Rural Medical Immersion Programme (RMIP), Otago Medical School, University of Otago, New Zealand

2023 application information

2023 application information (PDF)
The application information sheet includes details on the application process and key dates applicants should be aware of.

Learn about the RMIP programme and how to apply for 2023

Information sessions

When?	Where?	Who?
Thursday 9 June 2022 5:00pm	Wellington – Massey University Block 5 Level 2 LT200 lecture theatre	Dr Janine Lander Dr Helen Clayson
Thursday 16 June 2022 11:30am	Christchurch – Rolleston Lecture Theatre	Dr Janine Lander Dr Emma Boddington
Thursday 7 July 2022 2:00pm	Dunedin – Barnett Lecture Theatre	Dr Janine Lander Dr Emma Boddington

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, Fire and Ambulance staff at mock accident
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.