Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP), Otago Medical School

2024 application information

The application process for RMIP 2024

The 2024 Rural Medical Immersion Programme is open to applications from all 2023 University of Otago fourth year medical students. Applicants are asked to write a statement about themselves and their background of approximately 600 words, indicating why they think that they will be a suitable candidate for the programme.

Candidates are asked to indicate their order of preference for each of the teaching centres in their application. The RMIP centres for 2024 are based in Ashburton, Clutha, Marlborough, Central Otago/Lakes, Tararua, Wairarapa, and the West Coast. It is important to note that the application is to RMIP, not to a particular site.

Applications will be accepted from June 2023.

Applications will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 20th August 2023 and all applying students will be invited to an interview.

Your statement should be submitted via SONIA.

Interviews will be conducted 11-15 September 2023 by Zoom, and interviewed applicants will have until 18 September to let the RMIP administrator know of any changes they would like to make to their application, including withdrawal or site prioritization.
Successful applicants will be offered a position on the programme (including site) 25-27 September. Where possible sites will be prioritized to student situations and preferences discussed at interview. In the event this is not possible, students are expected to commit to an alternative site and the opportunities it will provide. If the programme position is declined based on site allocation it may instead be offered to another student.
Successful students will be advised of the full class list and site allocations by the end of Friday 29 September 2023.

Learn about the RMIP programme and how to apply for 2024

Information sessions

When?	Where?	Who?
Thursday 8 June 2023 12.00pm	Wellington – Horne Lecture Theatre	Dr Janine Lander Dr Helen Clayson
Wednesday 14 June 2023 11.30am	Dunedin – Barnett Lecture Theatre	Dr Janine Lander
Friday 16 June 2023 1.30pm	Christchurch – Rolleston Lecture Theatre	Dr Janine Lander

The one-year-long Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP) for fifth-year medical students offers an exciting new generation of learning. It integrates community, primary, secondary, and tertiary medical care through real-life experiential learning across the three clinical schools of Otago School of Medicine.

RMIP students cover the full fifth year curriculum in their own rural learning and living environment. During this time they are guided and mentored by:

Students, firefighters, and ambulance staff at a mock accident

Local and visiting tertiary hospital specialists
Māori health faculty and providers
Mental health teams
Midwives
Pharmacists
Physiotherapists
Rural general practitioners
Rural hospital generalists
Rural nurses

The RMIP is extremely rich in clinical expertise and talent. Teaching and marking of case reports is undertaken by consultants from the University of Otago, and the RMIP teachers themselves.

Our staff work to develop innovative methods for full and timely remote delivery of the curriculum. Rapidly developing IT, audio and video conferencing equipment, and networks play a large part in facilitating remote access to city-based specialist services, and in maintaining critical communication lines with fellow students, colleagues, administration, and the medical community as a whole. This is improving the daily operating facts of rural general practice and provincial hospitals.

With this raft of resources, and a strong emphasis on self-directed learning, the academic results of the RMIP students have been very impressive, with outcomes progressively building each year.