'Guinea pig' trainee doctors ready to future-proof region's health sector

Each student fought for one of 15 places in Deakin University Warrnambool's new Rural Training Stream to study a Doctor of Medicine.

The stream encourages regional students to pursue a career in the region by not only offering them local study options but also by giving them priority places in medical school.

Campus director Alistair McCosh said the initiative was a major step in the university's bigger plan to boost the rural and regional health workforce.

"There are 15 students from across the south-west starting the program, which is great," he said.

"They come from different undergraduate pathways and will study this program for two years before going up to the hospital in Warrnambool for their third and fourth years.

"It's very, very exciting. Regional locations outside of Warrnambool struggle to get GPs so this opportunity is to fill those places and see more GPs practising in south-west Victoria who are from the region.

"What often happened in the past was students who left the region to do their degree didn't come back. The fact they're able to do it here in Warrnambool now is exciting."

Warrnambool-born Lorcan Hancock, 23, said he was likely the youngest of the "diverse" group of students and was keen to get started.

"We're the guinea pigs for this specific way that they're running this program," he said.

"Now you've got the opportunity to study in Warrnambool and do your placement here too rather than just general rural work, which is really good.

"And the little class I'm a part of is full of people from all different and diverse backgrounds, too.

"They're from rural areas, understand how they work and know all the certain circumstances that apply to a rural area that only people who have lived there would know.

"You've got people who were dentists, did economics, musicians, people in the health field, you've got a broad range of different people."

Director of rural medical education Lara Fuller said that meant graduates studied a "full range of specialties" and contributed to a broad range of areas.

One such student includes former Deakin University Rural Community Clinical School participant Brian Rose, who recently won an international competition by highlighting the unexpected health benefits of e-bikes.

The Portland doctor completed the research as part of his studies through the Deakin Research Scholar Program, finding e-bike users received more health benefits than those who used regular bikes.

That was enough to ensure he came out on top in a three-minute thesis competition spanning Australia and New Zealand.

"Broadly speaking, the level of exercise anyone gets on an e-bike is less than on a regular bike but it's not as much less as you would expect and it still falls into the realm of moderately-intensive exercise," Mr Rose said.

"The big difference is that because people are riding them for longer because they are easier to ride and they get assistance from the motor, they actually get fitter over a period of time.

"It's like comparing someone who jogs for five kilometres a day to someone who sprints 400 metres. The person jogging is having a better impact on their health due to the longer exposure they are getting."

One study referenced by Mr Rose showed users rode e-bikes for an average of about nine kilometres a day compared with two on a regular bike.

Australian laws ensure e-bike motors don't work unless the pedals are used, ensuring a degree of exercise.

Mr Rose - an avid e-bike user himself - said he hoped his research would break down misconceptions and encourage more GPs to "get on board with the concept of e-bikes".

"I feel there are a lot of misconceptions, particularly in relation to chronic conditions," he said.

"It's very early days but the data seems to indicate e-bikes are good for people with heart conditions or diabetes, which are a massive part of Australia's disease burden."