Rural Clinical School Allocations

If you are allocated to a Clinical Unit of the UQ Rural Clinical School (UQRCS) you will be challenged to go further and do more. You will gain a greater depth and breadth of experience and benefit from hands-on, face-to-face, up-close-and-personal experience. You will get to live and work in a vibrant rural community and experience the many attractions the place and its people have to offer. Find more information here.

The UQRCS was established in 2002 and is funded by the Australian Government’s Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) Program (Department of Health, 2020). The RHMT program requires that, each year, at least 25% of the CSP funded graduating medical student cohort have spent at least one full academic year at a RCS Clinical Unit.

Based on RHMT funding requirements, a number of placements will be reserved for fourth year students at each UQRCS site, to accommodate new students. Reserved placements will be distributed across UQRCS sites in proportion to site capacity. As a result, the number of placements available to accommodate domestic students who wish to remain at an UQRCS site for Year 4 may be limited.

Historically, with a full UQRCS allocation in Year 3, we have been able to meet the required quota without having to set aside a large number of Year 4 places for new students. In future years, this will be dependent on a number of factors, including international vs domestic student numbers, as well as potential changes to the required quota.

Prior to the main preferencing round each year, the Faculty will publish the number of UQRCS placements available at each site following the EOI allocation process (outlined below), as well as the number of placements reserved for new students in Year 4.

Expression of Interest (EOI) for Allocation to a UQRCS Clinical Unit in 2024

Domestic Students: The UQRCS will seek EOI’s from domestic students in Year 2 and Year 3, for allocation to one or more UQRCS Clinical Units in the following year. There will also be limited availability for a two year allocation to a UQRCS site.

Opting Out of UQRCS: Students who have already completed a full year of placement at a UQRCS Clinical Unit will be able to opt out of returning to a UQRCS Clinical Unit for Year 4. All current Year 3 students allocated to the UQRCS will receive an email which will provide further details about spending Year 4 at the UQRCS. Students will also be provided with a link to an online survey, where they can indicate if they would like to opt out of allocation to the UQRCS in Year 4.

Criteria and Ranking Process

Students wishing to express interest to be allocated to a UQRCS Clinical Unit will be required to submit an online application. If a student has listed an oversubscribed Clinical Unit as their first preference, they will be selected based on the below criteria. These criteria were developed in accordance with evidence-based indicators of a students’ likelihood to practice rurally, as reported by the UQ Regional Training Hub Research Team.

If a student is not allocated to their first preference (i.e. at an oversubscribed UQRCS Clinical Unit), they will be allocated to their next available preference at an undersubscribed UQRCS Clinical Unit. If that student has not expressed interest in any other UQRCS Clinical Units, they will not be allocated to a UQRCS Clinical Unit (as part of the EOI allocation) and will be required to preference with the rest of the cohort in the main allocation round. Following finalisation of the EOI process, any remaining capacity at UQRCS Clinical Units will be allocated in the main allocation round.

NOTE: If a student is granted Special Consideration for allocation to an oversubscribed UQRCS Clinical Unit, they will be allocated to that UQRCS Clinical Unit and the number of spots available to EOI students will be reduced accordingly.

How to Apply