Published on Thursday, 25 March 2021 at 12:38:17 PM
Merredin hosted twenty-six first and second-year placement medical students from the Universities of Notre Dame and Curtin from March 15 – 19, as part of the Medical Student Immersion Program facilitated by Rural Health West.
After trekking 260km from the city on Monday afternoon, the medical students were welcomed to town at the pop-up piazza located on Barrack Street where they were able to meet their billet families and enjoy an afternoon tea. Here, the medical students experienced a Welcome to Country from local Njaki Njaki community members, before being presented with an overview of the town by Shire President Julie Flockart.
The following morning, students went on a walking history tour of the Merredin CBD with local Anita Metcalf. After the tour, the students visited and volunteered at a number of organisations in town including the Military Museum, Railway and Historical Museum, and the Community Garden. Each organisation was able to give an insight into the way the community groups run, the beneficial outcomes of having the community group, and how important they are to Merredin. The day ended with the students enjoying Merredin’s shopping experience.
On Wednesday, students put their medical skills to the test by running Teddy Bear Hospitals at Merredin College and St Mary’s Primary for the early years classes before heading to Merredin hospital to gain a valuable insight into rural medicine.
The highly anticipated farm visit on Thursday morning was a trip highlight for many of the students. The students visited the Willis’ Farm for three hours where they were entertained and educated on farming activities and practices. Thursday lunch consisted of a delicious BBQ cooked by the Men’s Shed, who also gave the students an exclusive tour of the shed, including things they have made and remodelled, and of course, telling a few too many of their infamous jokes!
The trips activities concluded with a community dinner held at Cummins Theatre on Thursday night. With the help of Hayley from Wheatbelt Catering and Events, the students prepared the dinner for the community as a big thank you for hosting the students. They then performed songs for those attending, which included heartfelt messages about their time in Merredin.
The Shire of Merredin would like to thank all of the community groups and businesses that hosted the students and the academic support staff or assisted them in any way possible. The students expressed their gratitude and could not speak highly enough of their experience in Merredin. We look forward to the next round of students to visit in 2022!
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