Travelling Scholarship recipient Miss Rebecca Craw travelled to
The Falkland Islands and Nepal. Ms Craw is completing her University of Otago Faculty of Medicine 6th Year studies in
Christchurch and Timaru.
"Travelling to some of the most remote places on earth fuelled my passion for rural medicine. It allowed me to grow as a
doctor and gave me an appreciation of the issues that millions of people in third world countries face. I hope one day I
can give back to the communities who embraced me like family,” said Miss Craw.
In July, University of Otago Faculty of Medicine 5th year students Natalie Ron, Meaghan Kelly, Clare Ogilvy and Gracie
Souter travelled to Gippsland and Kalgoorlie in Australia for the Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust Monash/Western
Australia Exchange.
“Overall the experience was a fantastic opportunity to observe other medical systems, practice clinical medicine
overseas, make new friends and explore an area of the world I never knew existed,” said Miss Gracie Souter, a 2014 Pat
Farry Rural Health Education Trust Monash/Western Australia Exchange participant.
All of the Trust’s 15 scholarship and grant recipients to date are or will be graduates of the Rural Medical Immersion
Programme established by Dr Farry in 2007. Annually the teaching programme sees up to 20 University of Otago Faculty of
Medicine fifth year medical students considering a rural based medical career chosen to be immersed for the academic
year in Dannevirke, Blenheim, Greymouth, Queenstown, Balclutha and Masterton. Students learn, under the guidance and
mentoring of experienced general practitioners, rural hospital generalists and tertiary hospital specialists.
Academic results from the RMIP confirm its success as a teaching programme says Dr Branko Sijinja, Trustee of the Pat
Farry Rural Health Education Trust and Course Director, Rural Medical Immersion Programme.
“In 2013 an RMIP student achieved second place among all 5th year students and 25 per cent of the students passed with
distinction,” said Dr Sijnja, adding that “above all, the sense of enjoyment of the rural programme has been a sentinel
time in their undergraduate study.”
In 2012, 76 RMIP alumni were surveyed as to their experiences and their future intentions for working in a rural
environment. Eighty five per cent intended to return to rural communities after completing training and that this
outcome had been positively influencedby their experience in the RMIP.
“This internal survey supports Dr Pat Farry’s original thinking that doctors who are trained rurally are more likely to
return to rural settings. While he may not be here to see the results of his work, the Pat Farry Rural Health Education
Trust will continue to work to see his vision realised,” said Dr Branko Sijnja.
ends