UTAS Rural Clinical School

Yesterday, we welcomed 60 Year 10 students from the Burnie region to our Health Careers Program.

Students explored a range of healthcare pathways through hands-on sessions in Emergencies, Patient Journey, Chronic Diseases and the Art of Detective Diagnosis.

👏 Thank you to the schools for supporting this opportunity, and to our academics and medical students for sharing their knowledge, passion, and time.

✨ We hope the day inspired students to consider a future career in health!

🐻🩺 A Beary Successful Day at Teddy Bear Hospital! 🚑🦷

We loved visiting and working with the Kinder students at Riana Primary School yesterday as part of our Teddy Bear Hospital program.

Our visit was filled with hands-on activities as the children helped guide their teddies through a range of medical-related experiences, creating a fun and engaging way to learn about healthcare. 🩻

A big thank you to our amazing medical students and the school who made this fun and hands-on learning experience possible. 🌟

🌟 Celebrating UTAS Rural Clinical School Alumni Leadership 🌟

The UTAS Rural Clinical School is proud to see one of our own, Dr Claire Griffiths (Class of 2021), appointed as the new President of the Rural Doctors Association of Tasmania (RDAT).

A proud palawa woman from Tasmania’s north-west coast, Dr Claire is a dedicated rural generalist whose career reflects a strong commitment to improving health outcomes for regional and remote communities.

Since graduating in 2021, Dr Claire has built an impressive career across rural hospitals and general practices and continues to advocate for doctors in training and the future of rural medicine in Tasmania.

Dr Claire follows in the footsteps of outgoing RDAT President Dr Ben Dodds (RCS Class of 2017), who is also a strong advocate for rural doctors and communities.

👏 Congratulations, Dr Claire and thank you, Dr Ben - we’re incredibly proud of both your achievements and your leadership in shaping the future of rural health.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/New-RDAT-President

🧦 It’s time to break out our funkiest socks to help break down the stigma around mental health in doctors.

Pictured here are staff across Hospitals North West in hearty support of CrazySocks4Docs Day.

Celebrated on Friday 5 June this year, CrazySocks4Docs is a day when we are encouraged to wear fun, colourful socks in support of a serious message—raising awareness of the mental health and wellbeing of all doctors and healthcare practitioners around the world. 💙

🩺 Dr Geoff Toogood, the founder of the CrazySocks4Docs movement, was awarded the 2023 Australian Mental Health Prize for a doctor with lived experience. He is a consultant cardiologist, with lived experience of depression and anxiety. He faced discrimination at many levels and was determined that once recovered, he would create an awareness movement to break down the stigma around mental health among doctors and health professionals.

The movement he began in 2017 is now a global phenomenon. The annual CrazySocks4Docs Day aims to normalise conversations around mental health challenges of doctors, support health practitioners' wellbeing and send a message of solidarity.

The theme for this year is “Safe to Speak Up”.

If you want to take part in the campaign tomorrow (5 June), it’s easy.
📱Post a photo of some really crazy coloured socks, or of yourself wearing those socks, on social media with and start the conversation!

It is a good time to remember there are support services available.
📞 The helplines below are free and are open every day.
• Drs4drs for doctors and medical students in Australia: 1300 374 377 (24/7)
• Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7)
• A Tasmanian Lifeline: 1800 98 44 34 (8am-8pm)
• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
• 13 YARN: 13 92 76 (24/7)
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 (24/7)
• Mensline Australia: 1300 789 978 (24/7)
• Headspace: 1800 650 890 (3pm-10am)
• Su***de Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 (24/7)
• Open Arms Veterans and Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
• QLife: 1800 184 527 (3pm-9pm)

🔗 For more on the movement, please visit: www.crazysocks4docs.com.au

🌟 The Rural Clinical School and University of Tasmania School of Medicine teams had a fantastic time attending the Tasmanian Rural Health Conference in Devonport over the weekend.

Nicole and Miranda presented their evaluation on the success of the end-to-end program across the North and North West and we look forward to their work being published.

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming 60 students from the Mersey region to our Year 10 Health Careers program.

Students explored a range of exciting health career pathways through interactive, hands-on sessions including Emergency Care, Patient Journey, Chronic Diseases, and the Art of Detective Diagnosis.

A huge thank you to the schools for supporting opportunities like this and bringing along such enthusiastic students. We’re also incredibly grateful to our academics and medical students for sharing their knowledge, passion, and time to make the day such a success.

We hope the experience inspired our Year 10 students to consider a future in health careers! ✨🩺

📣 RCS Students📣
📋 Registrations are now OPEN for the:
👟 St Lukes Light Night Glow Run & walk Devonport
📆 Saturday 22 August 2026
🏃 2km, 4km & 8km events
📧 Check your UTAS student email for details on how to register for FREE! 🎉

They’re beautiful 😍🤩👌

Run the .lukeshealthinsurance Devonport Light Night Glow Run

Run the .lukeshealthinsurance Hobart Light Night Glow Run

✨ Collect both and create one EPIC medal 🏅👏

Don’t miss out — enter now:
👉 www.glowrunevents.com

🩺 🌟 What an incredible spotlight on Dr Oli for National Careers Week and so well deserved! As a UTAS Rural Clinical School 2025 alumnus, it’s inspiring to see his journey and the way he continues to give back locally through the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club and Lifesaving Development Camps.

A powerful reminder that community service enhances the already meaningful work clinicians do every day. 🌊👏

🔗 Read more about Oli’s story via the link below.

📣 RCS Students📣
📋 Registrations are now OPEN for the:
👟 Strait Link Burnie Ten
📆 Sunday 25 October 2026
🏃 5km & 10km events
📧 Check your UTAS student email for details on how to register for FREE! 🎉

STRAIT LINK BURNIE 10 ENTRIES ARE OPEN!

It’s go time! Entries are officially LIVE and we couldn’t be more excited.

Whether you’re chasing a PB, taking on your first race, or bringing the whole family along - there’s an event for everyone:

- Strait Link Burnie 10
- Elphinstone Group 5km
- Liv Eat Kid’s 800m Dash

Lock in our SUPER Early Bird pricing before June 17 and secure your spot on the start line.

Don’t wait! Enter now: https://raceroster.com/events/2026/119100/strait-link-burnie-10

🎉 Year 1 Rural Week wrapped!

Year 1 medical students from Hobart, Burnie and Launceston came together for hands‑on learning this week, developing CPR and airway skills at the UTAS Launceston Clinical School, taking part in in‑water simulations at the Australian Maritime College, practicing simulated blood‑taking at the UTAS Rural Clinical School, and exploring UTAS facilities including student accommodation and the UTAS Cradle Coast Campus.

🩺 A great chance to connect, build skills and learn more about rural and regional medical training. A huge thank you to our amazing staff and students statewide who made it happen! 🙌