New Clinical School

New Clinical School to train more UWS medical students in Western Sydney

Prime Minister of Australia The Hon. Julia Gillard MP and Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, The Hon. Nicola Roxon MP officially opened the multi-million dollar UWS Blacktown/Mt Druitt Clinical School on Wednesday 19 October.

Based at Blacktown Hospital, the Blacktown/Mt Druitt Clinical School is one of the key training sites for the UWS School of Medicine.

UWS medical students will use the Clinical School facilities and the adjacent hospital to learn their clinical and diagnostic skills while being mentored by senior specialists, nurses and allied health professionals.

Prime Minister Gillard spoke at the event about the difference this facility will make to the individuals and families of Sydney’s west.

‘We are training the next generation of doctors, nurses and health professionals’ right here in the west,’ she said.

‘I’ve had the opportunity to look through these facilities, but perhaps more importantly than that, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to the people who are training and doing their research right here, and I see the difference this facility will make to them.

‘The facility is state of the art, in both building design and in equipment, and in approach to training and research.’

The partnership between UWS, NSW Health, Western Sydney Local Health District and the Australian Government delivered the $20.6 million, three-storey facility, which comprises:

• A research centre which has dedicated spaces for clinical trials, scientific research laboratories and community-based research
• An innovative multidisciplinary teaching clinic which provides a one-stop service for patients with gastrointestinal and pelvic floor disorders
• A Clinical School comprising medical library, tutorial rooms for clinical teaching, academic and support staff offices and overnight accommodation for students on-call
• A 161-seat lecture theatre for use by UWS and Blacktown/Mt Druitt Hospital staff
• Student common room facilities
• An internal courtyard
• A link way connecting the facility to the Hospital.

The UWS School of Medicine is not only helping to alleviate the shortage of doctors working in Greater Western Sydney, but it is also helping expand teaching, medical research and clinical leadership in the Greater Western Sydney region by drawing more professors and researchers to its hospitals and surrounding health services.

The NSW Government has supported the establishment of the Clinical School by funding four clinical Professor appointments and research Fellows.

UWS medical students in the first two years of their degree spend a few hours each week at the Blacktown/Mt Druitt Clinical School developing their clinical skills such as interacting and communicating with patients, conducting examinations and making a diagnosis, and learning how to use medical technology.

In their third, fourth and fifth year many of the UWS MBBS students have full-time clinical attachments at Blacktown/Mt Druitt Hospital developing their clinical and diagnostic skills in a wide variety of specialties.

To view the video of the opening of the UWS Blacktown/Mt Druitt Clinical School visit the UWS Livestream website.