Medical Student Bursary award

About the Medical Student Bursary award

The Rural Medical Student Bursary Award is awarded to a medical student who is a member of a rural health students' club at an Australian university who submits the best essay (maximum 1200 words) a rural and remote health topic.

Each essay nomination is judged on the following criteria:

• demonstrated understanding of rural general practice;
• demonstrated evidence of innovative thinking;
• interest in a career in rural general practice;
• a written statement outlining the ways in which the bursary would support professional development.

The Medical Student Bursary award includes:

• registration to attend the College's annual conference
• presentation of a commemorative trophy at the RACGP Rural annual member event.

Nominations for the 2020 RACGP Rural Awards are now closed.

2020 winner

The 2020 Medical Student Bursary Award was presented to Mr Jean-Baptiste Philibert.

_{Mr Jean-Baptiste Philibert}

Jean-Baptiste is a John Flynn Scholar and went on his first placement in the Northern Territory attached to an aboriginal medical service, Anyinginyi. During this time he sat in on consultations with GPs as well as remote nurses and aboriginal health practitioners and would like to become a procedural rural GP with a particular focus on working with aboriginal populations.

Jean-Baptiste’s essay on The role of rural GPs in managing disasters such as pandemics, bushfires or floods demonstrated a deep understanding of the question and provided realistic suggestions with a broad range of answers in a well-written and intelligent paper that incorporated innovative future thinking.

Read the essay here.