Placements

Create your Rural Medicine Journey in Outback New South Wales

Broken Hill University Department of Health supports domestic medicine students from most Australian University to undertake a placement in Broken Hill.  Placement opportunities are limited, so if you are considering a placement with BHUDRH, you are encouraged to reach out early to Laura Mallon

Extended Clinical Placement Program (ECPP)

Our flagship Extended Clinical Placement Program (ECPP) is offered in partnership with this program provides 12 senior medical students with the opportunity to spend 40 weeks in Broken Hill, gaining hands-on experience in rural and remote healthcare. Students engage in tailored learning experiences, including on-site tutorials, interdisciplinary teaching through the    ENRICH program and undertake a remote placement in Menindee and Wilcannia. These placements expose students to diverse patient groups and the unique challenges of rural healthcare.

ECPP placements take students to a range of settings including general practice, hospital ward duties, and on-call shifts. There is also the opportunity to complete part of the placement with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

Elective students from other universities are welcome to join for shorter placements throughout the year.

Beyond placements, students can immerse themselves in the local community by engaging in sports, social events and enjoying the vibrant life of Broken Hill and its surroundings.

Listen to Bridie’s medical placement experience.

For placement enquiries contact Laura Mallon

Professional clinical experience in Broken Hill and beyond

Discover the unique rewards of rural healthcare with nursing placements at BHUDRH. We offer both short-term and extended placements, tailored to all levels of nursing students, providing hands-on experience in dynamic rural and remote health settings.

Learn alongside experienced professionals in diverse environments, including:

• Primary health clinics

• Remote and community health services

• Aged care facilities

• Aboriginal Medical Services

• Acute care hospitals

Extended Nursing Placement Program (ENPP)

For a deeper rural healthcare experience, the ENPP program is offered in partnership with the University of Western Sydney, University of Notre Dame Australia.  The program offers a 20-week placement that helps students build clinical skills, resilience and professional networks while gaining a comprehensive understanding of rural healthcare systems. This placement is designed to boost work readiness and confidence for new graduates.

Listen to Charlotte’s ENPP experience

For placement enquiries contact Rachel Lysaght.

We offer discipline specific, short to medium placement blocks a cross a variety of allied health disciplines. These placement blocks meet discipline specific year level accreditation requirements in partnership with the student’s home university.

Allied Heath disciplines placements available:

• Dietetics (ICM/FSM/CPHN)
• Speech Pathology (paediatric/adult)
• Occupational Therapy (paediatric/adult)
• Physiotherapy
• Exercise Physiology (healthy populations /clinical)
• Exercise Science (healthy populations)
• Psychology
• Paramedicine
• Podiatry
• Medical imaging

Allied Health Extended Placement Program (AHEPP)

BHUDRH is proud to partner with the University of Adelaide to offer up to six 20-week immersive placements in physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy.  Offered twice a year, this national first longitudinal placement was developed in partnership with local health leaders in select Far West NSW communities.

We provide transformative field education placements for social work students across all stages of their academic journey, including first and final year placements. Through partnerships with accredited social work courses nationwide, we welcome students from across Australia to our vibrant rural communities.

Our placements focus on fostering peer learning, community engagement, cultural experiences and professional development.
Students work in diverse practice settings such as:

• Health services
• Non-government organisations
• Mental health sectors
• Aboriginal Medical Services
• Schools

By joining us, students gain invaluable experience in rural social work practice while benefiting from local academic support.

Listen to Milaney’s social work placement experience.

For placement enquiries contact Sonia McCully, who will be able to direct your enquiry to the relevant academic.

Pharmacy students can engage in rural placements across our footprint, including outreach to nearby communities. These placements expose students to a variety of settings such as:

• Community pharmacy
• Aged care
• Aboriginal Health Services

This combination of experiences is designed to provide a well-rounded understanding of rural pharmacy practice, tailored to the opportunities available at each placement location.

Read Dianne’s pharmacy placement experience.

For placement enquiries contact Rachel Lysaght or Andrew Johnson.

In collaboration with the University of Sydney, BHUDRH facilitates a final year dentistry program. Students involved in the program will complete an 8-week clinical placement at the Community Health Centre in Broken Hill. While in Broken Hill, students will be accompanied by a supervisor who will travel with them from Sydney.

Open to University of Sydney Students, The Rural Dental Program aims to provide students with exposure to public and private practice. This invaluable experience and insight to a broad range of opportunities is something that may not be available on metropolitan placements.

This is dedicated curriculum targeted to students engaged in our Longitudinal Integrated Programs or some of our extended placements. This curriculum, delivered by local rural academics, is delivered from a multi-disciplinary lens underpinned by rural theory and pedagogy. Content of the sessions focuses on developing understanding around rural and remote and First Nations communities from a contextual lens. It considers health system, social determinants of health alongside theories and principles of relational practice, complexity and community literacy. The learnings from this curriculum will be strengthened during your placement via practice experience and building connections with individuals, families and communities.

This curriculum is aligned to your placement with targeted educational time including orientation, reflection, consolidation and final day sessions, also incorporating our wider educational ENRICH program – see further details regarding ENRICH.

*NB The Rural Curriculum is not offered to all students, please check with our placement team or your university to determine if this is included in your placement.

The ENRICH program is delivered across our three campuses in a variety of ways that is contextual to each of our sites and their communities. There are regular interactive and engaging education sessions for all students undertaking placement.

The program aims to foster collaboration and improve the effectiveness of health care delivery by engaging students from different professional backgrounds in joint learning experiences, whilst equipping learners with a comprehensive understanding of rural and remote health care service provision, emphasising the importance of effective interdisciplinary collaboration for the delivery of health care to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

The MLIP is a selective program that incorporates students completing extended placements across medicine, nursing and allied health.

Presently these include students from our Extended Clinical Placement Program. Extended Nursing Placement Program and Allied Health Extended Placement Program.

*NB The MLIP is not offered to all students, please check with our placement team or your university to determine if you are eligible to apply for these programs.

Our partnering agencies, including host sites, local councils and community agencies hold events in the community across the year. Our department will support and engage in the days and students are always invited to attend and engage with the staff, other students and agencies alongside the community. These activities are a great way to learn more about region, deliver primary health care education messaging which will also meet your educational and engagement learning needs of your placement and who doesn’t love a chance to get out into the community and enjoy a snag in bread! 

BHUDRH offers face to face cultural education with our First Nations academics with content that is locally co-designed with Traditional Custodians and shares health professionals with local history, past experiences and insights to local knowledges and appropriate communication skills when working with our communities. 

The educational and immersion activities are contextually relevant and appropriate and designed across our three campuses and regions.

Our placements offer:

• Comprehensive support: Guidance from dedicated academic and professional teams.
• Diverse practice settings: Across Broken Hill, Wentworth, Bourke and beyond.
• Community engagement: Connections with rural communities and insights into health challenges.
• Cultural experiences: Collaborations with Aboriginal Medical Services and culturally rich organisations.

You can travel by bus, train, or fly, depending on your placement location. Some areas may require a car, as public transport is limited in rural areas.

Free, fully self-contained, shared, mixed gender student accommodation is provided with Wi-Fi and your own lockable room. Visitors are asked to find alternative accommodations during your placement.

A small placement coordination fee of $25 per week is charged to students participating in the program.

Yes! The BHUDRH encourages a balanced lifestyle. Our communities offer plenty of recreational activities, including sports teams, local events and outdoor activities. From annual horse racing events to cultural festivals and community gatherings, there is always something to enjoy.