James Cook University School of Medicine and Dentistry
Encyclopedia
History
Originally opened as the School of Medicine in February 2000, this was Australia's first new medical school in 25 years and the only medical school in northern Australia. It was the first of a wave of new medical schools that were accredited under the Howard Government that include the University of Western Sydney, Notre Dame, and Griffith University. The original intake was 60 medical students. In 2007, the School announced a significant expansion involving a doubling of physical size under a $30 million building expansion plan. This is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Government, the expansion will enable the University to provide facilities for an extra 50 Commonwealth supported medical students each year - an increase of about 50%.Medicine
The Medical School is was accredited by the Australian Medical CouncilAustralian Medical Council
The Australian Medical Council is the Australian national standards advisory body for medical education and training.Its mission statement is:Within Australia, it:* Accredits Australian and New Zealand medical schools and medical courses...
in 1999. The medical program aims to produce graduates who can progress to medical practice and to further studies in medical specialties. The course places special emphasis on rural and Indigenous health and tropical medicine
Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or prove more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions....
.
The course is based at the Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
campus for the first four years. The majority of students in the final two years relocate to other teaching sites such as Cairns, Mackay and Darwin. During these two years students spend most of their learning time in hospitals and health services.
Dentistry
The dental program is based in Cairns, QueenslandCairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
. It is a broad-based program which includes all aspects of dental practice but also has a special focus on issues of special concern to the northern Australian region, particularly those relating to tropical, rural and Indigenous practice.
Students receive early exposure to clinical practice, with an increasing proportion of the course dedicated to clinical skills in the later years. The curriculum integrates the basic sciences with dental clinical sciences and preventative oral health strategies. Students will study the first three to four years on the Cairns Campus, and will spend the final year developing their clinical skills on placements in public and private dental clinics across northern Queensland, including Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
, Proserpine
Proserpine, Queensland
-External links:* * * * *...
, Atherton
Atherton, Queensland
Atherton is a town on the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Atherton had a population of 7,068.-Roads:...
and Thursday Island.
The Dental Program is currently undergoing accreditation by the Australian Dental Council and the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons
Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons
The Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons or RACDS is a professional college established in 1965 that administers Fellowship Exams for both general and specialist dental practitioners in the Australasian region...
.