The Bond University Medical Program has become a national leader in addressing one of Australia’s most pressing health challenges: producing the next generation of GPs.
Figures from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners show 34 percent of Bond-trained doctors go on to train as GPs after their hospital internship and residency. That is a higher percentage than any other Australian metropolitan medical school.
Bond’s boost to the GP workforce comes as the nation grapples with a shortage of medical generalists who work at the frontline of healthcare.
The Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care reports the number of GPs leaving the profession is outstripping the number entering it.
The undersupply is expected to persist over the next 25 years due to a growing and ageing population, with older people generally requiring more complex healthcare.
GPs are the cornerstone of the health system with more than 90 percent of Australians seeing their local doctor at least once a year.
Several factors contribute to the high number of Bond Medical Program graduates who go on to become GPs.
General practitioners hold key leadership positions within Bond University’s Medical Program and the wider Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine.
The Executive Dean of the Faculty Professor Nick Zwar is a GP, as is the co-lead of Doctor of Medicine, Professor Mark Morgan and the Academic Head of General Practice Associate Professor Jane Smith.
The influence of experienced GPs, both in leadership and teaching roles, provides students with an in-depth understanding of the value of general practice.
Additionally, Bond students are exposed to GP experiences through placement opportunities at clinics in Queensland and northern New South Wales.
“We know that early exposure to practising GPs in medical school can inspire students to pursue this pathway,” Dr Smith said.
General practice is not only a rewarding profession but also has a profound impact on improving patient outcomes.
“Statistics show that if a patient spends 15 years connected to their GP, their death rate is reduced by 15 percent,” Dr Smith said.
“Even after two years the rate is reduced by 10 per cent.
“Continuity of care with a GP reduces morbidity.”
The Bond University Medical Program consists of the Bachelor of Medical Studies and the Doctor of Medicine and can be completed in four years and eight months.
The program’s time-saving structure, low student-to-teacher ratio and hands-on approach to medical education are key elements of its success.
Nearly all of Bond’s medical students – 99 percent – are from Australia and New Zealand.