My name is Megan. I came to Macquarie from Canada to be part of the Master of Speech-Language Pathology Program (MSLP) in 2006. A large part of why I chose this program over other programs in Australia is the strong clinical component.

As an international student who wanted to study in Australia and also see and learn about its unique culture I chose to undertake a rural placement. This placement was a particular highlight of my experiences in Australia so far. I was given a placement in a small town close to the Queensland border called Moree.

I was extremely excited to begin this placement as it was going to provide me with an opportunity to see and do things not possible in Sydney as well as focusing on a particular interest of mine, Peadiatrics. Not even the 9-hour train ride to Moree could dampen my spirits.

Despite a reduction in some of the comforts I had grown accustomed to in the city such as internet access and public transportation, I have many fantastic memories from both the community health placement and life in a rural town. Some memories from the placement include opportunities to participate in other areas of community health. I spent two days with the Aboriginal Midwifery team and a day each with an Audiometric nurse and Dietician. These days helped me to widen my experience in a community health setting as well as enjoying some of the close community spirit found in small towns. Other benefits to a rural placement are a larger variety in the caseload. I saw and participated in cases that are unlikely to be seen in the city without a specialized placement such as Laryngectomee management.

Other memories from my life in this rural town include meeting and living with some wonderful medical students, making friends with the local police and a spontaneous trip to the Gold Coast with the medical students and police officer just to get away for the weekend.

In every new placement there is an adjustment period while a student gets to know their new clinical Educator and the inner workings of the facility. Being in a rural placement far from home was no different. However in my experience, the people were more than willing to do everything they could to make my adjustment easier. I was welcomed into Moree the moment I stepped off the train.

Overall, choosing a rural placement was a wonderful experience and I hope the people in the town of Moree and the staff at Moree Community Health Centre will remember me as fondly as I will remember them.