Bonded Medical Places Scheme: Information booklet for 2009
Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS) Scheme
A scholarship that may interest you is the Rural Australia Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS) Scheme.
RAMUS scholarships are targeted at medical students from a rural background who need financial support to assist with their accommodation, travel and living expenses while they are studying medicine.
Successful applicants receive a scholarship of $10,000 a year during their medical studies subject to satisfactory progress through their course and continuing financial need.
RAMUS scholarships are open to Australian citizens or permanent residents who have lived in a rural area for a minimum of 5 consecutive or 8 cumulative years, commencing from the age of five years. Applicants are also required to join their university Rural Health Club, and participate in the Rural Doctor Mentor Scheme, for the duration of their scholarship.
The RAMUS Mentor Scheme provides support to scholarship holders during their studies. Students are assisted to find a mentor who is a practising rural doctor. Scholarship holders develop a learning plan with their mentor, have ongoing contact on at least a quarterly basis with their mentor and undertake appropriate rural activities to strengthen their links with rural Australia.
Scholarship holders are free to work wherever they wish after graduating and qualifying as a medical practitioner. However, the mentor support arrangements and the requirement to become a member of a Rural Health Club, encourage scholarship holders to pursue a career in rural medicine.
The Scheme is currently administered by the National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
There are a limited number of new scholarships available each year and not all eligible students may be awarded a scholarship. Eligible applicants are assessed against selection criteria, as part of a competitive process, to identify their rural background and financial need.
Advertising for the RAMUS Scheme for 2009 will commence towards the end of 2008. Students may wish to register their interest in the Scheme and request an application form by calling the National Rural Health Alliance on 1800 460 440.
