The University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) has today announced plans to offer the Sunshine Coast’s first fully local medical program, set to start teaching students from 2030 or earlier.
UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett, says it was the responsibility of a local university to address doctor shortages in the Sunshine Coast and regional Queensland.
“UniSC’s first medical program will provide opportunities for local students to become local doctors, while alleviating workforce shortages,” Professor Bartlett said.
“Students will be selected from predominantly local schools, with a focus on upskilling in primary healthcare and building on UniSC’s track record of delivering allied health graduates and world-class health research.
“With Queensland set to require 6,000 more medical practitioners by 2032, the time is right to offer an end-to-end local medical program that allows more students to become doctors closer to home.
“Importantly, locally trained students are attuned to the community’s specific needs. They build networks and partnerships with the people and industry networks and often choose to stay to raise a family, ensuring their communities retain vital medical expertise and services.
“We know that the majority of students who graduate directly from our healthcare programs stay in this region.
“In healthcare, it’s the community connections and the passion for the people that make all the difference, and we are so excited to share our commitment to offering that opportunity to future doctors right here on the Sunshine Coast.”
100 places for predominantly local students
Professor Bartlett said UniSC was committed to launching a medical program, but a lot of work needs to take place first.
"Our next step is to establish the best model of delivery, in consultation with Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Health, and key community partners," she said.
“What we know already is that our selection process will target schools in our campus footprint to ensure local students can enrol, and we will seek Commonwealth Supported Places to enable this.
“We also hope to begin with a cohort of 100 students. We understand that this is not going to be easy, but we have to make this happen for the long-term benefit of the Sunshine Coast.”
In 2017, UniSC launched a Bachelor of Medical Science, partnering with Griffith University and Sunshine Coast University Hospital, providing a pathway into Griffith’s Doctor of Medicine program.
“It’s been a wonderfully successful partnership, and it’s been fantastic to see the first doctors graduate from the combined UniSC and Griffith program this December,” Professor Bartlett said.
“It was always the intention that we would have our own program one day. Now we have had the experience, we can see what sort of program is needed and we are ready to take over the role of delivering new doctors to our regions - from day one to graduation day.
“We are committed to working with our partners to ensure our community has access to the full end-to-end educational pathway to becoming a doctor, and they do not have to leave town to achieve this.”
Community support
Sunshine Coast Health Chief Executive Dr Peter Gillies welcomed the announcement.
“We are committed to investing in our future health workforce by building strong partnerships with key stakeholders, including the university sector.
“Within the next ten years, our health service is projected to need 44 percent more health workers, or 6500 new staff, to support the increases in demand and population growth,” Dr Gillies said.
“Junior doctors benefit from working directly with experienced medical practitioners, and our facilities offer the benefit of both regional and tertiary healthcare learning environments.”
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli commended the move.
“The Sunshine Coast is one of Australia’s fastest growing regions and it is critical that we have enough frontline health workers to support our community, this includes GPs and doctors working in our local hospitals,” Mayor Natoli said.
“A Sunshine Coast-based medical program, led by our local university, training local young people – that is a trifecta I would love to see happen and I encourage the Australian and Queensland governments to support UniSC in their ambition.”
Federal MP for Fisher Andrew Wallace also supported the announcement.
Both Ted O’Brien and I worked really hard in our first term as MPs to establish a medical school on the Sunshine Coast with Griffith University,” Mr Wallace said.
“But it’s now time that UniSC, the Sunshine Coast’s own University, has the opportunity to establish its own medical school, training our local doctors of tomorrow.
“UniSC has established itself over many years as a leading provider of education and training of nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals.”
Local student celebrates graduating as a doctor
The announcement comes as the university’s first doctors graduate on Tuesday this week, via UniSC’s partnership with Griffith University.
Graduate doctor Carlos Bray, who entered the program from Kawana Waters State College seven years ago, said studying on the Sunshine Coast allowed him to live at home while building a strong industry network and a great group of friends.
“I enjoyed the whole journey. The doctors I met were friendly and the coastal lifestyle is good,” he said.
“It's a seven-year journey, so it’s long compared to other courses. But you make lifelong friends along the way and, even though it’s difficult at times, it’s so rewarding.”
He plans to complete his two-year internship in Townsville and is considering Sunshine Coast as a career destination, possibly specialising in surgery.
A history in health
The University of the Sunshine Coast graduates around 1,000 healthcare professionals per year, including nurses, midwives, paramedics, occupational therapists, psychologists, dietitians and other health specialists including physiotherapy commencing in 2025, with the majority staying in the area to work.
“As the university serving the Sunshine Coast for 28 years now, we have a track record in developing the healthcare workforce in our regions, and we are particularly attuned to the health needs here, particularly in primary healthcare and disease prevention,” Professor Bartlett said.
This track record is supported by a robust program of world-class translational research at the Sunshine Coast Health Institute, in partnership with the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, mental health experts at the Thompson Institute and the new National PTSD Research Centre.
UniSC’s Clinical Trials Centre has conducted 12 globally relevant trials this year alone.
“By adding a medical program to our health offerings, we really are completing the suite,” Professor Bartlett said.
UniSC ‘well-positioned for growth’
Professor Bartlett said UniSC was anticipating a significant period of growth, and the medical program was part of a larger new strategic plan to be announced in the New Year.
“Domestic applications to study at UniSC are up 12.7 percent on this time last year and we are well-positioned for future growth,” she said.
In the last year alone, UniSC opened the doors on three additional modern campus buildings at Moreton Bay, launched the National PTSD Research Centre and opened a campus in Adelaide while securing major funding for research projects.
Since establishing on the Sunshine Coast in 1996, UniSC has added campuses at Fraser Coast, Gympie, Caboolture, Moreton Bay and Adelaide.
UniSC now has nearly 18,700 current students, has conferred 39,758 graduate awards, and has built a reputation for quality teaching and student satisfaction while providing equal and inclusive access to education.
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